Instructors
|
Vince Farquharson (6th degree black belt) Mr Farquharson, after originally being deterred by the prospect of practicing martial arts because he was told he was to short when attending a karate club some years ago, began training under the instruction and guidance of the chief liaison officer for the TAGB Master Paul Donnelly (8th degree black belt) in 1979. Vince soon found that his height was not a disadvantage but instead he played to his strengths at the Park Road Club in Moseley (also known as the Birmingham Club). With his height giving him a clear advantage as he practiced his high kicking techniques, Mr Farquharson reached black belt status at the club and then turned his talents to teaching. Vince has been practising tae kwon do for over 30 years, and after achieving black belt status in 1984 he opened his first club in Kates Hill, but after the venue became unsuitable to meet the clubs’ growing capacity, Vince moved his Dudley club to Roberts Street Primary School. The Dudley club was then moved; again due to the club expanding in size. Now the oldest member of the West Midlands group meets at Ellowes Hall Secondary School where Vince trains his large class to achieve their full potential in gradings and take part in competitions. In 1990 Mr Farquharson then opened his second club in Kidderminster for a brief period of time after taking over the club from the previous instructor who moved to Australia. He later returned in 1995 becoming the clubs’ full time instructor. The Kidderminster Club meets regularly at the Holy Trinity School where Mr Farquharson teaches his 60 strong classes. Vince has also taken over the Willenhall club which meets in Willenhall Community Centre Gomer Street. At present he is building the intimate group size so as the club can maximise its full potential. With over 26 years of teaching experience and running three tae kwon do schools, Mr Farquharson has promoted in excess of 40 Black Belts. His first ever Black Belt was Michael Meese who trains regularly at the Dudley club. Some of these black belts have gone on to become instructors themselves and discover the rewards of teaching tae kwon do. Other black belts have become international umpires and referees for TAGB events across the world. When Vince is not teaching he is refereeing numerous competitions both nationally and internationally. What he finds rewarding is being able to travel anywhere in the world with the TAGB and officiate at tournaments. Vince has refereed in Sweden, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Poland and the USA to name but a few countries. As a qualified International Umpire and Referee with over 24 years refereeing experience, Mr Farquharson is well placed to offer his experience in the ring and co-ordinate sparring matches. Vince also regularly trains himself to constantly improve his technique and learn new moves with the Masters of Tae Kwon Do at elite black belt training sessions. He is currently progressing towards achieving his sixth degree black belt in the next few years. Mr Farquharson gave this advice to anybody thinking about starting tae kwon do: “Come along and give TAGB tae kwon do a try. Tae kwon do is all about you and your ability –nobody else’s. We are here to help you achieve all you can.”
|
|
Lisa Brown (4th degree black belt) Began training in 1991 and is one of the most experienced martial artists attending Mr Farquharson’s clubs regularly across the West Midlands; she has trained continuously for nineteen years! The reason Lisa began training with the TAGB was initially because it looked fun and challenging whilst at the same time tae kwon do gave her a new hobby and fitness regime . Miss Brown does not just have experience within the classroom as an assistant instructor. With her training within the dojang combined with her collection of medals and trophies from various tournaments across the years, she is a tough opponent in the Ladies Black Belt Division. Her achievements include: • 1993 Scottish – Gold As you can see Lisa has competed at a lot of tournaments, this means her experience is invaluable therefore when sparring in class and training future tournament champions. Additionally, Lisa is a qualified umpire and referee which means she has officiated at multiple competitions. When asked what her favourite pattern was Lisa replied ‘Gae Baek, as it is a good pattern to perform with lots of kicks and powerful movements.’ When asked how TAGB is specifically different to other forms of tae kwon do Lisa explained that the TAGB is a traditional martial art which does not only utilise the body but it also conditions the mind. In short it is a may of life which helps condition ones body but also gives them confidence, strength and flexibility. When taking her third dan grading, she admitted that the most difficult part was remembering the huge quantity of theory, this required a lot of studying and preparation but Lisa recognises that this element of the grading makes TAGB tae kwon do unique when compared with other martial arts. Theory establishes the history and background information of the art and movements such as those contained in patterns. It is useful to have this knowledge, and the Korean terminology enables instructors to teach across the world in a language which all practitioners of TAGB Tae Kwon Do will understand. Finally, Lisa said that the characteristics of a good 10th Kup (white belt) are that the student has self belief, is able to have fun and most importantly is able to be patient. If the pupil can relax, concentrate, and train continuously, with practice tae kwon do techniques and patterns can develop until the student reaches their desired level. All we ask is for your best effort and that the person puts 110% dedication into lessons.
|
|
Katie Billingham (3rd degree black belt) Katie Billingham, Instructor of Bloxwich, Bewdley, and Hagley TAGB Tae Kwon Do, began Tae Kwon Do at the age of 12. She first studied under WTF Style for 3 years, attaining her Red Tag grade shortly before the club closed down. It was then that she found her local TAGB at the Kidderminster Club. Under the patient tuition of Mr Farquharson, Miss Billingham achieved her Black Belt in October 2003. When she moved away to University in Wales she took her Tae Kwon Do with her, joining her local club in Aberystwyth. Here, as senior grade, she took on the role of assistant instructor, and also trained towards her second Dan grade in which she successfully achieved in 2005. After returning to Kidderminster years later Mr Farquharson became her mentor to aid her build her own schools so that she may take her training to the next level and aid the next generation of students as they begin their Tae Kwon Do journey. Now, with three successful schools, Miss Billingham achieved her 3rd Degree Black Belt Certification in October 2008. Along with Umpires, Refrees, Instructors, Basic First Aid, Emergency First Aid, and Child Protection certifications, all her students received A-Pass grades in the last grading, the highest marks given so it has been a very successful year all round! |
|
Emily Haslam (2nd degree black belt) How old were you when you started training and what year was this? I was 12 years old when I started training way back in the year 2001. I took my first grading for my yellow stripe on my 13th birthday. I passed which was the best birthday present ever! Had you previously tried any other martial arts? Why did you choose TAGB Tae Kwon Do? Before Tae Kwon Do I had not tried any previous martial arts and I don’t regret this as Tae Kwon Do is so varied. Since integrity is a tenet of Tae Kwon Do I may as well be honest in admitting that I did not choose TAGB Tae Kwon Do, I only joined because my two younger sisters were going and my parents thought that it would benefit me to go too as I was so shy and lacked in confidence (not to mention the 3 for the price of 2 offer that Vince was running). I can’t thank my parents enough for encouraging me to go; it’s changed who I am. Have you participated in any tournaments? Yes I’ve competed in many tournaments, always sparring. I’ve never entered into a patterns event. With regard to exact locations etc I can’t remember but I have achieved Gold Medals in each and every tournament I entered gaining titles such as English and British Champion. I now concentrate on officiating, and enjoy helping the TAGB committee with the smooth running of the Tournaments. What other TAGB qualifications do you hold? I hold instructors and umpires qualifications. You have recently opened a new club, why do you want to be an instructor and what are you most looking forward to about this new venture? I have recently opened the Worcester North Club which meets on a Thursday (8pm-9pm) and Saturday (12noon-1pm) at Worcester Swimming Pool. I would like to be an Instructor for many reasons but the main one being to make a difference to people’s lives in some way, shape or form. I have a massive passion for Tae Kwon Do and in particular teaching which has become apparent through teaching at the Kidderminster, and Bewdley Tae Kwon Do clubs. My instructor Vince has had a massive impact on my life and in making me the person I am today and I would feel honoured if my students were to feel the same about me. I want to give back to Tae Kwon Do what it’s given me. What is your favourite technique and pattern? My favourite technique is a high section turning kick, just because of the power of the technique. My favourite pattern is Ge-Baek, a 1st Dan Pattern; I like the combination of kicks and the changes in directions in the pattern. This makes it a lovely pattern to watch. My favourite colour belt pattern is Won Hyo, this was the first pattern I chose as a choice pattern for a grading, and I like the pattern because of the combinations it contains. What is your least favourite technique and pattern? My least favourite technique is hooking block, I find this is a difficult technique to demonstrate power. My least favourite pattern is Yul Gok, possibly because it contains the hooking block, but I think the main reason is that I found the pattern hard to pick up and I don’t feel that if flows as easily as other patterns. Do you have any other hobbies or interests? I enjoy reading and have recently completed the 4th book in the ‘Twilight Saga’. The films are also very good. I have to say I am definitely Team Edward regardless of how nice Jacob is. I love watching stand up comedy too, particularly Michael McIntyre, Peter Kay, Jimmy Carr and Lee Mack. What is your advice to people who are considering starting TAGB Tae Kwon Do? Go for it! It can change a person, it certainly changed me. The TAGB is the single largest Martial Arts association in Europe. To me the TAGB is like one big family and each and every member of the TAGB is treated with respect and courtesy. All members of the TAGB are well looked after and encouraged to get from Tae Kwon Do all that they want. I would also advise people to be open minded and patient, when I first started Tae Kwon Do I was terrified and for no reason at all and I thought that I would never truly enjoy the sport, after a few weeks training in Tae Kwon Do though, my confidence started to improve and I started to enjoy the classes the more that I went. Persevere with TAGB Tae Kwon Do and you won’t be disappointed. Finally... I would like to thank Vince for all the help and support he has given me over the years and for making me the person i am today. I would also like to thank my peers at Tae Kwon Do for being the best friends i could ever wish to make, and any students that i have taught who have helped me realise that i want to open up a new club to teach Tae Kwon Do. Over the next few years I look forward to meeting future students, my classes growing, progressing students through gradings and making a difference.
|
|
Mike Meese (2nd degree black belt) Mike Meese runs the Bloxwich Club and Worcester Club
|
|
Claire Southall (2nd degree black belt) Claire Southall began training in January 2003 aged only 12 years old. After progressing well with her tae kwon do she became a first degree black belt in October 2006. Claire has been training with Dudley tae kwon do club solidly for 6 years and is also a qualified umpire – umpiring numerous competitions. She has also participated in two regional competitions in the sparring category winning both a silver medal and recently at the North Midlands Championships 2009 taking home the bronze. Additionally, Claire participated and umpired at the 2007 World Championships, an international competition, held in Birmingham and was awarded student of the year at the Dudley club in her early days; receiving Black Belt of the year for the West Midlands group at the end of 2007. She is an assistant instructor at the Dudley club and said of her teaching 'I really enjoy helping the lower grades progress and achieve their full potential, there is nothing more rewarding than teaching someone to protect themselves and to improve their confidence. I remember all the help I had when I first started training with Vince, from Lisa Brown and the other black belts and now I want to pass on my experience to the younger generation.' Miss Southall also attends classes in Kidderminster, Willenhall and Bloxwich and loves training with other students in the West Midlands group. Claire is training hard currently progressing towards participating in the Scottish Championships in September 2009 and taking her second degree black belt in 2009/2010. Claire said recently of the forthcoming events: 'I can't wait to go to Scotland, I have never been and I am really looking forward to both umpiring and competing. As for the grading I think it will be a challenging experience but as with all gradings the harder you train the more you will achieve (on both a personal and professional level).' Miss Southall also added: 'For anybody thinking about starting a martial art, whatever your age or ability do not be afraid to give TAGB tae kwon do a go. It was one of the best decisions of my life.'
|
1st Degree Black Belts
|
Franchesca Smith (1st degree black belt) Franchesca Smith began training at the Kidderminster club under the instruction of Mr Farquharson in 2006 at the tender age of ten years old. Her reasons for specifically joining this club and starting TAGB tae kwon do were that she liked the atmosphere of the club and made new friends easily. As well as this Fran found that she could develop her fitness and improve her self defence. Her choice pattern is pattern Do San Tul (24 movements), this is because she finds it the easiest to remember and she can perform it technically well with powerful movements such as when executing wedging block (hechyo maki) When taking her black belt grading at The Bristol Academy, Franchesca found that she was very nervous beforehand, however the amount of people who were also there (although overwhelming at first) helped to make her focus and think of the experience as a normal training lesson. The most difficult part of Fran’s grading was getting changed in enough time to ensure that she was ready for sparring as the changing room was very busy, although this added to her nerves, the whole experience went smoothly. Miss Smith’s least favourite pattern at the moment is her new pattern Quang Gae, she is finding it difficult to learn as there are lots of complicated movements which she has never practiced before. However, with lots of determination and with her abiding by the Tenant of perseverance, Fran will find that the moves will slot into place! As a newly promoted black belt Fran says she will keep training regularly to meet her goal of reaching her second degree black belt, she is looking into taking the umpires course soon. What Miss Smith enjoys the most about Kidderminster’s training sessions are that in each lesson you get to perform a variety of techniques, demonstrating patterns and generally keeping your fitness at a high level. She likes the large size of the class, stretching and sparring.
|
Holly Hamer (1st degree black belt) Holly Hamer joined the Kidderminster club under the instruction of Mr Farquharson in March 2006 aged eight years old. She began training with the TAGB because she found the first lesson interesting, and the classes were fun. Additionally they had an important function for Holly as they also taught her to defend herself. Miss Hamer participated in the World Championships in 2007 in the patterns division. She has also competed at other tournaments performing musical patterns. Her choice pattern is pattern Won Hyo Tul because she enjoys performing a pattern with a variety of different moves, techniques and stances which require a lot of accuracy/ Holly finds she can show this pattern off at a high standard. When taking her black belt grading at The Bristol Academy, like most students Holly was apprehensive, when actually in the Academy among the hustle and bustle waiting for the grading to begin her nerves settled. In the grading Holly's favourite part was going through the patterns and sparring. When sparring she found that this required a lot of stamina- but as she was well-prepared by her instructor Holly was able to go the distance and achieved her black belt. She found the sparring section of the test difficult as she had only participated in a few competitions and found she was sparring people from lots of different clubs who all had their own individual technique. In the future Holly wants to officiate at competitions and will soon take her umpires course. Miss Hamer would also like to qualify as an Instructor and for this she will attend the two part Instructors course. Her ambition is to open up her own club training students to reach black belt level thus furthering the development of the TAGB. Holly wants to take a first aid course and her referees qualification so as she can ref at tournaments across Europe. Holly's least favourite pattern is pattern Joong Gun, she finds it a long pattern to perform and quite strenuous, some of the movements are similar to other patterns which she performs which can be confusing at times. For Holly, what makes her club unique is the friendly atmosphere which provides a welcoming place to train, everyone helps each other giving advice,tips and ways to improve and the lessons are varied offering something for everyone from stretching to sparring. As a newly promoted black belt Holly says she will keep training regularly to meet her goal of reaching her second degree black belt, she is looking into taking the umpires course soon. If you are thinking of starting Tae Kwon Do Holly advises that you do not take the taster session as how all of the other lessons will be run. This session is a snapshot of the basic elements of the art. The main thing is to try your best and never give up!
|
|
|
James Yates: (1st degree black belt) My name is James Yates, I am 16 years old and I started training in 2002 when I was 8 years old. I currently attend TAGB classes on a Monday at Kidderminster, Thursday at Dudley and I also attend a Freestyle Taekwondo club at Wombourne on a Wednesday and Friday. I decided to start TAGB when I was a Black-tag in Freestyle Taekwondo, as I wanted to increase my participation in Taekwondo, training more frequently and practicing my techniques with the ambition of getting to a higher grade and entering more competitions. I have participated in one TAGB competition so far but was unsuccessful; however I gained a lot of experience in this fight and hope to improve upon this in further competitions. I have also entered Freestyle competitions and hold a number of awards: My choice pattern is Hwa-Rang as I have always enjoyed performing the movements, even when learning; also I find it easy to make it flow and the pattern has a good mix of hard and soft movements which allow me to display accurate foot positioning and hand technique. I found that the Grading went quite well, however I was made even more nervous by the fact it was my first TAGB grading and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The most difficult part was remembering how to act in front of all the senior grades and trying to carry on as normal when working with a less able partner who was unsure of what to do. I used to swim for Wolverhampton 3 nights a week for about 4 years, before giving it up to pursue my Taekwondo when I joined TAGB. I also enjoy playing tennis whenever I can fit it around my martial arts, however I will take part in most sports if I get the chance. My least favourite pattern is actually Chon-Ji Tul, as I find it quite uncomfortable to perform the number of 180 degree turns whilst making them look sharp, also I find it less exciting than the later patterns which have more complex and demanding movements. As a TAGB Black Belt, I wish to continue with my training and to progress taking further gradings and enhancing my knowledge of tae kwon do; I am also interested in taking the umpires and/or instructors courses allowing me to further expand my Taekwondo career. I have no intentions of this being the end of my training, I see my Black belt as a new start as many new options become available. The thing I enjoy most about training is learning new things and perfecting movements I already know so they look as sharp and impressive as possible; I always strive for technical perfection and with my instructors guidance, I am able to achieve this(with lots of practice!) In addition I love a hard training session and hope we do some fitness every lesson as it is something I enjoy. There is also a good club atmosphere as I get along well with other club members, and have made some good friends which means you can have fun whilst training. I also enjoy training with my Instructor who as well as making us work hard makes it very enjoyable to train. My advice to new students is just give it a go! You can learn lots of new things. It also helps you gain focus and self control which in turn impacts on many areas of your life. Prospective students should come to West Midlands Taekwondo as it is a great place to learn, the clubs have a friendly atmosphere and lots of individuals willing to help you if you need it!
|
|
Jivean Clair started training with the TAGB at the age of 10 years old in 2006. He started training at a club in Bilston but transferred to the Dudley club, learning under the instruction of Mr Farquharson because the first club he attended had a lot of younger members and Jivean felt he wanted to train with people his own age and above because he wanted to improve his sparring and fight with people who were in his division. When taking his black belt grading, Mr Clair felt that the whole session went well; he particularly enjoyed the pre-black belt sessions and sparring at the grading. Jivean felt however, that the questions were particularly difficult as the black belt theory covers a huge mass of knowledge from pattern meanings to stance names and why tae kwon do was formed. Now he is a black belt, Jivean says that he wishes to continue learning, constantly improving to better himself and reach his dan grades. Mr Clair regularly attends tournaments and holds a lot of medals for his young age. With his commitment to training and his love of sparring Jivean has amassed quite a collection (of which I am sure he will add to in coming years); he is currently training for the Midland championships and will continue to train for forthcoming tournaments in later months. His Titles include:
Mr Clair stated that his greatest achievement in tae kwon do so far has been achieving his black belt because it challenged him physically and mentally; and after training so hard for his grading Jivean is now looking forward to learning his new patterns. As a new black belt, Jivean stated that he is currently learning his first black belt pattern Quang Gae and says that he is finding the moves good to perform. Although he has not grasped the whole of the pattern, he is making excellent progress and with practice will soon have leant Po Eun as well. At the last coloured belt grading, Jivean joined other black belts from across the West Midlands Clubs in assisting in the smooth running of the event and carrying out administrative duties. Mr Clair said that it was good helping out as he didn’t have the pressure of grading himself and that he enjoyed putting the grading cards in the correct order and acting as an intermediary between Master Donnelly and the other Black Belts. Jivean’s favourite technique to perform is a turning kick because he likes to use it in sparring to score more points and he finds he can put a lot of power into this technique. However, his least favourite technique is hooking kick because he finds it hard to perform correctly with the perfect foot position. Jivean gave the following advice to new students: ‘ Tae Kwon Do is an enjoyable sport in which you meet a diverse mix of people and are presented with numerous opportunities to travel and compete across the UK. I would say that the main characteristic any new student must have is the ability to keep a good level of fitness and stick with the training practicing to pass their grading.’
|
Click to like this page
![[Valid RSS]](http://www.westmidstkd.co.uk/rss/valid-rss-rogers.png "Validate my RSS feed")