And, of course, we’ll let you all know about it when it happens!

We’ve taken over some branding from our umbrella site: Derby School of Taekwon-Do (www.derbytkd.co.uk). I’m still working out the kinks. Plus trying to get some new photos together of you guys in class. We’ll maybe try and get a student gallery going on too if people are up for it?

We’ll make this a new start and hopefully manage to keep it up!

We’re happy, here at the University of Derby Taekwondo Club, to welcome all the prospective new students who are interested in joining us in the pursuit of competence in the art of Taekwondo. And also a big thanks to those who have already joined up at the Students’ Union website www.udsu.co.uk/membership.

We’re intending to get more information to our members this year – both through this website and through the email list (you can join up with the form at the top right of this site) – as well as during the training sessions and the social events.

If you’ve not already signed up for the newsletter then I’ll tell you again: Our first official session is on Tuesday 4th September in the Sports Hall at Uni (Kedleston Road). Training starts at 7.00pm sharp, so turn up a tad earlier wearing loose clothes you don’t mind running around in. Remember your first session is FREE! So you’ve got nothing to lose! (except calories).

• Gary Miller
• Becca Harding
• Rosie Exell
• Ben Cadd

The Open will last most of Sunday, with the guys and girls leaving Derby before 6.00am! for a three hour trip, day of competing and a three hour return journey. I’m sure we speak for everyone at the club as we wish them good luck and all the best for the trip.

Keep an eye out for the results of the Open, photos of our competitors and the stash of medals we’re sure to bring back!

The University of Derby Taekwondo Club has been running at the university for over a decade, the only martial arts club that can make that claim at Derby! While other martial arts clubs have come and gone, ours has held steady thanks to both our members; and the club’s ethos of hard work, good tuition, friendly socials and kicking things for fun.

We always welcome new members, whether at Freshers’ or any time throughout the year. Our main training occurs at the Kedleston Road site’s Sports Hall on Tuesdays starting from 7.00pm. However there are further sessions available outside the University on Wednesdays and Thursdays – plus we’re working with the Students’ Union to get a second student-only class on a Friday. This means that you have every opportunity to train as often (or as little) as you like.

Every student can progress at their own pace with no pressure and, thanks to all the training opportunities, at their own convenience. Whether you’re into competing at the national competitions, looking to explore the way of the foot and fist, or simply want to keep fit with a fun and dynamic workout we think that this is the club for you.

Your first session is free, so come down on a Tuesday and give it a go. We aim to be a friendly bunch and will be happy to talk you through any questions you have.

Remember to sign up to the mailing list (on the right of this website) and we can keep you up to date on everything that’s happening. You can remove yourself at any time, and we promise not to spam you with anything you don’t want to hear about!

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you soon!

Training re-commences on Thursday 7th January at Saint Benedicts. Tuesdays may start back a little later due to the hall being used for Exams – we’ll keep you up to date.

There is a Seminar and area grading coming up in February – more info will be posted shortly.

Lets work off some of that Xmas turkey baggage!

As yellow belt students you’re now officially able to take part in competitions — keep an eye out on the Events page for the dates and details of next years’ tournaments and you can enter some sparring and patterns so Derby School of TaeKwon-Do can bring home even more medals from our next roadtrip! The UK Open in Glasgow saw us take home nine medals (review and pictures coming to this site soon!) so we’re expecting a bigger delegation next year and a bigger haul to come back with. And, obviously, more gold

If you’re interested in getting some sparring practice in, and haven’t already done so, speak to the committee about some sparring safety gear. If a bulk order goes through we may be able to provide some cheaper-than-usual prices. BTC rules dictate sparring competitors will require hand, foot and head guards and a groin guard for the guys. Most importantly everyone will need a gumshield (teeth don’t grow back, and we all love smiling — or you’ll just look silly when we stretch!) Soft shin pads are optional in class, but after a couple of misplaced kicks some of you might want to consider the investment if you’re serious about sparring.

*courtesy of Adam, outgoing president of Oxford Uni TKD Club

Photographs from the event will be posted both here and on our Facebook Page soon, we hope that all those who competed will be entering the next competition and that the successes we’ve had will also encourage those who didn’t compete to enter — and encourage the new students to grade so that they can enter too!

Remember to sign up for our newsletter using the form to the right of the website — we send out regular updates on what’s happened, happening and about to happen. If you missed this chance to get away with the club and do some socialising we have many socials organised including the upcoming Christmas Meal/Awards Ceremony. It’s a great opportunity to have great food, good company and get to know some of the members a little better. All of our upcoming events are also listed on this website, just check the Events page.

On Saturday the University of Derby TaeKwon-Do Club entered the UKTA UK Open TaeKwon-Do championships. With courage and a great deal of guile a total of nine medals were won.

Many congratulations and thank you to all others that were involved.

Dan Harris — President, University of Derby Taekwon-Do Club

The next Seminar/Grading will be around February time, so all those who are thinking about it should head over to the resources section for theory and get to training on Tuesday and Thursday for the practicing!

Remember, you need to be Yellow Belt or above to enter competitions (next one up is the UK Open, Sat 7 November in Glasgow) – and grading often means that you get to learn new things and try out new techniques as you promote through the ranks. So if you’re a new starter, have a chat to some of those who graded and set your sights on that first yellow tag!

Hopefully you enjoyed the session and are looking forward to next week! If anyone is interested in extra training we have a Thursday class at St Benedict’s School between 7.30pm—9.30pm which you can come to tonight, or any Thursday in the future. Thursdays tend to be a smaller class with closer tuition, so are a great way to improve your skills and keep up your exercise.

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Also; if you’re not already on it, remember to sign up to our email newsletter using the form on the website. We’ll be emailing out some updates and the upcoming events soon.

Your President Dan, at the UK Open 2008

Welcome to the University of Derby Taekwondo club’s new website.

Eventually this will be the hub of all club info, with upcoming gradings, seminars, competitions and all sorts of events — both social and TKD related. There will be a chance to sign up for a regular email newsletter keeping you updated every few weeks. There will also be a gallery of photos from our competitions and nights out.

We will also have links to download forms (including license and competition entries), student study sheets and our articles from Dusted (the student magazine).

This will run online alongside our Facebook page as a service to our members. Hopefully keeping them informed, entertained and acting as a central information and resource point.

If you have any ideas for the site please, feel free to get hold of the committee and let us know! This website is for you!