A MALVERN martial arts club has seen its first ever batch of students make the second grade since opening six months ago.
Earlier this month the pupils from Great Malvern School of Tae Kwon Do were taught techniques by master Hiron John from UK Training Institution of Martial Arts (UKTi), before performing them in a 20 minute assessment.
Some of the skills included fending off more than one attacker and being light on their feet, however master John was also observing how the students listened and respected their instructor.
At the end of the grading which took place at Malvern Vale Community Centre all pupils had passed and progressed to the yellow tag belt.
He said: “All of the students did extremely well. The first grading is one of the most daunting.
“The club has only been going for six months but these students already show great promise.”
Instructor Rob Scott also spoke glowingly of the pupils and said they had made their parents proud.
He declared the achievement was a pivotal moment in the history of the club which only began in September last year.
“Starting the club was a challenge because it was completely new. We had four youngsters who were completely new to martial arts, they only had myself and instructor Martin Bennett to follow when usually there are others pupils there who have been training for some time and they can learn from.
“This makes the initial grading all the more satisfying because the students have had to be very self reliant on order to succeed.
“Their efforts have established the club and they will be there for other students to follow and learn from in the future.”
Tae Kwon Do is a Korean military martial art form which means the way of the foot and fist. Its fundamental principles include teaching students to never give in, be modest and humble.
The Great Malvern School of Tae Kwon Do trains at the Swinyard Road based community centre in Malvern Vale on Friday nights between 7pm and 8pm. New members are welcome and anyone interested can call Rob on 07544 378345.
