The Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation would like to congratulate Nicole Cooke on her outstanding gold medal achievement in the Beijing Olympics 2008.

The traditional Tang Soo Do Federation was proud to have been invited to take part in a carnival to celebrate Nicole Cooke's stunning achievement in the Olympics in Beijing.  The celebration was held in Nicole's picturesque hometown of Wick, South Glamorgan and involved an open top bus tour of the town a plaque unveiling in her honour, cycle races, gymnastics and many other events including ourselves. For once this year the weather held off the day was very warm and sunny. All who took part had a great time and meeting Nicole herself was in itself an honour.

Congratulations  

                              After many, many years of hard work and total dedication the following students have been promoted:

Kyo Sa Nim Anthony Butler (3rd Dan), Kyo Sa Nim David Estes (3rd Dan), Mr Adam Hawkins (3rd Dan)

Mr Corey Addiscott (2nd Dan), Miss Emily Trudgill (2nd Dan)

Mr Jacob Butler (1st Dan), Miss Sasha Evans (1st Dan), Miss Sioned Harries (1st Dan), Mr Matthew Cannon (1st Dan), 

Mr Daniel Kinsey (1st Dan), Mrs Gillian Roberts (1st Dan), Miss Cerys Thomas (1st Dan) 

Miss Cerys Thomas 1st Dan

Summer Camp 2008 

The Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation held its annual summer camp at the Head quarters in Treorchy, for 3 Day of  fun, activities and learning. The lucky 40 members were treated to a host of activties including: Pad kicking and punching, weapons, chicken fighting, flying kicks, self defence and the famous 80 question quiz.

American students visit Wales

During July twenty students from AK Karate visited Wales for a week of training and site seeing. Lead by Kyo Sa Nim's Gilvey and Estes the students attended classes and seminars at the Federations Headquarters in Treorchy. The students displayed excellent technique and wonderful Tang Soo Do spirit,below are a few photos of the training. Whilst in Wales Kyo Sa Nim David Estes was promoted by the Traditional Tang Soo Do federation to the rank of 3rd Degree Black belt. 

Federation students attend Seminar

During July 2008 members of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation were invited by Master John Dove of the British Tang Soo Do Federation to attend a seminar by Grandmaster Ahpo, the first part of the seminar covered transitional movements between basic technique and free sparring with the second half covering knife defense and how to control your opponent. The Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation would like to thank master Dove for allowing our members to train with Grandmaster Ahpo and Grandmaster Ahpo for delivering such an interesting seminar.

Traditional Tang Soo Do Festival Weekend

On May 10, 2008, the largest event in the history of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation and the United Tang Soo Do Congress took place. Master John Trudgill hosted dignitaries from two continents and over 600 competitors at the annual Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation Tournament in Cardiff Wales. These competitor numbers makes the Cardiff tournament one of the largest, if not THE largest Tang Soo Do Tournaments ever held in the UK. As Master Trudgill said, never before had an event in Wales featured three Grandmasters (Grandmaster Richard Byrne of Massachusetts, Grandmaster Benedetto Stumpf of Germany and Grandmaster Dominick Giaccobbe of New Jersey), as well as one of the highest ranking females in Tang Soo Do in the World, Master Penny Mitchell.

                                Grading

Tournament

The tournament featured Tang Soo Do practitioners of every level from all over the United Kingdom , many competitors also traveled from schools in Germany , Holland and the United States .

A capacity crowd filled the National Indoor Athletic Centre at The University of Wales in Cardiff , both Spectators and competitors filling this prestigious venue. The morning session featured competition among all of the black belts. The competition amongst these senior grades turned out to be one of the most skillful demonstrations of the art ever seen.

The competition was spirited, but not mean-spirited - it was a tremendous event. From the smallest to the tallest, from young to old, there was something for everyone, and an event that was a treat for all participants and spectators. The youngest competitor was 4 years of age with the oldest being well into their 60’s, everyone who attended the tournament had a great day in an atmosphere of friendly competition.

Special congratulations go to:

 Mr. Adam Tondour Grand Champion, Sparring,

Mr. Scott Richards, Grand Champion, Forms

Mrs. Sian Moran, Grand Champion, Female,

Mr. Scott Richards, Grand Champion, Weapons.

Promotions

The day featured two notable promotions. The first of these took place when Grandmaster Richard Byrne, President and founder of the American Tang Soo Do Association and the United Tang Soo Do Congress, promoted Master John Trudgill, founder of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation, to Sixth Dan. Master John Trudgill has been practicing Tang Soo Do for over 25 years and has traveled all over the World to further his knowledge of the Art. In recognition of Master Trudgill’s dedication and commitment to the Art of Tang Soo Do Master Trudgill was inducted into the ATA / UTC Hall of Fame in March 2008.

The second was when Grandmaster Benedetto Stumpf and the German Tang Soo Do Federation promoted Grandmaster Richard Byrne to Ninth Dan. It goes without saying that this is a very great honor and there are very few Ninth Dans. Those who have been privileged to watch and work with him over the years know he is an inspiration, a great teacher as well as a superior martial artist, and that this is a honor which he clearly deserves. And, at the same time, Grandmaster Stumpf welcomed Grandmaster Byrne into the Black Belt Dan College of the World Nibuiki Budo Federation. 

Seminar

The Tang Soo Do Weekend

As good as the tournament was, it was neither the beginning nor the end of the weekend for many of the Tang Soo Do students. The busy period began on Friday with a Masters test in Treorchy, followed by a Dan test Friday night in Pencoed.  

On Sunday morning, it was back to Pencoed again, as hundreds of locals students, and many of the internationals, attended a set of seminars. "Seminars" can cover many things, and be of varying quality - this set featured the very best teachers of Martial Arts in the world. Grandmaster Richard Byrne and Grandmaster Benedetto Stumpf each spent time teaching various self-defense techniques. Master Penny Mitchell taught an introduction to the Korean sword art of Haidong Gumdo, and Master David Rexer taught one-step sparring techniques and their applications.

If you are a Tang Soo Do student, well, it just doesn't get any better than that. For most Tang Soo Do students, the opportunities to train with Grandmasters and very high ranking Masters are indeed few and far between. To work with them all in one morning is a dream seminar.  

We all know that Tang Soo Do originated in Korea , but for this one weekend, the centre of the Tang Soo Do World was Wales

                              Holland 2008

On the 4th of April 2008 the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation was proud to have been invited to participate in the All Tang Soo Do Organization of Holland's Annual Tournament in Rotterdam. 14 competitors  from several clubs throughout Wales traveled to Holland with their instructor's.  Students and instructors competed in several events including sparring, weapon forms, forms and breaking. The Masters of the A.T.O. made us feel very welcome and asked us to help referee and judge in a number of the competition rings. The competition was well run, with the instructions to competitors being in English as well as Dutch; which made the experience even better for us. All who took part in the competition had an excellent day with over 16 trophies being collected in total. I would like to thank the all the Masters of the A.T.O. for their warmth, generosity and understanding; it made for an unforgettable experience for myself, Master Trudgill and all who traveled to the competition. 

We arrived on Friday night and took a tour of Leiden, a university town not far from Rotterdam.  Leiden itself was very picturesque, with its canals, waterfront restaurants cafes and bars. We spent a very pleasant evening of the first night. 

On the Saturday the competition took place from 10am until 5pm; an excellent event. In the evening the Masters of the A.T.O.  kindly joined us for a meal in our hotel. After the excellent Chinese buffet a large party excused themselves and headed back into Leiden to ''re- investigate'' the local cafes, bars and nightclubs....purely to establish international relations, forge cultural links and examine in detail the social fabric of the town. This was obviously a long and arduous process, very thirsty work as I understand it, which continued into the early hours of Sunday morning. It was a tough and difficult job but by golly our students rose to the challenge. The strain of the difficult task the students had set for themselves showed clearly the following morning in bleary eyes, green and grey complexions and an aversion to strong sunlight.

So fortified we set out on a daytrip to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is definitely a city of contrasts. The main street from the central station to the city centre was very like say.....Blackpool or Porthcawl...all party hats, t shirts and tourist souvenirs. The city centre itself was beautiful, stunning architecture, scenic canals and waterways, churches and museums....simply breathtaking (if a little cold it snowed a little at one point)... we spent a great day wandering this city with frequent stops for a coffee and cake at some of the most picturesque cafes in the world. On the way back to the train we accidentally wandered through the red light district which was .....interesting..... So as I said Amsterdam is a city of huge contrasts by turn tacky and touristy, adult and a little risqué; but mostly just  one of the most beautiful cities on earth. An unforgettable experience.

Everyone had a great time and all commented on the hospitality of the Dutch people and on the fact that we would all like to do it again next year!

Master Wayne Humphries.

                                                                                          Children and Black Belt Group

back row: Katie Morris, Sian Humphries, Emily Trudgill, Mr. Williams, Mr Adams  Front Row: Aaron Nicholas, Scott Richards, Wayne Humphries, Carol Trudgill, Louise Healy, Kevin Thomas, Dean Nicholas, Mark Richards, Master John Trudgill.

                                          Mr. Aaron Nicholas Sparring                                                                                Mr.Scott Richards Sparring

                 Miss Emily Trudgill, Forms                                                                           Mr. Adams and Mr. Williams Sparring

           Mrs. Sian Humphries 1st Forms                Miss Katie Morris 1st, Miss Louise Healy 2nd                   Mr. Williams 1st breaking

                                                        Below are a small sample of pictures taken around Amsterdam

                                                                                      Boston 2008

                                 For a report by Kyo Sa Keith Husband on the Boston trip please click on the above link or HERE

All who attended the Boston Tournament this May had a fantastic and very productive time. We would like to thank Grandmaster Byrne and the ATA / UTC for the fantastic welcome and support.

                                                       Grandmaster Byrne Presenting Kyo Sa Scott Richards Grand champion Forms

                 Miss Alison Davies competing in weapons                                                    Master J. Trudgill and Kyo Sa Scott Richards.

Congratulations

Mr. Kyle Thomas. Awarded First Dan 2nd February 2008

Congratulations

To Mr. Steven Hoskins presented with his second Dan certificate December 2007

MSO Sponsorship

Congratulations to Llwynypia Boys and Girls Club on their recent success, in winning the under 16's Rhondda league Championship 2007

MSO Martial arts and Fitness is proud to be able to contribute in this way to the local community, and look forward to the success the Llwynypia Boys and Girls Club team will undoubtedly have in 2008.

9^th Fight for Cancer Charity Tournament

Bridgend Recreation Centre, 18^th November 2007

Article by: Master Vivian Thomas, Head Instructor, Bridgend Martial Arts Academy

Master Vivian Thomas & Master Sian Thomas along with the Dan Grades and Senior Students from the Bridgend Martial Arts Academy, hosted the 9^th Fight for Cancer Charity Tournament at the Bridgend Recreation Centre on Sunday 18^th November 2007.

With over 230 competitors and over 200 spectators all supporting this prestigious event, the tournament certainly exceeded our expectations in all areas. The event was supported not only by clubs in the South Wales area, but visiting guests from many regions of the UK travelled hundreds of miles to help us in our quest to raise as much money as possible for our chosen charities, Cancer Research UK and Asthma UK.

 Since the formation of the Tang Soo Do Union in 2006, the 6 founder member groups have built up a special relationship which brings all of our organisations together as one, and this event was clearly evident that our goal of supporting each others events has once again united more and more Tang Soo Do practitioners together. The atmosphere and friendship from everybody on the day was exemplary and for that alone I thank each and everyone who was there on the day for their behaviour and Tang Soo Do spirit.

 The tournament kicked off at 10am with the Black Belt Divisions, and they set the bar extremely high from the beginning. The standard of both traditional Tang Soo Do hyung and the free sparring was exceptional in all categories. The competition was fierce but friendly and the end results were outstanding. Black Belt Hyung category winners Adam Hawkins, Bethan Hopkins, Claire Davies, Emily Kinsey, Keith Husband, Scott Richards & Tomos Hopkins all qualified for the Grand Champion Final. The winner of this was once again Scott Richards of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation who demonstrated Chil Sung O Ro with exceptional precision, focus and concentration, a worthy Champion and a role model for all others to follow.

                                                                                    Scott Richards performing Chil Sung O Ro

                                                                                     on his way to Grand Champion success

The winners of the Black Belt Sparring divisions went head to head for the title of Sparring Grand Champion, and reaching the final was Scott Richards eying up a second Champions Cup, and Adam Hawkins who won the 15-17yrs Cadets Division. The fight started off with Scott picking up points from Adam left, right and centre, but this wasn’t to last as Adam showed great spirit and determination to pull back within a point of Scott’s earlier points haul. The official called time, and we had a winner; Scott Richards had pulled off an amazing double Grand Champion, well-done Sir!

With the Colour Belt Divisions scheduled in for an afternoon start, the official opening of the tournament commenced with all students, officials and honoured guests lining up to salute the flag and show our respects to each other. Master Thomas congratulated and thanked everyone for their support and participation of the special event and reminded people why this event was so important, the need to raise cash for our special charities, which affect us all, either directly or indirectly.

 Special Appreciation Awards were presented to the heads of the organisations that so kindly supported the event:

                                                        Master Jacqui Fisher of the ATMA pictured here receiving an Award 

                                            of Appreciation for their support of the 9^th Fight for Cancer Charity Tournament

One of the main objectives of hosting the “Fight for Cancer” series tournaments is to raise money for worthy causes, and our charities over the years have switched from various cancer charities and other charitable organisations that have had effects on some of our families, friends and even our Tang Soo Do Instructors. Every year we push our students and groups to raise money through personal sponsorship and this year we have once again hundreds of Tang Soo Do students and their respective families worked ever so hard to raise money for these worthy Charities. And it is through this combined effort that we are where we are today, and we shouldn’t single any individuals out, but on this occasion I would to mention two special individuals who both raised over £550 each for this event. There are namely 9yr old Reece Wilkinson from the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation of Great Britain, and 13yr old Sam Morton from the Swansea Class of the Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation, well done and sincere thanks to you both.

 The Colour Belt competition kicked off about 1.15pm with over 40 categories to get through during the afternoon session. This is where all the support and efforts of the Master Instructors, Instructors, Black Belts and Senior Students came into full effect as they worked tirelessly throughout the afternoon ensuring all 6 competition rings were utilised to their full potential.

    Master Dave Powell congratulates 

    Mr. Rob Morgan on his success in the 

    Adult Men 10^th – 7^th Gup Hyung Division

During the afternoon’s session, a few special events took place as is tradition with this tournament when held in Bridgend, these were “duelling with pugle sticks,” sponsored breaking and a raffle.

The dueling contest had a bit of added zest to it this year thanks to a brilliant idea by Mrs Alyson Jones of the TTFUK, her idea was to use our double Grand Champion, Scott Richards, basically as bait to take on all challengers! This worked a treat as the kids came running down to ring no. 6 to try and give Scott a going over with the very safe, foam pugle sticks. Thank you Scott for your sporting participation and for giving the younger students a good target to aim at!

Members of the Bridgend Martial Arts Academy had raised sponsorship not only for their participation, but to carry out a demolition of building materials such as blocks and roof tiles. Mr Martin Myers took the lead followed by Mr. Jason Roberts and Mr. Ashley Williams, thank you all for your great efforts and well done for smashing your way through your respective breaks.

                      Mr Jason Roberts on his way to powering through 10 roof tiles for Cancer Research UK .

Local companies such as Panasonic, Avana Bakeries, B&Q, Odeon Cinemas, Simla Restaurant to name but a few, all kindly donated prizes for the raffle. Over 40 prizes were up for grabs and the raffle raised a respectable £200 on the day, well done and thank you for your support.

 And so the day came to a close, earlier than originally planned which is always great news as tournament days can be very tiring, although such a fantastic spectacle. My sincere thanks is sent out to each and every one of you who contributed to making the day such a success and a joy to be part of as once again traditional Tang Soo Do practitioners, guests, families and friends showed true martial arts spirit and friendship throughout the day.

 Tang Soo! ……and see you in 2008!

Master Vivian Thomas

Head Instructor

Bridgend Martial Arts Academy

                             New York 2007

On the 5th and 6th October 2007 The Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation traveled to New York to take part in Master David Rexer's "Central New York Classic" tournament, held in Endicott New York. The event was an unmitigated success for us on every level. Those taking part had a great time from the weapons and team sparring on the Friday night (5th Oct '07) to the main tournament held on the Saturday. The quality and abilities of the competitors was exceptional, as was their control and their attitude. Our students were very successful, winning a number medals in all categories; against some extremely proficient opposition.