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Four reach national Tae Kwon Do titles
Four Tae Kwon Do competitors from the Umina PCYC have gained representation in the national titles which are to be held during November in Melbourne.
They are James Luke, Paul Mason, Elizabeth Woods and Melissa Woods all of whom qualified for the national titles at a tournament in Sydney on September 15.
Amanda Morrison is the head instructor of the Umina centre.
She is a third degree black belt, has been training Tae Kwon Do for 12 years and has been teaching for six of those years.
Amanda opened the school at the PCYC and said she was happy with the way it was progressing.
"All of the students who competed in tournaments this year did so with great pride and courage," Amanda said.
"I am extremely pleased with how they represented themselves."
Amanda said her goal with her teaching was to pass on her knowledge to others and to encourage them to look into the style.
Over the years, she had come to realize that there is more to martial arts than the ability to learn how to fight.
She said she looked into the movements and patterns and tried to determine their meaning.
To her, Tae Kwon Do had become a way of life.
Tae Kwon Do was a free-fighting combat sport where an individual uses bare hands and feet to keep an opponent away.
Tae Kwon Do literally means the "way of kicking and punching."
"It consists of sharp, strong movements with free flowing circular movements to produce a balance of beauty and power," she said.
"Tae Kwon Do's trademark is the kicking techniques, which are both spectacular and difficult.
"All the moves are based on the defensive attitude, which was originally developed for self-protection."
Equally important was the mental discipline, said Amanda.
"Our style of Tae Kwon Do incorporates personal fitness, tournament and self-defence training with the traditional training of patterns, sparring and discipline," she said.
"We try to bring out the best in our students, promoting control and respect for ourselves and others.
"It is dedicated to promoting confidence in yourself and your martial arts ability.
"The practice of Tae Kwon Do gives an individual the mental attitude of modesty.
"The virtues of modesty and generosity are fundamentally based on self-confidence."
"We have been slowly growing in class size and currently have 30 students men, women and children.
Students range in ages from six to 50 years and from white belt to black belt.
Press release, September 16