1

BREAKING ground

CONT

ENTS

Striving for Perfection

A Word from the Chief InstructorBy Peter Cameron 6th Degree Black Belt Chief Instructor

What a start to the year we have had - it’s been like no other year in my living memory. It goes without saying that we hope you are all staying safe, washing your hands and practising the social distancing as the government is asking us all to do. Let's face it, if a slight inconvenience (for us) helps stop the spread of this virus and reduces the amount of infections for everyone else, then we are doing our part.

Positive things, however, have happened this year too. We started with a great grading in March at Kallangur, where we introduced some new elements to our curriculum. Then of course, a week later all our classes and events had to stop which was very disappointing. This included our all-rank training camp which was only a week away from happening when the lockdowns started. Don’t despair though, as we have moved the training camp dates to the 9th, 10th and 11th of October. It is the same location - Mudjimba. Please note that this is our new date - unless the government advises otherwise. With some restrictions starting to ease, we are hopeful that we can all return to class soon. We will keep you up to-date on this via our social media channels. But in the meantime, I certainly hope you are all doing some of your own training at home. Jason and Joe have been producing some training video tips that will help you stay sharp and ready for a return to class. I have also been recording our patterns and posting them onto

our YouTube channel (search for “ModernTKD”). If viewing this from an electronic device you can click on this ModernTKD link . Make sure you subscribe to the page so you can see all the new updates we post. Whilst filming the patterns for YouTube, I noticed how much more sore I am the couple of days afterwards. I know this is as a result of a lack of training, and it does not feel good. Whilst in isolation, my body weight has dropped about 6 kg so far, and as much as I am

watching what I am eating, I believe I have also lost a lot of muscle mass. I am usually at the gym pushing weights 4-6 times a week and now that I can’t, my body mass is reducing. So, I’m making an attempt to do more at home, including taking the dogs for a walk more often. I've also washed down my old pushbike and am now getting a sweat up by going up a large hill close to my house. Think outside the square about fitness at this time and do something that will benefit you and help with some goals. Any exercise is better than nothing!

NEWSLETTER VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 MAY 2020

Page 3. Mastering

the Art

Page 4 Gladstone Grapevine

Page 5 HAPPY SNAPS

Pages 6 & 7 Redcliffe Review

Page 8 Deception Bay Buzz

Page 9 Banyo Breakers

Page 10 Murrumba Maniacs

Page 11 Kallangur News

Page 12+ Extra! Extra!

Read all about it!

2

Continued…. The 2020 Pushup Challenge is also coming up soon and this is a great chance to practise the pushups you are required to do for all gradings. The Pushup Challenge runs from the 11th until the 31st of May - and you do 3,046 push-ups over 21 days to help raise funds for mental health. The club is getting a team involved to support this cause and Daniel, in Gladstone, is taking charge of the IMT team - see his article in this newsletter and get involved!

As for the rest of the year, we are attempting to stick as close to the calendar as possible. So whilst the first round of the tournament had been canceled, the remaining two will still go ahead as booked - Round One is to be held on 25th July - and as with all rounds, this will be held at Murrumba Downs. We hope that everyone helps support this day as the club will need everyone's attendance to kick start everything again. So please start practising your patterns as though the tournament was next week. I will admit that it is hard to spar without a partner (obviously), but

shadow boxing or shadow sparring is a great substitute. Also note that the same caveat applies. This date is as locked in as we can make it, but it is subject to change if the government advises otherwise. I would like to ask everyone to try to stay positive through this very difficult time. Make the effort to stay in contact with your classmates, and touch base with your instructors to ask for tips. Our minds are being tested at the moment, so keep them working. Try and run through your patterns in your mind, keep thinking about areas in them you can work on at home - or do them for real if you have the space. I suggest focusing on your flexibility as well, as it is incredibly useful for your training. Imagine going back to class and kicking higher than you have ever done before. You will find the harder kicks are that little bit easier because of the effort you put into them now. Stay safe, train hard, kick high and keep striving for perfection.

* Subject to current social distancing restrictions, please look out for IMT updates for any earlier

events.

‣ July 10 Black Belt Training

‣ July 11 All Rank Training

‣ July 25 Tournament Round 1 (Murrumba Downs)

‣ August 29 Grading

3

It’s that time of year again when everyone is talking about setting goals for the year ahead, especially training goals for Tae Kwon Do. But what if you were like most people last year who set all these goals but never achieved them? It’s one thing to say you want to achieve something, but putting the work in every day is a lot harder. The solution to this problem is to build a habit that will help you achieve your goal. Your daily life is built around habits that you probably don't even notice. Things like brushing your teeth or making your bed are habits and, because of that, they are easy to do. When you don't do them you may feel guilty, which makes you do it. So, what if you can build a simple training routine into a habit? You would then have something that you can do easily every day without even thinking about it. On those days when it's hard and when most people would just give it a miss, you will feel compelled to do it and will find a way to get it done. So to build a habit, you need to create a CUE, which triggers a CRAVING, which causes a RESPONSE and results in a REWARD. The cue is something to remind you what you need to do. The craving is a feeling you will get once you have done it. This is the most crucial part and the thing that will compel you when you don't want to

do it. The response is what you need to do to achieve your goal. Lastly, the reward is achieving your goal. To give an example, let’s make our goal to complete 100 push-ups, and we will achieve this by doing push-ups every morning. To create a cue, I would put a reminder on the wall beside my bed so it’s the first thing I see when I wake up. This reminder would be a piece of paper with every day of the year listed on it where I can write down how many push-ups I did that morning. My craving will be the feeling of accomplishment I get every time I write down how many push-ups I did and seeing that number go up each day. My response is doing push-ups, and my reward is achieving my goal to do 100 push-ups. The final key to make a habit work is belief. You must believe the response will help you achieve your desired results and then commit to consistently taking action. The process itself sounds very simple and that's because it is. There is nothing's fancy about it; you can turn anything into a habit!

MASTERING THE ART

By Joseph Sandona

4th Degree Black Belt

Joe’s favourite quote: Amateurs practise until they get it right.

Masters practise until they can’t get it wrong. (Harold Craxton)

4

Well, what a start to the year! I hope everyone is safe and managing with the changing and challenging circumstances this virus is creating. I also hope everyone is taking advantage of the extra time with your families.

For those of you not aware, I also had surgery earlier this year before everything went crazy. This has enabled me to get off the medication I was on to manage some pretty bad reflux. The unfortunate side effect of the medication I was on to manage it was it was giving me brittle bones which was making training risky, I think my count of broken bones over the last year was close to 10! Hopefully now I am off that medication I can reverse the damage but until it is proven I will have to take it easy (if I can).

While training is on an enforced brake I encourage everyone to still spend some time training at home or at least getting in some exercise. I would be the first to admit that I have always struggled

to commit to regular exercise outside of scheduled group activities, like TKD classes. To make it easier for me, I have been training at home on the same days and times that I would have been in class. Try to find a schedule that works for you. It is also giving me the opportunity to work on specific things I want to improve. If you need some help working on something at home, then I suggest you contact your instructor for tips.

For anyone interested in some structured group exercise you can do from home I suggest you join me in registering for the Push up Challenge. The challenge is to complete 3,046 push ups in 21 days. They are raising awareness and fund raising to support mental health so if you are inclined you

can do that too. I have created a group called IMTKD and you can join with the pass code ‘modern’. We will be able to see how everyone else is doing in the group. Don’t let the number of push ups daunt you because if you can’t complete that many full push ups you can modify the type. It is broken up into a set number each day so you can spread them over the day as much as you need to. It is on from the 11-31 of May, and hopefully I’ll see you join the team soon!

Daniel Jays

See the last page for further information regarding the Push Up Challenge

GLADSTONE GRAPEVINE

Daniel Jays

3rd Degree Black Belt

5

Look how young we look!!

HAPPY SNAPS….

Yes, they are normal people, some of whom like to ham it up!

6

PRE COVID-19 Hi IMT and welcome back to a new training year! It will be a very different and exciting time as we will now have our curriculum changes come into effect for the first time at this grading. Hopefully you have all been working hard on them and are ready to show off your new skills!

Of course it will also be the first time for the senior Instructors marking the grading too. This is our chance to review the new grading forms and make any small changes we think may be necessary. It will also be a great chance to offer each other advice and compare our score to make sure we are all on the same page with the standard we see on the floor.

The Instructors also spent a full day on the 15th of February to go over the new curriculum one last time and fine tune ourselves in preparation for the years ahead. It was a long day, but we spent a lot of quality time drilling the new self defence and basics, and really just taking it to the max to make sure we were all comfortable doing them at full pace and power.

On the downside, it was because of this high intensity, that I injured myself on the day. I twisted my left knee during a takedown. It was pretty sore and weak straight away, but I finished off the day and rested up. Unfortunately, I failed to recover as quickly as I would have liked, so did the right thing and had it looked at.

I did not get good news. I have a full tear on my left ACL. This means my training will be put on heavy restrictions until I can get surgery and again for my recovery. It looks like around a year or more before I am back to full fitness. Luckily, I have a very understanding class and a lot of willing helpers who have already assisted me in class while I have been injured. (I also had a wound get infected, so a double whammy!)

Good luck to you all at the grading and I look forward to a challenging year ahead!

REDCLIFFE REVIEW

JASON PARKER

5th Degree Black Belt

7

BUT WAIT……THERE’S MORE!

MID COVID-19 Well, this year took a sudden turn. Due to the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic, the start of 2020 has become something quite unusual. Firstly, I truly hope that everyone has managed to stay safe and healthy. I have not been greatly affected in my day-to-day activities, so I have been quite lucky, but a lot of the population has not been as lucky. If you or your family have been affected by the flow on economic effects of the virus, I hope that you can find your way through this and return back to normal as soon as possible.

One big positive we can all take out of this is our ability to make changes as a population to keep each other safe. Looking after each other in times of need and doing the right thing in the community is paramount. Life has changed a lot over this time, but if we all keep doing what we are doing for a little bit longer, we will beat this and hopefully have a shared feeling of accomplishment when we beat this terrible virus together.

In your time off from class, I hope you have all found ways to keep fit and active. We have been posting training and patterns videos on our YouTube channel and Facebook page regularly to keep you all motivated for your return to training. Please take the time to watch those videos and keep yourself fit and motivated.

I held a Zoom meeting the other week to catch up with some of the Redcliffe class. I must say, I was missing you all a lot, so seeing your faces and having a chat to you all made me feel really good. I hope to see you all in person really soon.

Take care out there, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you need help with your home training. I miss my IMT family a lot. I can’t wait to kick, I mean, see you all soon!

Jason Parker

On the subject of patterns…..

It takes a hundred times to remember the moves. A thousand times to make them ‘beautiful’, and ten thousand times to grasp their essence. Dan Santos

8

Hello from Deception Bay!

Welcome everyone to our first newsletter of 2020. It started off alright but quickly went down the (test) tube, so to speak.

I hope everyone is making the most of their self-isolation BUT you should all come back to class super flexible with all the home training you’re getting into. Try to keep up with some training even if it’s only the fun stuff.

Aim to keep active and I will see you back in class in a few weeks - hopefully.

Jason Pascoe

Jason’s tips for practising your patterns: • Make sure that you keep practising all the patterns that you have graded for thus far. • By all means watch videos of advanced patterns and look for advanced techniques that you can

visualise yourself doing one day when you are taught it by your instructor. You should not learn any pattern at a grade you have not yet attained. This is a strict rule in I.M.T. and must be adhered to.

• Close your eyes and visualise yourself going through each of your own patterns. This is a very under-utilised strategy and it can have a profound effect on the execution of your pattern….if you are very strict with yourself in the manner in which you perform it in your mind. Execute your pattern with precision. Start your pattern again (in your mind) if you make any mistake. The best thing is that your body won’t be tired as your mind has been doing all the work!!

• Get someone to record you doing your pattern and carefully review your performance, not with self-criticism but with a genuine desire to improve. In Korea, the birthplace of Tae Kwon Do, martial artists have to practise their patterns (or forms) at least a 1000 times before even being considered ready for a rank promotion.

DECEPTION BAY Buzz

JASON PASCOE

3rd Degree Black Belt

9

Corona Virus. Two words I am sure everybody is absolutely sick of hearing and reading about. So I am not going to mention it again. Instead I am going to talk about something really cool…

ME!!!OK, for those that don’t know who I am, I am the good looking guy sitting at the table on grading days. If you don’t have a great deal of taste in men, you could also say I am the possibly the most mature (old) guy up there. So to keep this article to a short readable size, I will just skim through a quick few details.

Firstly, I started with IMT after watching my son who had been training for a short while with Peter Cameron. I decided to give it a go merely for the fact I had given up smoking about 12 months earlier and really needed some form of exercise. Little did I realise at the time where this decision would take me. Now I am in my 20th year with the club and my life has been enriched no end. Not only have I kept training and reasonably fit, I have also kept learning for the whole time. Obviously I have also moved up the ranks and am extremely proud of the levels I have gained. But to be honest, of all the great moments (Taekwondo-wise) it would have to be presenting my own son with his black belt.

As I am now an instructor, the rush and sense of satisfaction I get seeing one of my students grade is a feeling nobody could possibly understand if they haven’t been in the same position. I would never wish any student would ever need to use any of the self defence skills we teach, except in

a friendly tournament environment, but there is great satisfaction knowing they can defend themselves in a given situation.

Apart from the Tae Kwon Do aspect of my time with IMT, I have also made friends who will be with me for life. People who would do anything for me at the drop of a hat and I consider closer than some of my family. Without going into specific details, these guys are my family and together we have been through every facet of life.

Now, why am I telling everyone this? It’s because when I am at class, whether that be at Banyo or one of the other clubs, there are always Mums or Dads just sitting there on the sidelines waiting for their child to get their hour’s exercise without thinking any more of it. Reading a book or checking Facebook is really a waste of time when you could be out on the floor with us.

Give it a go and get on the floor like I did!

You will never regret it and maybe one day you might also get to be present your child with their black belt. If not, you will still get the satisfaction of doing something WITH your child and everything else you learn along the way will be a bonus.

Oh, and you will also live a much healthier life to boot.

Tony Robinson

Banyo Breakers

Tony Robinson

3rd Degree Black Belt

10

Murrumba Maniacs

John Barron 2nd Degree Black Belt

Hello to all students and parents!

Welcome to 2020, I hope you’ve all kept well and physically active during this strange time. Murrumba class had been back for almost 2 months with some new white belts to start the year off.

Following approval from Mr Peter Cameron, I have promoted both Jayda White and Gabby Spillez to Assistant Instructors. Both girls are doing a great job and have been very encouraging with the students. Until training had be postponed due to the virus pandemic, training had focused on the new curriculum which is all about making us even better at martial arts. It has been tough, as I feel like I have to relearn a lot of past practices. This is not as bad as it seems as it is almost like a reset and it forces me to focus on certain things such as hand position.

This then brings me to my last point, a comment made by one of the new students. He was having difficulty moving in traditional sparring and he said ,“I am not good at this, am I?”. This is incorrect – everyone has different degrees of abilities.

We can’t all be as deceptive in sparring as Peter Cameron, dedicated as Jason, strong as Brett, fast as Kris and throw the phenomenal kicks like Joe – BUT you are on the floor giving it a go, and that’s all that is expected of you.

The main thing is to practise and come to every class with a positive attitude, then you are the best martial artist in my view.

John

11

Kallangur News Kris Ashton

4th Degree Black Belt

Hello from the ‘iso’ of Kallangur. I hope everyone is safe, healthy and doing okay and surviving their home isolation. I’m missing everyone heaps and looking forward to the time we can restart classes again and smash the remainder of the year.

My advice is for everyone to do at least their patterns a few times a week so that way you won’t forget them and won’t lose too much of your techniques. Be sure to jump online and watch the videos Mr Cameron, Mr Parker and Mr Sandona have provided you as they’ll be a great help to your skill and pattern development.

Anyway gang, that’s it from me for now as there’s not too much to talk about at this time.

I wish everyone the best through the remainder of the pandemic. Stay safe and I’ll see you all back, training strong, again very soon.

Kris

There are three kinds of fighters….

The aggressive fighter who charges in blindly trying to get the upper hand.The defensive fighter who blocks and evades until his opponent is tired.And then there is the most dangerous fighter - the one who waits for his opponent to make a mistake.

Southern Praying Mantis

12

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Lee (‘MissG’) has the last word, or two….

BLACK BELT CAMP 2019

As a reluctantly semi-retired Black Belt and instructor, one of my favourite events of the year is the Black Belt camp. Over the years, these have been held at other venues, but in the past few years, the Log Cabin facility near the Natural Bridge, in the Springbrook National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, would have to be the best location yet. Tucked right away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the camp affords all participants the opportunity to hone their skills as Black Belts, in an atmosphere of camaraderie and support for one’s individual growth and development.

This is the time when Black Belts of all degrees and invited black tips can unleash and explore their potential as martial artists and strengthen the very core nature and qualities upon which the Institute of Modern Tae Kwon Do, as an organisation, is founded and indeed prospers.

For those nearing these ranks, I can only encourage you to aim towards joining this amazing group of people on one of the annual Black Belt camps.

HOW’S YOUR MENTAL STRENGTH? Whilst you may be working towards building your physical strength during your training, don’t

forget to focus on your mental strength. Just as you might do so many push-ups a day, train your brain to think differently, manage your emotions, and behave in a productive manner in a range of daily activities and work or social contexts. Each newsletter will feature some aspect

of developing your mental strength which must be a focus in your overall training regime. Three exercises to develop mental strength:

1. Identify three things you’re grateful for in life (and in your martial arts training). 2. Practise mindfulness to reduce any stress as well as developing positive inner thoughts or

dialogue (chatter). 3. Behave like the person (and martial artist) that you want to become.

‘See’ it! Believe it! Act it!

13

PUSH UP CHALLENGE

The correct push-up technique as demonstrated by Daniel Jays:

* Hands shoulder-width apart, and directly under the shoulders; back & legs

* Bend elbows and lower towards the

There are many YouTube instructional videos to view. Kids must have parental supervision whilst on YouTube. Get the whole family involved and help raise funds and awareness towards encouraging positive mental health through physical activity.

IMPORTANT: Please consider any back or other physical conditions that may impact on you with this exercise. We strongly advise that you consult your doctor prior towards engaging in this challenge in this regard.

Joining Details:

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/TEAM NAME: IMTKD PASSCODE: modern

Stay safe and well! Until next time…

Lee