Two Taekwon-Do Evenings

Last Wednesday I visited the ITF Taekwon-dojang in Vanderbijlpark and taught the class. When I was still a colour belt I went to this dojang on occasion for some colour belt promotional tests. It felt peculiar to stand there on Wednesday, myself now the rank (4th degree black belt) that my own instructor was at that time. The thought of myself achieving the rank of my instructor, whom I looked up to so much, seemed too far to envision. But here I am now, nearly a decade and a half later, teaching where he used to teach.

 

Karel en Annari Wethmar voor.

Thursday evening I went to an ITF Taekwon-Do dojang in Pretoria. My friends Karel and Annari Wethmar are the instructors. We had a great training session. I tooked about 20 minutes to share some ideas on the hooking block; in my opinion, one of the most under utilized techniques in Taekwon-Do. (The hooking block is rooted in the hooking grasp, from the Korean art Taekyeon, a traditional “folk game” on which Taekwon-Do is partially based on.) My brother T and I had a lovely visit with Karel and Annari at their home afterwards.