Taekwon-Do South Africa News

New Year 2012

2012-01-03T14:01:00.000+02:00

As we enter the New Year many set goals and come up with resolutions. There is positive feeling and atmosphere at this time of year so it is good to take advantage of it. Very often we like to be able to measure the degree of success we have had by a timeline. We like to put date stamps on things so we can catalogue our memories. For this, New Year is a great time to set goals. We can assess ourselves at this time and reflect over an easily remembered period of time from one New Year to the next.

Take this time to reflect on your Taekwon-Do. Where do you see yourself in a year’s time from now? Set your Taekwon-Do goals and strive to reach them in this time frame. Think of how you would like to be performing and get a picture so clear in your mind that it is almost tangible. With the correct dedication to your training it will be real in no time!

This said, I believe any type of goal setting and implementation of positive change in one’s life is good, but we should not reserve this practice only to New Years. Goal setting and change should be done whenever we feel the need to better ourselves and not reserve it to only once a year. In any journey to great achievement we are bound to fall off the horse a few times. This should not distract us from our ultimate goal! With a bit of evaluation and perhaps a change in strategy we need to be able to pick ourselves back up and carry on towards our destination always remembering what the end game is. It is no good to have the attitude of “Oh well! I’ll try again next year”. Change doesn’t come with a date; it comes with an attitude of action and indomitable spirit. Don’t wait for tomorrow what can be done today.

Implement plans to achieve your goals. Set routines. It is always more difficult to form good habits than to break them. With your dedicated Taekwon-Do training good habits should be formed which will spill over into your life and will help you to achieve your personal goals.

Happy New Year to you all. I wish you all the best in your Taekwon-Do and your lives.

Strength and Will Power!

Taekwon!

Sabum Denis Magua

Master Nicholls Seminar & Grading report

2011-11-15T12:25:00.002+02:00

Taekwon-Do South Africa played host to Master Trevor Nicholls VIII Dan over the weekend of the 4th,5th and 6th of November 2011. This was the second time the Master had visited our shores.
After waiting with anticipation the time finally arrived for us to pick him up at Johannesburg International Airport. He came through the gates about 10am. After his long flight he arrived ready to give us his all. After settling in at his hotel, the beautiful Monte Casino Southern Sun, kindly organised by the Vingerling family, it was off for some lunch and then time for nine members to grade under him at the Dojang.The grading participants were, Denis Magua who successfully graded to 5th Dan.
Jonathan Voorhout, Richard Girvin, Douw Pretorius who all successfully graded to 3rd Dan.
Ruan Hageman, Natasha Voorhout, Hugh J M Thomson who successfully graded to 2nd Dan.
Robert Fernandes, Fraser Chon-Ji Du Toit who successfully graded to 1st Dan.

Master Nicholls put the guys through their paces with a tough and informative grading over the next four hours. We really appreciate having Master Nicholls over because he is first and for most passionate about Taekwon-Do and the training. He had picked up a bug before arriving and was not feeling well, but put in such an effort to be really thorough in the grading. The members really worked hard for their belts. We also appreciate that if they were not up to scratch they would have not have passed. Master Nicholls is a true martial artist and would not just appease us. This is along the same lines as they way we think, one of the reasons we have such a good connection with the Master. We were relieved that everyone passed the test albeit worn out but very happy at the end of it.
The Saturday was Master class time held at the Wits Education Campus hall. Master Nicholls still feeling under the weather gave the 7 hour class with passion, enthusiasm, raw power and some humour, as his fantastic teaching style is known, without any sign of showing how ill he felt.
It was great that he was happy with what we had implemented over the last two years since his last visit. He now concentrated on new aspects of the training which we will now implement also including us starting to use Korean commands for techniques instead of English. The seminar consisted of technical training with much emphasis on the angles of the base feet for kicking, Tuls and some Sparring drills. It was hugely enjoyed by all.
The evening saw a black belt dinner in honour of the Master at a well known meat restaurant, as South Africa is well known for quality steaks, which by now the Master was able to enjoy. The evening was great with the Master sharing stories and getting to know our crew better. The next day we visited the Bird Gardens of Monte Casino, which we enjoyed seeing and learning about many bird species. The highlight being the live bird show which includes among other things, birds of prey flying over the heads of the audience. While on his trip I also got to see how hard he works as the Secretary General of the ITF, being constantly busy taking care of worldwide issues in between. We are very lucky to have such a man tirelessly working to help keep our organisation great. All with his great dedication and belief in our I.T.F. under the guidance of Master Choi Jung Hwa.
The short trip came to an end far too quickly with Master Nicholls departing from the Airport later that Sunday evening, leaving us very motivated but sad to see him go. Off to another four overseas trips this year. We wish him all the best and really look forward to him visiting us again.
Taekwon!
More photos on our Facebook group.

2011-11-15T12:10:00.003+02:00

A small contingent from our clubs took part in this large all styles tournament at Carnival city on 22 October. It was an interesting experience. Our members all performed well. We took gold in many divisions including the black belt advanced low kick continuous sparring. It takes some getting used to their rules so some were unfortunately disqualified even though their performances were excellent. All in all it was a good experience for the fighters. We will do it again. We will always use it as a competition to help our ITF rules sparring albeit needing some getting used to the different rules for judging. We will always look at it as a good experience gainer. Well done to all who took part. You did us proud!

Magua Taekwon-Do Club championships 2011

2011-09-29T10:34:00.003+02:00

Fighting Fit Central in Marks Park, Emmarentia hosted the Magua Taekwon-Do club championships. This is our first exclusive club championships since 2004. It was a fantastic event and highlights how far our club has come. We were able to hold a very well contested event. The round Robin format allowed allot more competing by each individual than the normal knock out format.

It was probably the best experience gaining tournament the members have attended in South Africa, because of each individual in general getting many chances to compete. Well done to all of the competitors, judges, assistants and supporters. We are very proud. More photos on our Facebook page.

Taekwon-Do Camp 2011

2011-09-02T13:00:00.004+02:00

Our annual camp took place over the weekend of 26-28 August. It was spent at Greystoke adventures on the banks of the Vaal river, as we have done over the last couple of years. The camp was a great opportunity to get to know other members, work on technique and aspects of Tkd in detail, have fun around a camp fire , in Kayaks on the river, or in the river after tipping over as some would know and hiking up a mountain. Well done to all of the participants. We as always look forward to the next one. Go to our Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/groups/2441775858/ , for pics & a video (made by Keiyo Wakabayashi.)

Tough Enough Challenge 2011

2011-07-31T16:22:00.004+02:00

Members of the Magua Taekwon-Do clubs gathered at Fighting Fit Central in Marks Park Sports club to brave the Tough Enough Challenge, on the 31'st of July. The turn out was better than expected considering the time of year and the fact that many couldn't do it due to illness etc. Most entered knowing they were not at their peak fitness, in order to guage them selves. This event brought out some huge heart in people and tested their indomitable spirit, which is one of our tenets.

All of the instructors are really proud of their participants. Well done to the medalists, assistants,all participants and spectators.

Please check our Face book page for photos of this event.Link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/2441775858/

Emmarentia Club Spur Fundraining evening

2011-06-10T11:43:00.005+02:00

The very cold evening of the 8th of June 2011 was the night of the Emmarentia clubs fundraiser. It was a fun occasion which saw some of the more senior belts(Claudia,Douw,Fraser,Keiyo,Geoff,Clint)trade their Taekwon-Do belts for trays as they helped as shadow waiters at the Spur resaurant in Cresta.

It was all for a good cause to help raise money for the club. Many members,their friends and families braved the weather and came to dine there. There were also two raffles for a Spur hamper and a Justine cosmetics hamper (diligently taken around by Stacy and Bsb Robbie).

The night was a success! Thank you very much to all who supported and helped on the evening as well congratulations to winners of the raffels.

Street Defence seminar

2011-06-10T11:30:00.003+02:00

Members were exposed to a Street Self defence seminar on 21 May 2011. Many aspects were covered including mindset and being prepared for the adrenal body response etc. Good practice was spent on dealing with some common street attacks, taken from the Hosin-Sul sylabus. Well done to those who attended.

Saint Johns College workshops

2011-06-10T11:22:00.004+02:00

Sabum's Norman and Denis Magua conducted for workshops for the Snt Johns students at their Arts festival on 9 June 2011 on Taekwon-Do. We were given four slots because of the past popularity of the workshops in previous years.Despite the freezing,rainy weather, this year was the same with many eager candidates.

The brothers enjoyed exposing these enthusiastic young minds to our martial art and the students enjoyed it.

8th TSA Invitational Elite Championships

2011-03-29T23:06:00.009+02:00

The 8th Elite Taekwon-Do Invitational Tournament was held on Saturday 26 March at the Mandeville Sport and Social Centre in Bez Valley/Kensington.

The tournament, hosted by the Magua Taekwon-Do Clubs, was attended by members of Taekwon-Do South Africa (ITF) and GTF-SA (GTF). The tournament held up to its reputation of tough, fair competition between all of the competitors.

The tournament was composed of the four aspects of competition: Sparring, Patterns, Power Destruction, and Special Technique Breaking. The various categories were well contested and made for some very impressive performances.

The day saw a fantastic standard, also highlighted areas to be worked on, some great heart and spirit were also displayed. All of the competitors made their instructors proud. The event ran smoothly with thanks to the hard work of the umpires, corner judges, assistants and those in charge of the food.
After the colour belt events were finished, the already tired black belts from helping all day, showed what commitment is and put on a great show of skill while competing with each other. This was also one of the preparation tournaments for the up-coming world championships next year in Canada.
Well done to all of you!

Emmarentia Magua TKD (Fighting Fit Central) new venue

2011-03-15T12:37:00.005+02:00

After months of trying to find a new appropriate venue for the Fighting Fit central we have finally settled into our new venue in Marks Park sports club. Much work went into turning it into a great venue. Many thanks need to go out especially to Sabum Norman and Denis's dad Neville who helped immensely to get it ready. As well as all of the members who have helped with moving. Also last but not least Mr Malcolm Passmore the md of Marks Park for all of his help. I am sure this new home for our club will be a positive step for us.

Norwood Magua TKD (Spartan) club attend shaveathon

2011-03-15T12:25:00.002+02:00

Some members of the Norwood Spartan club attended the Cancer shaveathon in Norwood. Well done for suppoting such a worthy cause.

Sparring seminar February 2011

2011-02-24T12:20:00.003+02:00

The first seminar of the year focussing on competition sparring was held at the new Emmerentia club (formerly cresta), on Saturday 19 February. Many aspect of sparring were worked on including rules, to various rules of thumb to take the sparring to a new level and pressure training. Well done to the participants for trying really hard.

year end events

2010-12-03T12:18:00.003+02:00

The clubs had various year end events. Which included the Cresta club's kids classes attending bowling and Spur on 16 November. The Black Belt and kensington club get toghether at the botanical gardens in Roodepoort on 27 November and Kensington & Olivedale senior age classes (Taekwon-Do & cardio Kickboxing) also went bowling on 1 December. Good fun was had and well done to the prize winners.

Black Belt grading November 2010

2010-12-03T11:30:00.003+02:00

Well done to Claudia Pietromartire for successfully grading to 2nd degree.
Also congratulations to Robert Aldred for successfully passing to 1st Degree.
The grading took place at the Cresta Dojang on Saturday 27 November.

Well Done!

Imperial British Championships 2010

2010-10-10T21:29:00.006+02:00

Four members of Magua Taekwon-Do under Taekwon-Do South Africa attended the Imperial British Championships. The second most important international tournament this year next to World Championships. England had also won over all at the World Championships in Korea this year. South Africa unfortunately missed that event due to the FIFA world cup being the same time.So this tournament was a great one to attend because many current and former World champions competed.
The team who included Norman Magua- V Dan (Coach& competitor), Jonathan Voorhout- II Dan, Hugh Thomson- I Dan and Frasier Du Toit- Red belt, left from Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday afternoon 6 October. The team had a long trip about 22 hours or so because of a stopover in Dubai.
It was a welcome surprise to be picked up at the airport by Mr Lee Hollingsworth (V dan) and taken to the hotel as we were expecting to wait another two or so hours for the train. It was good to speak with such an esteemed competitor and see some English countryside.
After settling in at the hotel, it was time to explore beautiful Reading. The next day included some training in the park, more exploring, sleep and more sleep.
The team arrived early at the tournament on Saturday morning. They greeted Master Nicholls, and caught up a bit before attending the umpires meeting in order help as umpires for the junior age part of the tournament. It was great to see such a well oiled machine running such a huge tournament in only two days. All six floors were running well.
The next day they arrived ready to compete. The previous day the jetlag had hit hard but they were feeling good and ready by now. The stadium began to fill and the excitement was tangible.
This was a highly competitive tournament with high standard. It was great to compete at such a high level tournament. The team was privileged to have a medalled:
Sbm. Norman Magua – Silver Medal – 5th Dan Patterns
Bsb. Jonathan Voorhout: II Dan – Silver Medal – Advanced Special Techniques, Bronze Medal – 2nd Dan Patterns
Bsb. Hugh Thomson: I Dan – Gold Medal – Advanced Hyper-weight Sparring, Gold Medal – Advanced Special Techniques, Bronze Medal – 1st Dan Patterns

Fraser Du Toit: Red belt– Silver Medal – Hyperweight Senior Colour belt Sparring, Bronze Medal – Senior Colour Belt Patterns, Bronze Medal – Senior Colour belt breaking.
The experience was also great to gather valuable experience for our emerging competitors in South Africa.
It was an honour to meet some esteemed people for the first time, such as Master Hogan, Master Wolf, Master Deedigan, Mr Basnet (Nepal), Mr. Oriolani(Spain), Miss Farigu (Italy). It was also great to see old Friends Mr & Mrs Richards from Richards Taekwon-Do in Cornwall who had visited South Africa a year prior with Master Nicholls.
We were happy we had an extra day before we flew back, because it gave us the opportunity to spend some hours with Master Nicholls, Mr Skyrme and their students. As Master Nicholls is Norman Magua’s instructor it was very special to spend time with him which included a trip to Windsor castle, viewing the new administration headquarters and Dojang being renovated, viewing a class with some impressive students and a fantastic Chinese Dinner with The Master, his daughter, Mr Skyrme, Mr Basnet from Nepal and some students. As always it was sad to say goodbye.
The next day we were picked up by Master Nicholls son Jake and taken to the airport to end a great trip. Thank you to Master Nicholls his great hospitality and all of his team especially Mr Skyrme for making the tournament a huge success.

Congratulations go out to all of them. We are very, very proud.
For more pictures please look at our facebook group (link on home page)

Last but not least, a big thank you to Edenvale Supaquick, Highpress and Diagonal trucking for sponsorship support.

SA Team departs for England

2010-10-07T11:57:00.006+02:00

The small but strong team has left to take part in the Imperial Open Championships to be held in Reading, England on 9, 10 October.

The team consists of Norman Magua, Jonathan Voorhout, Hugh Thomson and Fraser du Toit.
They were all in high spirits as they boarded the plane in Johannesburg.

We wish them all the best of luck.

More updates will be available on their progress as it is available.

Prestigious Award

2010-09-08T10:06:00.003+02:00

Master Nicholls VIII Dan. Sabum Norman and Denis’s instructor being the master brought out to SA from England last year for a seminar. Was honoured by Master Choi Jung Hwa IX Dan the president of ITF recently. He was awarded the SAULABI presidential award only given to a person with unsurpassed service and loyalty. Well Done Master Nicholls, from SA, it is well deserved!

Gauteng Open Championships

2010-09-06T12:01:00.002+02:00

Saturday 4th of September was a great way to begin spring. The Tournament was held a the Wits Teachers College in Parktown Johannesburg. This tournament had practitioners from 5 different Taekwon-Do organisations present to battle it out in friendly competition.

Well done to all who entered and to the medalists especially for entering and giving your best. This tournament also was a great warm up for Fraser Du Toit, Jonathan Voorhout and Hugh Thomson, who are competing in Reading England next month for the Imperial British open. The day ended off well in the black belt sparring category with both Jonanthan and Hugh in the final. Their fight was a great demonstration of skill, with Jonathan coming out eventual winner.

Thanks to the G.T.F for hosting the well run competition.

TSA/Magua Taekwon-Do Camp 2010

2010-08-20T14:54:00.001+02:00

The annual training camp took place on the weekend of the 13-15th of August 2010. The venue was on the Vaal river. It was pretty cold, but actually better for having energy when training.
The members began arriving in the late afternoon on Friday. A very beneficial and fun camp was to follow. Including the targeted training on the various aspect of Tkd to wall climbing,archery, pooitjie kos competition and hiking...or mountain climbing, which ever way you want to look at it:)

Members commented that it was great to get away from the city for a while.

Please check out our Facebook group for more photos. Link on www.tkd.co.za

Well done to all of the participants

ITA British Championships update

2010-07-26T09:58:00.004+02:00

As we approach ever closer to the Prestigious international tournament. We have the confirmed team who will attend. Coach: Norman Magua, competitors: Jonathan Voorhout, Hugh Thomson and Faser Du Toit. The two coaches norman and Denis Magua, are pleased with the progress being made by the team with the preparations. We wish them all well while preparing for the event.

Advanced Self defence seminar

2010-07-26T09:51:00.001+02:00

An advanced Self defence seminar was conducted at The Cresta Fighting Fit Central on Saturday 17 July 2010. Eager people arrived at 10:30am and got stuck into the seminar. The focus was on un armed defence against weapons. These included knife, stick and gun.

The students were also taught to be responsible and when undertaing such a defence is viable and when it is not. The three hour long course was enjoyed by the participants, all while understanding the serious contents. Well done to all who attended.

Charity Blanket drive

2010-06-14T15:33:00.002+02:00

Our club collected about a thousand rand worth of blankets for the poor. Thank you to all who donated. The blankets were donated to the St. Charbels helping hand and will go to people in need of warmth this winter.

1st England Squad Session

2010-05-25T10:01:00.007+02:00

The first official Squad session for the up coming Imperial English Open in October, took place at the Cresta Dojang at 6am on Saturday 22nd May 2010. It was a great session. The classes are designed over the next months to get the team tip top for the event. We look forward to more of these beneficial sessions. The team hopes to do our club and country proud!

Novice Self defence & mma rules seminar

2010-05-19T09:03:00.003+02:00

The kensington Taekwon-Do Gym hosted the 1st in a series of three self defence seminars, on May 15th 2010. These are conducted by Sabum's Norman and Denis Magua. This first seminar covered the novice Hosin-Sul (self defence) sylabus (white belt to green stripe). It was agreat oportunity to get some good insights and lots of practice.

The last quarter of the seminar covered how to adapt the Taekwon-Do hosin-sul to the Mixed martial arts rules. It was interesting because the traditional hosin-sul has to be toned down significantly to comply with the rules. It was also allot of fun. The basics from the different tie up or clinch positions, the different mounts and guards were all covered, with some defences and submissions thrown in.

The next seminar on 12 June at the Cresta Dojang will cover the intermediate sylabus as well as build on the mma rules training. This is also the precursor to our extra clases to be held at Kensington and Cresta focussing on sport combat including ITF, K1 and mma rules.

Black Belt Grading May 2010

2010-05-10T14:37:00.003+02:00

The black belt test for Natasha Voorhout and Ruan Hageman (both attempting for 1st Degree) and for Selvan Pandaram (attempting for 2nd Degree) took place on Saturday 8May 2010 at 6:30am. After some small chatting to the candidates, where Ruan made the comment that it felt surreal, the test began.

After a challenging time, they all were relieved to hear that they were successful. Sabum's Norman and Denis Magua were happy with their performances and indomitable spirits.

Well done!

ATC Pretoria Championships

2010-05-06T10:13:00.003+02:00

The first of may our club attended the 9th ATC Tournament in Menlyn Pretoria. We took a small team because much of our club was battling with illnesses. Our 7 strong group did us proud, especially since for most of them it was their first competition and the others Hugh Thomson,Claudia Pietromartire and James Blankenburg entering the ring after some years out of competing.
The event went well and a good time was had by the competitors. The day ended off with a bang when Hugh Thomson won the Black belt division, Hyper weight Final.

Well done guys!
Some videos & pic to come soon....

Fund Raiser evening

2010-04-22T11:05:00.003+02:00

The evening of Wednesday 14 April was swapped from the normal blood, sweat and you know what of training for a night at the Barnyard theatre in Cresta. The occasion was a TSA fundraiser, with the intention of raising some funds for the up coming trip to England for the British Imperial championships in October.

The evening started with every one arriving between 7:30 and 8pm and being seated at the barnyard style tables. After a short welcome by the President of TSA Norman Magua. The show began. It was called Route 66 and was a great fun show, with lots of SA tallent. The crowd enjoyed getting involved by shouting Yeee ha!!

Thank you to all of the people who attended to make it a success. In particular thank you to Amy Bishop (Cresta dojang) who brought the most people (17) and therefore won the prize of two free seminars.

We look forward to our next fund raising evening, next year.

Taekwon-Do South Africa Invitational

2010-03-17T11:02:00.004+02:00

We were proud to host our annual tournament this year for the 7th year running.The young competitors (kids) converged at the Mandeville stadium in Kensington, Jhb at 8am and the Senior age group was at 12:30am. As with each event the running and organisation improves.We hope to make further improvements for next year. This was also the case this year. It ran ahead of schedule and smoothly. Well done o all of the competitors,officiators and helpers. The standard was high and tough. We will be looking into ways to also make it even safer for competitors, while maintaining the fighting contact level expected internationally, because safety is as always one of our most important concerns.

We look forward to to next years event

Great job guys!

First Senior Grading (Feb 2010)

2010-03-03T10:30:00.002+02:00

Our first grading of the year took place at the Kensington dojang on Saturday 27th of February. This is the first of many scheduled (one each month) scheduled until December. Our many grading dates make it convenient for our members to grade once they have reached their required criteria. Well done to all of the successful candidates.

Some catch up news.

2010-02-26T18:56:00.003+02:00

1.Members from the Junior club at Cresta were filmed for yo TV in early December. It was a great success. It was enjoyed by the people watching and by the students. Well done Kids!

2.We would like to congratulate Avishkar Adjoodha for grading successfully to second Dan and for Daniel Epstein for Successfully grading to first Dan.They graded early in the morning on 12 December 2009. Pics to follow shortly.

3.The first seminar of the year took place on 13 February 2010. The seminar was for competition sparring. The Participants learned allot and will use their knowledge for the up coming competition and in the future. Well done to the participants.

Pre Primary self defence

2009-11-19T11:37:00.002+02:00

Sabum Norman was invited by the Emma Park Montesori Nursery school to do a short childrens self defence class on 18 November 2009. The class included anti abduction techniques & precautins, some knowledge about dealing with a bully and most importantly confidence building exercises in order to detur baddies & bullies. It was enjoyed by all.

Master Class & 5th Dan Grading

2009-11-19T11:08:00.005+02:00

Taekwon-Do South Africa, headed by Norman and Denis Magua, recently hosted Master Trevor Nicholls for a very successful training seminar. This was a historic event for Taekwon-Do South Africa as it is the first Master that has been brought to the country since Taekwon-Do South Africa’s inception.

Master Nicholls and two of his students/assistants (Mr. and Mrs. Richards) arrived at the O.R. Thambo International Airport (Johannesburg) at 6:45am on Friday 6 November where they were greeted by Norman and Denis Magua.

They were driven to Denis’ Dojang in Kensington for a quick viewing and a light breakfast a short walk from there. The Master and his students were then whisked off to their lodge where they had a chance to unpack and unwind for a couple of hours.

There wasn’t much time to relax though. 1pm was the time set by Master Nicholls for Norman to grade. The Master and Mr. and. Mrs. Richards arrived at Norman’s Dojang in Cresta to find Norman already warmed up and ready to go. This was also the first opportunity for Master Nicholls to meet Mr. Jose Lopes (who heads things up in Mozambique) who had made a special trip to Johannesburg to attend the seminar. Master Nicholls then jumped straight into the grading. Norman was given a challenging grading and was asked to perform various patterns and movements all the while receiving commentary from the Master. It was then onto set sparring and sparring which Denis was asked to assist with. Once completed, it was onto performing various breaks and then, of course, a theory test. The result of the grading was to be given the following day at the seminar, but the anticipation proved to be too much. Master Nicholls gave the result – a successful promotion to 5th degree.

After a brief chat it was off to a late lunch at Mama Thembo’s for a bit of an African taste and feel. The Master and his students were then taken back to their lodge to relax before dinner. Dinner was at Norman’s house – a braai (barbeque) – a typical South African past time where they also sampled some South African food, like Biltong & Boerewors . It was then off to bed to prepare for the following days seminar.

The day began with red belts and above nervously waiting for Master Nicholls to arrive at the Ferndale Recreation Centre. Nobody knew what to expect for the day ahead. The Master and his students arrived at around 8:15am to find the senior belts already lined up waiting to greet them. After bowing in, Master Nicholls gave a brief talk and immediately put all minds at ease. He spoke of some of his background, teaching style and what he expected of us as Taekwon-Do students.

It was then straight into it. A few patterns to assess what we were doing in terms of movement, then analysis and corrections, and then repetition of movements and patterns with renewed emphasis on power and vigor expected in performance. All the while Master Nicholls was calling out and encouraging - creating a fire in the students and instructors to perform harder and better.

At 10am a short coffee break was taken while the junior belt students began to arrive. Once again, all students were lined up and Master Nicholls was bowed in and introduced to everybody. Denis was then asked to take a brief warm up and stretch. It was then Master Nicholls floor once more. With brief explanations and demonstrations by the Master and various students called up by him, various points were taken in a new light. It was then floor work - performing movements up and down in the lines with focus and power. The Master and Mr. and Mrs. Richards walking up and down the lines all the while pushing and encouraging.

1pm called for a lunch break. Already there was not a single dry dobok left!

After a brief lunch it was back into the swing of things. A light warm up and back into performance mode, the students giving it there all once again. Even though many already had stiff and aching muscles, Master Nicholls teaching style and humor motivated all to carry on as though they were as fresh as when the day had started. Various kicking drills and exercises were introduced in the afternoon session, as well as some Taekwon-Do stories which the students always love to hear, especially from someone who has had a first hand account of many of them.

The seminar came to an end around 4pm. Once again, the doboks drenched. After photos and some chatting it was back off to the lodge for the Master to get ready for the evening dinner with the senior students and instructors.

The dinner was held at Ghirradelis Restaurant at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton. It was well attended by the senior belts. A very heartfelt speech was given by Norman Magua, in which Master Nicholls was asked to officially accept Norman and Denis as his students. Master Nicholls then said a few words and accepted this role as Instructor. He was then presented with a few tokens to remember South Africa by.

The following day it was time to unwind a little. The Master and his students were keen to get in a bit of sight seeing. It was an early morning drive taking them about 2 hours out of Johannesburg to the Pilansberg National Game Reserve. It was the first time for our guests to see truly wild animals in their natural habitat having to fend entirely for themselves. On the game drive various animals were come across, including: impala, klipspringer, kudu, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, hippo and elephant. After leaving the game park it was off for a short visit to the Sun City resort and casino where the idea was flung around about hosting an international tournament one day. After lunch by one of the hotels pools it was back to Johannesburg for a relaxing evening.

The following day after packing the Master and his students arrived at Norman’s Dojang in Cresta once again. Norman, Denis, Mr. and Mrs. Richards were treated to a 2 hour class by Master Nicholls. It included some bag work followed by some 3rd, 4th and 5th degree patterns as well as explanation of many hand and foot techniques along the way. It was then off to Rosebank for a light lunch and some curio shopping at the African Craft Market before heading to the airport.

Once the bags were checked in it was time for a farewell drink and goodbyes. We hope the Master and his students will remember their first trip to South Africa for many years to come and we look forward to seeing them here many more times in the future.

More pics on facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2441775858

TV Interview (3 Talk with Noleen)

2009-10-21T08:46:00.002+02:00

Sabum Norman & Denis accompanied by Bo Sabum Jon were honored to be guests for the second time on SA's biggest locally produced talk show, 3 Talk with Noleen. In this second interview there was limited time and they were asked specifically to show the viewers some simlple easy to learn on the spot techniques for their part of the segment.

The brothers realizing how the lay person watching could never pick up useful, more complex techniques which require lots of training and practice (which is focussed on in their classes). Norman then decided to explain their simple concept of tripple T (TTT- Threat, target & Tool). He thought this would be the easiest concept to get across to everyday people on their couches in the short time available before the adverts.

They steered away from showing more complex escapes, take downs, joint locks etc because in reality that would go in one ear and out the other of un-trained viewers.

Denis demonstrated one or two examples while being put on the spot (un-rehursed). He viciously executed a barrage of simple techniques on Jon the the attacker, leaving Noleen in shock because of the speed and no nonsense approach he went with, showing the power and controlled aggression so important in self defence and focused on in Taekwon-Do.

The guys sadly didn't get a chance to show many other aspects as well as other impressive 'trained' moves because of time constraints, but that was not the purpose of the show. Many untrained people commented positively on how easy their instruction was to understand because it was kept simple,effective and to the point.
They enjoyed the experience of live TV.

2009-10-20T10:35:00.001+02:00

Barnyard Fund raiser evening

The 14th of October saw a great event which attracted about 160 people to watch the Rocking All over the World show at the Barnyard theatre in Cresta.
The show was great fun and a portion of the proceeds went towards fundraising for our organisation.
We would like to thank all the people who supported this event and a special thank you to all who brought groups & especially Dylan Leong & his wife Nikki for selling a whopping 48 tickets. Making him the winner of the prize. He will participate in the seminar by Master Nicholls for free. Well done. We hope to do his event once a year.

Gauteng Open Championships

2009-09-25T14:14:00.003+02:00

Well Done to the members who competed and refereed in the Gauteng Open on Saturday 19 September 2009. The Wits Teachers College was the venue for this event. The competitors did us proud!

Annual Training Camp

2009-09-10T10:42:00.003+02:00

The Annual Training Camp was held on the weekend of 23 August 2009. It took place just outside of Parys at a camp on the banks of the Vaal River.

Students arrived on Friday evening and were assigned to their rooms. After dinner everybody retired to their beds in preparation for the training to come.

Many aspects were covered at the camp, including floor exercises (hand and foot), patterns, self-defense and sparring to name but a few. There was also a lot of fun to be had outside of the normal training schedule which included climbing, abseiling, archery, hiking and a potjiekos competition.

All in all the training was hugely beneficial to the attendees and we look forward to the next one.

Self Defense Seminar - Part 3

2009-07-13T12:53:00.001+02:00

The third and final part of the self-defense seminar was held by Norman and Denis Magua on 11 July at the Cresta Dojang.

The seminar covered the more advanced aspects of self-defense and included defense against weapons, including: gun, knife and stick/baton.

The students attending picked up many good tips and soon got the hang of the movements. Besides this, all of the students attending learned a new respect for these weapons and realized just how dangerous it can be when being attacked or held up.
The importance of only attempting these moves if one believes they are in an absolutely life threatening situation. Any material goods are not worth ones life, so always hand over so they can leave, before attempting to implement a technique.
Under controlled circumstances the attendees learned the different concepts that need to be adjusted from hand 2 hand to hand 2 each type of weapon.

Members went from being "killed" by knife attack (with red chalk)constantly to getting control of the weapon or receiving less lethal strikes and attacking and turning the situation around, with more and more practice throughout the day.

The seminar was enjoyed by all. Congratulations to all of the participants.

Saint Johns Taekwon-Do Workshop

2009-06-20T10:43:00.005+02:00

Sabum Norman with assistance of Daniel Epstein from the Cresta Dojang, conducted two hour and a half Taekwon-Do introduction workshops on Thursday 18 June 2009 . This was done for the Snt Johns arts fest, which includes various workshops from dancing, art, comedy etc... The TKD work shop is always one of the most popular. This year we had about sixty interested learners.

Some basics of punching & kicking as well as self defence moves were introduced to them. The instructors and students had allot of fun.It is always a great honour to be invited to this prestigious school event.

Self Defense Seminar - Part 2

2009-06-14T23:35:00.006+02:00

Part 2 of the Self-Defense Seminar, by Norman and Denis Magua, was held at the Taekwon-Do Gym in Kensington, Johannesburg on 13 June 2009.

It offered a good insight into the behaviour and of the bully/victim mentality as well as an overview of the effects that adrenalin has on the body.

Many self defense moves were practiced over the morning and students gained different perspectives on how to react in different situations.

The course was enjoyed by all who attended and we look forward to the advanced course which will take place at the Cresta Dojang in mid July.

ATC Pretoria Invitational Competition

2009-06-09T04:44:00.002+02:00

On 23 May we took a small team of 7 (members from Cresta, Kensington & Norwood)to compete in the ATC Tournament.

The competitors were: Jon Voorhout, Christopher Vingerling, Mikail Bham, Shehzaad Bham, Shehrazaad Bham, Keiyo Wakabayashi & Keenan Burman.

We had a successful tournament with many medals & great experience gained. The day ended off with Jon Voorhout, winning the Black Belt heavy weight division in great style. Well done guys - you make us proud.

Also, a big thank you to Bsb Claudia, Richard & Jon for helping to corner judge on the day.

"Extraordinary abilities can only come from extraordinary efforts." -- Unknown

Self defense Seminar - Part 1

2009-06-09T04:33:00.003+02:00

Part 1 of this seminar series was successfully held at the new Cresta Dojang on 16 May.

The attendees from Cresta, Kensington, Norwood & Momentum, as well as some private individuals, learned about body response, fear and the novice section of self defense techniques. Well done to those who attended.

TSA Elite Championships

2009-05-04T14:35:00.002+02:00

The TSA Elite Championships was held on 25 & 26 April 2009 at the Mandeville Sports and Social Centre in Kensington, Johannesburg.

The tournament was a great success for the clubs and brought together Taekwon-Do practitioners from different Organisations in fantastic sporting spirit. Many of our competitors took top spot, but we must remember that competing is not just about winning. It is about furthering and bettering ourselves in our Taekwon-Do training.

The day ended with and exciting Black belt hyper weight sparring match in which Bsb Richard Girvin took top honours.

Well done to all of our competitors and a special thank you to everyone who helped in various ways during the upcoming preparation and on the days.

Umpire Course

2009-04-06T16:37:00.001+02:00

A basic umpire and referee course was held at the Kensington Dojang on 4 April 2009.

The course was held in preparation for the upcoming Elite Tournament and was attended by members Blue stripe and above.

It gave some good insights to the tournament rules and how to run a floor. It was of great benefit to all in attendance and everybody learned alot.

Well done to everyone who took part.

Tournament Seminar

2009-03-16T11:47:00.008+02:00

The first Tournament Seminar for 2009 took place on Saturday, 14 March. It was hosted by the Magua Taekwon-Do Club based in Kensington, Johannesburg and was instructed by Norman Magua (IV Dan) and Denis Magua (IV dan).

The seminar covered all aspects of ITF tournament: sparring, patterns, power destruction and special techniques. There were many helful hints and concepts taught that I’m sure will help take some of the nerves away when entering tournaments – especially for beginners.
Members attending ranged in level from white belt through to second Dan and also included members from Mozambique and Congo.

Everybody attending learned a great deal on the day and are sure to have a greater understanding of tournaments, rules and etiquette.

Well done to everyone who took part!

Also, a hearty congratulations to Cesar from Maputo, Mozambique who successfully graded to 1st Degree Black Belt after the seminar concluded.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T11:06:00.003+02:00

As we welcome in the New Year we take time to reflect on the past one. Some things may not have turned out as well as we had hoped, others may have turned out better.

As Taekwon-Do practitioners we should be striving to be the best we can be inside, and outside the dojang. We learn from past achievements and mistakes. Lets make this a year committed to bettering ourselves, not only for ourselves, but for humanity in general.

After a good break we look forward to a year of vigorous training full of success.

Happy New Year and all the best for the year ahead.

Taekwon-Do Kids year end party

2008-11-26T16:55:00.004+02:00

The Linden Magua Taekwon-Do Kids year end party took place on the 25th of November 2008. They enjoyed a game of lazer battle zone. They were clearly excited to shoot each other up with the lazer guns. Some kids were concerned before they started if the lazers were real. Once convinced they wouldn't get burnt by the lazers, off they went. Then it was off to Mimos for a kiddies meal.

Year End Banquet 2008

2008-11-24T11:55:00.006+02:00

The end of year banquet took place on 22 November 2008 at the Kutya Bistro in Fourways. The members were treated to a delicious three course gourmet meal. The awards for the year were handed out. Well done to the people who received their awards and thanks to all who attended for making it a great evening. It was a great way to see out the Taekwon-Do year.A great time was had by all.

Black Belt Grading November 2008

2008-11-24T11:46:00.003+02:00

The 22nd of November 2008 was a big day for some of our senior members. Claudia Pietromartire successfully graded to black belt 1st dan as well as Douw Pretorius, Marlon James and Deeran Kuni attaining their 2nd dans.

They were put through their paces testing all aspect of the training for about 2 hours at 6 in the morning at the Kensington Taekwon-Do Gym. They were later given their results at our year end banquet. They were clearly exhausted but happy and releaved to have passed. Well done!

Annual Taekwon-Do Training Camp

2008-09-14T08:36:00.001+02:00

The Annual Taekwon-Do Training Camp was held over the weekend of 05 September at Bushtrail in the Magaliesberg.

Students started arriving late Friday afternoon and into the evening. After an opening speech, some socialising and a bonfire it was off to bed (for some of us at least) to rest up for the hard weekend of training ahead.

The training consisted of early morning meditation, conditioning, warm ups, stretches, fundamental exercises, patterns, set sparring, self-defense, pad kicking, tournament sparring, "street" sparring and an obstacle course.

By Sunday afternoon everyone was tired but happy. The camp ended off on a lighter note with our traditional "fight scenes" performed by all of the students.

It was a really enjoyable event with a great vibe, excellent training, early mornings, mud, a friendly matron, really hot bonfires, dogs the size of horses & cool fight skits.

It was extremely beneficial to all who attended and everybody learned a lot. Thanks to all for making it an unforgettable weekend.

Magua Taekwon-Do enters SA Champs

2008-08-25T12:43:00.004+02:00

The Magua Taekwon-Do clubs based in Linden and Kensington JHB attended the South African Open Championships which was held on the 2nd and 3rd of August 2008. The event was held at the Walter Sisulu sports stadium in Randburg.

This was a very competitive tournament, which the club only entered students into very selected, high profile events - mainly the sparring categories. Next year more of the categories will entered into.

The club did extremely well having medaled in all but one or two of the sparring categories that were entered. The students walked away with 8 Gold, 4 Silver and 5 Bronze medals all in the well contested sparring categories.

I.T.F. Taekwon-Do, which is vastly different from the Olympic rules taekwondo which some people might be more familiar with, is very exciting with both hands and feet being utilised as well as head strikes. It makes for skilled and tough participants.

Instructors Norman and Denis Magua insist that while the competition side of the art is exciting and has many advantages it is not the whole focus of the style. The club emphasises the traditional techniques ,values as well as the self defence properties and realism which are at the heart of the training all while building great fitness.

Sabum's Norman and Denis are very proud of all the students that entered.

Self-Defence with Noleen

2008-06-23T11:41:00.003+02:00

Sabum Norman & Denis appeared on 3 Talk with Noleen live on Wednesday 13 February 2008. The subject being self defence in South Africa. They also got to demonstrate some Taekwon-Do kicks and self defence techniques. It turned out to be a great show!

Black Belt Grading

2008-06-19T10:00:00.005+02:00

May 24 2008 was the four members of the club were waiting in anticipation for. The black belt grading was was held for Craig Blumenthal to first Dan, Roberto Da Costa to first Dan, Jonathan Voorhout and Richard Girvin became the organisations very first Second Dan holders. The tough grading included tests of traditional patterns, et sparring, free sparring, breaking & Hosin Sool (real world self defence) took place at 6am and was held over about two hours. The Magua brothers were happy with the standard and spirit of the guys. After the grading they were tired but hyped.
Well done!

ATC Tournament

2008-06-19T09:55:00.003+02:00

On 10 May 2008 a small contingent from the Magua clubs attendedthe ATC invitational tournament in Menlyn Pretoria. It provided good experience to those who entered and was timely preparation for the up coming South African Championships in early August. Well done to those who took part and to the organisers Bsb Karel and Anari Wethmar.

TSA Elite SA Open Championships

2008-06-19T09:34:00.004+02:00

The Members of TSA have had a very successful year so far. On April 12 &13 TSA hosted the Elite South African Open Taekwon-Do championships. The event was a huge success! Not only did the clubs rake in the medals, but the event also provided great exposure for Taekwon-Do in Southern Africa. A record four federations with Eleven of the top clubs in South Africa and one from Mozambique, participated. The tournament included sparring, patterns, special techniques and breaking for juniors and seniors. The standard was high all round and offered the competitors valuable experience in a well run and on time tournament. this tournament has been running since 2004 and is becoming the event to be at! Well done to all competitors, judges, refs and helpers.

Welcome to TSA News

2008-06-17T11:11:00.003+02:00

Hi there everyone.

Welcome to the new TSA news posting.

We will be updating this site regularly so please check often in to make sure you are always up to date with what's happening.

If you have anything that you feel is newsworthy, please submit articles to your instructor. These will be reviewed and if approved will be posted here.

Enjoy!

Sbm Denis