I have been reading a number of articles today looking for one to post on new year resolutions, however most of them have been a bit poor or annoying. A number of them suggesting that this is a bad thing, that it is negative, setting yourself up to fail!!! I disagree with this and here’s why.
Some sources are saying why make a new year’s resolution, it’s just the start of another year, just another day, you can make these changes any day of the year, why put this pressure on yourself, by doing this and failing it will have a negative effect on your mental state!!! It’s right you can do this any time, any day of the year but the new year is an excellent time after the Christmas excesses, it’s a natural start point and if you do it right and for the right reasons you won’t fail!!!
Why is a resolution to be better or do better bad?! It’s obviously not, trying to better ourselves and improve our life choices has got to be a good thing, it’s just how you go about it and why you want to do it.
During the summer months with the leisure centre closed we were fortunate to be able to continue delivering training outdoors in St Nicholas Park which was great to be in the fresh air. However now the nights are drawing in and the weather is turning we needed to get back indoors.
Everyone Active were able to give us back our old Tuesday times in the Leisure Centre however not our Thursday or Friday slots as they were using the sports hall to deliver their own classes. The challenge we have, as many other sports and activities have, is finding a training venue with enough room to allow appropriate distancing during the class.
As we continue to deliver classes outside in St Nicholas Park in Warwick, enjoying the summer weather and the added safety benefits of open air training and the ability to distance, we are also busy planning forward.
The summer won’t be with us much longer and with the government allowing leisure centres to open their doors again we have been preparing diligently for our return back in doors to our normal training halls in St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre in September.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a deviating effect on our club and our ability to deliver classes. However we didn’t just close down and batten down the hatches we realised that we needed to keep supporting our students as best as we could and come up with a plan to do this until we could return to normal. Over the lockdown we came up with the plan of delivering video classes and lesson plans that students can follow at their leisure and free Zoom 121 personal training sessions after surveying the members as to what was the best options for them. A few weeks ago the Government advice allowed us to undertake 121 personal training face to face outside in a park which many students jumped on straight away.
With the updated Government guidelines last week we are now allowed to deliver small group training classes with one instructor to five students as long as we are outside and social distancing measures are adhered to. Excitingly this week saw Warwick & Leamington TKD club back training face to face for the first time in nearly 4 months following the Government guidelines keeping our instructors, students and the wider public safe and well. However, we are also continuing with support our students delivering the video lesson plans and Zoom 121 personal training sessions free of charge for those that continue to need them due to the need to continue with social distancing and isolation.
Due to the fire damage at St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre we have been forced to move our Tuesday and Friday classes to Warwick School sports hall on the Myron Road. Once the St Nics hall is fixed we will move back there but I’m afraid this doesn’t look like it will haven for a few weeks.
Thank you to Warwick School for stepping up and enabling our training to continue.
The Thursday night class is still on at the usual location Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre.
Saturday night saw the Warwick & Leamington TKD club Instructor team say goodbye over a curry and a pint of Guiness to Mr Brian Feely who has been an instructor at the club for over 9 years as he heads back to Ireland to complete his MBA.
Brian will be missed, his enthusiasm and unrivalled energy and personality will be hard to replace as will his support, technical abilities and council.
Good luck Brian, come visit us whenever you're back in town, you've always got a second family here.
A great day spreading the Warwick & Leamington TKD word along with Paragon Personal Training at TATA European Innovation & Development HQ in Leamington Spa.
A number of different health, fitness and wellbeing companies were invited in to talk to their employees over the lunch time period to assist on getting employees more active. Some great conversations had and hopefully some new members to come from it.
Thank you to Martin Durrant Vice President, EU ER&D & Operations, for inviting us in.
I am pleased to announce that we have a new club to add to our exsisting portfolio which will be held at Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre in Leamington Spa. This cements further our excellent relationship and partnership with Everyone Active.
Classes will be held every Thursday from the 9th January from 7-8pm in the main sports hall. As with the Warwick classes they will be a family class allowing parents and their children to train at the same time for convenience.
The classes will be mainly run by Mr Martin Noddings and Miss Molly Rowe with the assistance, when necessary, from the other Assistant Instructors from Warwick which will create an excellent consistency of quality across both clubs.
The added benefit to opening up the Leamington club is that it will give members of both clubs the ability to train 3 nights a week if they wanted with no price increase from the existing £40 per month unlimited club night training package which equates to £3.33 per class.
If you are new to martial arts and would like to give it a go you can get a free trial session, just email for phone to reserve one of the limited place, we are also offering free training for all of January if you join before the 15th of the month.
Post training and award giving we held our club Christmas meal out which is traditionally a curry celebrating an awesome year with a fabulous group of people; this year was no different apart from holding it at Warwick Spice. Thank you to all the students and Instructors who were able to make it, a thoroughly enjoyable night.
(How many times can you spot Rachel Hoult?!)
We are almost at the end of the year with just Friday’s class to go, then a well earnt break for both Instructors and students after a phenomenal year of fantastic performances in competitions with 40 medals won, gradings resulting in 55 promotions and amazing growth in both our Kids and adult classes, classes are buzzing.
So last night was the awarding of the student of the year awards. This is awarded to the coloured belt student in the adult class and children class that have demonstrated the tenets of TKD throughout the year, their attendance, technical ability, desire to improve, willingness to assist others in the class, overall attitude to training and their attitude to others in the club is taken into account with all the Instructors in the club having a vote of who the winners will be. This was very hard this year as we had a number of very deserving students. However I am proud to announce the winners:
