On 21st/22nd September, in Steszew near Poznan, Polish Taekwon-do Association held a technical seminar dedicated for black belts. The seminar was co-organized by Poznan Taekwon-do Club with Mr Jaroslaw Wojcik 4th degree at the helm, and Mr Mateusz Niedzwiedz 2nd degree.

The seminar was attended by over 70 participants (including 5 Masters) and consisted of three training units: two of them related to pure Taekwon-do, and the third one introducing innovations in stretching and increasing mobility to ensure healthy and proportional development of the body.

The Taekwon-do part was lead by Master Jerzy Jedut 8th degree. The first unit the covered patterns Chon-Ji – Choi-Yong, with an intermediate break for traditional conditioning exercises invented by Master Jedut. Participants performed punching, and other hand techniques at small targets supported by their partners’ elbows, which gave a good sense of distance, enforced proper use of the attacking surfaces and served as a conditioning exercise as well.

In the evening, over 50 participants met for dinner, where they were able to share experiences, anecdotes and ideas regarding their training and other matters.

Sunday began with the second Taekwon-do unit, which similarly to the day before, begun with the practice of patterns (this time Chon-Ji-Moon-Moo). The intermediate part was analogical to the previous day, with leg techniques performed in a similar manner. The unit was closed by performing patterns Kwang-Gae - Tong-Il and innovative drills for moving around in sparring.

Then the time came for some innovations. As decided last year by the Association, we extended our learning opportunities beyond traditional training and found an external specialist. The third unit was lead by Mr Tomasz Koszanski, a Polish martial artist, stuntman, and performer. Mr Koszanski shared modern perspective on building core stability and introduced the difference between stretching and mobility. For three hours, the participants were discovering exercises and ways of building strength and control in their maximal range of motion. The participants spoke very highly of Mr Koszanski’s knowledge and the idea to bring him in. 

After this, the participants received their certificates and the seminar was finished.