At first I found it all a bit difficult with all the coordination required, but I enjoyed it and persevered. I trained up to red belt in the GTF grading under Master Roy Oldham, and even had the honour of being double promoted on one occasion. I regularly attended black belt training, and really began to enjoy martial arts. At red belt a new instructor took over at the club, and numbers dropped rapidly, I stayed with Mr Kevin Sowerby and Mr Jon Tizick, until we were the last three there.
The club then sadly closed. I joined a local Karate school for a few weeks to keep up my training, and although I enjoyed it, it was not quite the same as Tae Kwon-Do, and I missed it. Mr Sowerby phoned us one day, and told us that since leaving he had joined another Tae Kwon-Do club in Coventry, and Mr Tizick and I agreed to go along. We enjoyed it straight away and became regulars of the classes, training for 7 years under the instruction of Mr Barry Parsons. I took my 1st, and 2nd degrees with Mr Parsons in that time, and really enjoyed my time there, becoming an assistant instructor as well.
After 7 years Mr Tizick and Mr Sowerby decided that they wanted to run their own Tae Kwon-Do school, and hence I left with them. We set up TST in 2004 and I was helping as an assistant instructor and doing all paper work and money side of things.
In 2006 Mr Tizick bought out Mr Sowerby and now runs TST as a sole trader. I now have more of a role helping Mr Tizick and take care of things such as memberships, money, merchandise, accounts and more. I really enjoy the work we do, and hope it long continues. I am also now a full registered and qualified instructor at TST, within the A.P.T.I
Favourite technique: Axe Kick
Achievements
GTF Black stripe
Trained under Grand Master Park Jung Tae
GTF Midland Team Gold medallist
UKGT 1st Dan Black belt
UKGT 2nd Dan Black Belt
UKGT vs. Northampton tag team Silver medal winner
ITF England Bronze medal Sparring
A.P.T.I 3rd Dan Black Belt
PUMA 2005 Bronze sparring
TST Full instructor
A.P.T.I Instructor
A.P.T.I Tournament committee member
Write up for Martial Edge Online magazine on teaching martial Arts to special needs children.
ITF Midland Open Bronze medal patterns
Gold medal London Open Patterns 13/7/2008
Quite simply with out Zoë TST would not function, well at least no where near as well as it does. Zoë is the organiser. Plans every grading, deals with memberships, orders, everything really, and even teaching the junior classes, and assisting in the warriors and adults.
Zoë's ability as a martial artist has improved, and is still improving all the time. I would say her sparring has always been her main outstanding aspect. Although her patterns have improved to a very high level, and her ability to kick high and now lock and hold the kicks, makes her patterns look amazing.
As for her commitment to the club, well it is without question, most evenings will see Zoë either training, or at home, when at home she'll run a family house, and spend time with Tzion, until 7:30, when he goes to bed, then she'll think nothing of spending the next 3 to 4 hours on the PC printing, ordering, and planning all our events.
As far as TST is concerned no one does more than Zoë
Mr J Tizick .