The final selection session for the squad to represent Ireland at the 2012 European Championships takes place this Saturday, 28 January in Clondalkin Leisure Centre, Newlands Cross, Dublin from 10.30 - 4.00.  Directions to the centre are below.  The purpose of the session is to assess and select competitors for places in both individual and team events in the squad to represent Ireland at this year's European Championships which take place in Slovenia from 19 - 22 April.

The session will run according to the following timetable

10.30 - 12.00   Junior male and female pattern / senior male and female power and special technique
12.00 - 1.30    Senior male and female pattern /  junior male and female power and special technique
1.30 - 2.00     Break
2.00 - 4.00     Junior and senior sparring

Please note that anybody wishing to be considered for either individual or team pattern should attend the appropriate pattern session.  This includes people who have already been selected for individual pattern as a result of winning their division at the Irish Cup.

As this is the final selection session, please ensure that you come fully prepared and ready to perform in any event in which you wish to be considered for selection.

The cost of the session is €10

If anybody has any questions, please contact me via mobile (086 857 0144) or via email (kevin.hannigan@mop.ie).  If for some reason, you cannot attend the session, please contact the team manager, Mr Ken Leahy (087 675 4029).

Thanks

Kevin

On Saturday and Sunday the 21st and 22nd January the Taekwon-Do Advisory Board of the Irish Martial Arts Commission held an Introduction to Coaching ITF Taekwon-Do Course in Shannon Taekwon-Do Centre. 20 coaches, 15 of whom were from the ITA, completed two days of training under the supervision of Adrian Byrne and Stephen Ryan, both CDPI (Coaching Development Programme for Ireland) accredited tutors. The Introduction to Coaching ITF Taekwon-Do is intended for blue belts and higher (age 16 years or above) who feel they might have an interest in either helping out in their own club as an assistant instructor or indeed at some stage opening their own Taekwon-Do school. As it is a prerequisite to further coach qualifications, and as it is a relatively recent development, it often transpires that we have Instructors with many years of experience in attendance. This was again the case, with a number of 5th and 6th Dans taking part. This only served to enrich the experience for everyone, as the format of the course encourages the sharing of ideas, debate, discussion and experimentation. While the 'new' coaches had obviously a lot to gain from drawing on the experience of these veterans, there were many occasions where the flow of ideas was reversed as new and imaginative solutions to old problems were suggested by the debutantes. 

Photos

Well done to the ITA competitors who competed in the Dutch Open 2012 on Sunday Jan. 22nd. A small squad travelled to the event with some fantastics results:

Report and photos to follow

ITA have the pleasure of inviting you to the ITA Cork Open Championships, which will be held in Neptune Stadium, Cork City, on the weekend of the 18th and 19th February 2012. This competition will include pattern and sparring for all grades, and special technique and power test for black belts. Saturday 18th February is for the cadet and senior categories and is open to yellow belts and above aged 14 and over. Sunday 19th February is for the junior categories and is open to yellow belts and above aged 7 to 13yrs.

Please email your entries to entries@taekwondo.ie no later than Monday, the 13th February. All entries should be made using the ITA Cork Open excel spreadsheet. Entries will be confirmed by return of email (within 24 hours). If you have not received a confirmation email, your entries have not yet been received. Please note that this is a pre-registration only event. No entries will be accepted after 13th of February. Completed hardcopy forms should be brought on the day of the event. Please remember that accurate information is the responsibility of the instructor and any errors, which require correction on the day, will incur a fine as detailed below.

Sparring for Cadet and Senior Black Belts will be run using a pool & requalification system, guaranteeing more bouts for all competitors in those categories. This event also forms part of the ranking system for national team but is open to all Taekwon-Do Associations.

This year we also have a number of new initiatives to improve the professionalism, enjoyment and smooth running of the event. Please see the official invite for more information. 

ITA Cork Open Invitation

ITA Cork Open Individual Entry Form

ITA Cork Open Poster for clubs

In preparation for the ITA Cork Open ITA are delighted to announce that we will offer on a one-off basis a free Umpire Workshop on Sunday January 29th. The course will be a full practical day on using the electronic scoring system, sharpening centre refereeing skills, and the repechage and pool systems.