In-Person Classes Have Resumed!

I am sure this has happened to us all at some point: you've made a search online, found some promising results and clicked the link to one of the websites. The website opens and after a quick scan around at the information and images, you click on the News or Blog link, eager to find out what the service or business has been up to recently, only to find the last update was several months ago... 

"Has the business closed", you wonder. "Or have they just not got round to posted anything recently?!"

In our case it's the latter, but I'm pleased to confirm that our in-person martial arts classes have literally just restarted. A combination of lockdowns and searching for a new venue means this has been a 20 month break! (In fact, this is not strictly true; we've had a small group training and grading online since April 2020). 

In the interests of protecting each other we are operating with some restrictions (see further below) but our classes are now held at the following location, conveniently located between Ealing Broadway and Ealing Common:

St Matthew's Church Hall

North Common Road

Ealing

London W5 2QA

Google Maps link 

Look out for the gate on the left side of the church. Follow the path to the hall at the rear to your left.

Some points for returning students and those interested in discovering Choi Kwang-Do for the first time:

- Currently, classes are observing social distancing and will not include any partner or equipment work, unless training in a family group. 

- We would ask that students arrive dressed for class, as much as possible. Toilets are available and a separate kitchen area for changing, if needed.

- Doors will be open for ventilation, so you may wish to wear a t-shirt or extra layer under your uniform top. 

- No spectators; we're asking parents of regular students to drop and collect their child. Parents are welcome to observe if bringing a child for a free trial lesson. 

Get in touch today if you would like more information on the new classes or interesting in booking a free trial.

Online & Video Classes - Coming Soon!

Ealing Choi Kwang-Do is currently closed until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak.

One month ago, if someone had suggested to me that we could offer classes remotely online, I admit I would have had some doubts...but that was one month ago...

Different situations require different solutions, and while I acknowledge that change can be unsettling, if there is something that humans are generally good at doing, it's adapting.

So you'll be pleased to learn that we will soon have online classes up and running. Full details - once finalised - will be sent out by email. So watch this space, and in the meantime, stay safe.

The Martial Art For Life News - 15/02/20

World CKD Day, syllabus updates and Coloured Belt Grading dates. Click here to read the latest newsletter

A Quick Look Back At 2019

Ealing CKD Summer Schedule 2019

Summer is here which means a small amendment to our class schedule as we merge the 6.00pm and 7.00pm children's classes. This year the children's class will take place at 6.30pm. Full details and dates below:

6.30pm – 7.20pm Children’s Class
7.30pm – 8.45pm Teens & Adults

Monday 29th & Wednesday 31st July
Monday 5th & Wednesday 7th August
Monday 12th & Wednesday 14th August

After the class on Wednesday 14th August we have our summer break and return on Monday 2nd September.

The Martial Art For Life News - 04/07/19

Black belt promotions, school lunch, summer classes and a new arrival. Click here to read the latest newsletter

The Middle of the Road

We have a small group of students preparing to take black belt gradings this weekend. This made me think about an article I read recently over at Cartersville Martial Arts on character development and a martial arts student’s journey. 

The piece covers some personal perspectives from School Owner and Master Instructor Michael Wilson too. You can read the full article here

I particularly liked the section titled The Middle of the Road. Master Wilson uses this analogy to describe that point when a student is somewhere after the beginner stages of training, but before the advanced stage or having achieved black belt. 

Unsurprisingly, my instinctive thoughts were of the Choi Kwang-Do intermediate syllabus (orange belt to blue belt senior). It’s here where students generally understand the basics concepts of the techniques, drills and become ‘comfortable’ with the syllabus. Broadly speaking, things are ‘familiar’ (although some may misinterpret this as ‘easy’). It may even feel like there is not much happening, and that achieving black belt seems far away in the distance.

For some students there may have been an occasion when they didn’t feel like going to class, or that classes were boring…

(For this reason, it’s also here were instructors may invite students to be ‘stretched in a different dimension’ through leadership training or undertaking roles of responsibility within the school).

If this is you, it sounds like you’re in the middle of the road!

Try looking at it this way:

• That feeling of things being ‘easy’ is actually your growth in competence
• That feeling of things being ‘boring’ is actually your growth in confidence

With the above in mind, rather than thinking about what you do know, what do you not know (yet!) Look at what you do know. Who, what or how can you improve this? What can you do to move yourself to the next level of expertise?

Martial art training is a journey, and yes, at times maintaining your motivation can still be a challenge for some, but hopefully a simple reframing of the situation might help. Being in the middle of the road is great opportunity to work on your perseverance and unbreakable spirit. 

Read the full article here

__________

Jason Wright is a 6th Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in the martial art Choi Kwang-Do. Why not start your martial arts journey with a free trial? Visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com/free-trial

March 2nd 1987

March 2nd is World Choi Kwang-Do Day.

Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi, the founder of CKD turned 77 years young (or old - it's matter of perspective...) If you attended any of the anniversary seminar events in June 2018 you'll have learnt that Grandmaster Choi is an innovator in the field of martial arts and has a career spanning 6 decades.

It was also the 32nd anniversary of CKD. It was on March 2nd in 1987 that Grandmaster Choi announced his new martial art - Choi Kwang-Do, which translates as "the art of Kwang Choi" - to the world. The result of several years of research to create a martial art based on modern science that is good for your health, and powerful, yet gentle on the human body. (Officially launching in the UK in 1988, it's actually the UK's 31st anniversary).

Thanks to the parents and siblings that joined us recently to mark the special occasion.

Some of our students may not have seen Grandmaster Choi perform so we also showed a few video clips at the end of the classes. As promised, to save you hours of searching through YouTube I've shared them here for your convenience (not the curriculum DVDs, however).


In this first one from the early 1990s, eagle-eyed black belts may notice early versions of our black belt patterns and speed drills.

See if you can spot any of our instructors from Ealing CKD in this next clip.

Lastly, a personal favourite (which I like so much I copied)

World Choi Kwang-Do Day 2019

 

Can you believe it? World Choi Kwang-Do Day is nearly upon us again!

Here's how we'll be celebrating at Ealing Choi Kwang-Do

A Quick Look Back At 2018

The Martial Art For Life News - 20/11/18

Gradings, grading and more gradings! Click here to read the latest newsletter

Leadership & Black Belt Training/Tag Grading - 07/09/18

Choi Kwang-Do classes at Ealing resumed this week following a short summer break, and the same goes for our monthly Leadership & Black Belt Training sessions - Friday 7th September. This will take place from 7.00 - 9.00pm for all Junior Leaders, Assistant Instructors and Head Instructors and will include the black belt tag grading for those who are due.

(For any Junior Leaders or younger students who may need to leave early, this will be fine).

Sunday 25th November is date for the Regional Black Belt Dan Grading which a number of students are currently preparing for. If you're one of them you should be attending these monthly classes are part of your preparation, and there are only 3 left!

Please see below the dates below:

Friday 7th September – Black Belt Tag Grading
Friday 5th October
Friday 2nd November
Friday 7th December – Black Belt Tag Grading

Ealing CKD Summer Schedule 2018

Classes are on but we wanted to advise of an amendment to our schedule: as usual at this time of the year, the children's classes are merged to 7.00pm only, so there will not be a 6.00pm class. This will commence from Wednesday 1st August and effective on the following dates:

7.00pm – 7.50pm Children’s Class (no 6.00pm class)
8.00pm – 9.15pm Teens & Adults

Wednesday 1st August
Monday 6th & Wednesday 8th August
Monday 13th & Wednesday 15th August

We then break for summer resuming on Monday 3rd September at the regular times of 6.00pm, 7.00pm and 8.00pm.

The Martial Art For Life News - 19/07/18

Summer schedule, school lunch, black belt promotions and more. Click here to read the latest newsletter

UK 30th Anniversary Seminar

Wow...what a week!

Gradings, guest instructors, school owners meetings, black belt training, showcase of excellence, seminar, presentations and promotions, training, learning, meeting Choi Kwang-Do friends and family, old and new, from around the UK and beyond - this week had it all.

Updates in the form of pictures and videos are currently in full swing across across the usual social media channels, and we suspect that this will continue for the next several days as students and instructors return to their respective schools, countries and training routines.

If you were present for any part of the events and have pictures that you are happy to share, please forward them so we can collate a small album. We truly hope that you were inspired by witnessing Grandmaster Choi explain and demonstrate the martial art that we study and teach at Ealing Choi Kwang-Do.

If you weren't present then make the most of the flow of updates as they are the next best thing! Until we get round to sharing some of our favourites moments we'd suggest starting with the CKD London 2018 Facebook Group which you can view here.

Leadership & Black Belt Training/Tag Grading

Our rescheduled monthly class for seniors and black belts takes place on Friday 16th March. This session will also include our quarterly black belt tag grading for those that are due:

7.00 - 8.00pm Junior Leaders
8.00 - 9.00pm Adult Black Belt/AIs & HIs

Click here to pay Grading Fees online

The Martial Art For Life News - 21/02/18

World CKD Day, Terminology & Black Belt Training Click here to read the latest newsletter

Coloured Belt Grading - February 2018

Our first Coloured Belt Grading for 2018 takes place on Wednesday 7th February. Please refer to the grading list sent by email.

Click here to pay grading fees online

View the list of scheduled dates for 2018 here

Combat The Real Dangers In Life With Martial Arts

If you’ve been thinking about taking up Choi Kwang-Do (or one of the many different martial arts that exist) you may be initially drawn to developing self-defence skills. After all, personal safety is important. Ironically, most martial artists have no desire to use their combat skills in real life. It can be reassuring to know that if the need arises you have some sort of strategy to fall back on, but how often will that occur for the average person?

As Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi (the founder of Choi Kwang-Do) says, “You may go through your entire life without ever having to use your self-defence skills, but good health is important to everyone, all the time”.

The thing is, there are other dangers that we face in life and it is important that we give ourselves the best chance of warding off these dangers. Consider these conditions and illnesses:

• Stress
• Heart disease
• Depression
• Asthma
• Bone and joint conditions
• Obesity

These are all serious conditions that can negatively impact on a person and their families. So, finding ways to combat these conditions is crucial in leading a happy, healthy and productive life, in the best way that we can. This is why adding a martial arts class to your weekly schedule makes sense because it doesn’t just provide you with self-defence skills; it will provide you with health benefits and positive social setting that will go a long way to boosting your overall physical and mental health.


Feel Fit & Focused 

With martial arts, you will receive a total body experience with every muscle group in your body being used. This can help to improve your stamina levels, co-ordination and muscle tone while improving your flexibility. You should also find that your energy levels are positively impacted, helping you to feel more energised and focused.

This in turn can enhance your self-esteem. If you want to feel more confident or comfortable with yourself, a martial arts class can provide the fitness and psychological benefits you may need.


Beat That Stress!

If you are the sort of person that constantly feels under stress and pressure, always in a rush with no time, then it’s important to find an outlet for these emotions, plus some time for you. Allowing stress to build up is dangerous and you need to find a safe place to release these tensions. This is why martial arts can have a great impact on your life because it provides you the opportunity to punch, kick and shout your way through class drill, yet in a structured and controlled environment.

Add in the fact that martial arts students maintain a sense of fellowship – particularly so with a non-competitive style like Choi Kwang-Do, and you should find that your troubles and stress will feel less important. They will still be there...you’ll just be better equipped to handle them!

Whether you want to lose weight, be more active, meet new people in a shared social environment or just feel more confident in life, martial arts classes can help. Focusing on the self-defence and combat element of the discipline can be a great motivation to start for some, but over time, the wider benefits of studying martial arts can help you to develop and grow in many areas of life.

Do you want to find out more about our Choi Kwang-Do martial art classes in Ealing? Interested in taking a free trial but not sure where to start? Contact us via our website so we can explain the process and put your mind at ease. 

__________

Jason Wright is a 6th Degree Black Belt and Master Instructor in the martial art Choi Kwang-Do. For further information on Choi Kwang-Do classes for children, teens and adults in Ealing, West London visit www.TheMartialArtForLife.com

A Quick Look Back At 2017