TAEKWONDO star Sophie Dickson continues to impress after yet another victory on the international stage.
The 14-year-old from Norris Green earned a stunning win at the UTA International Championships in London – a further step on the road to stardom in a sport in which she is fast becoming a dominant force.
Sophie, a member of the the Lightning Taekwondo club based in Bootle, dreams of competing for Britain at the 2012 London Olympics and Dave Wishman, her coach at Lightning, hopes she can get there.
“It was an impressive display of tactics and aggressive techniques,” he said, “and many coaches from the other teams commented on her performance and how they hope to see her in the new year.
“She has such a mature attitude for one so young.”
Shirley Dickson, team manager at Lightning Taekwondo and also Sophie’s mum, said: “She is doing exceptionally well at the moment, but we really hope that some sponsors will come forward to help her develop even more.”
Sophie, who last year was named as a ‘Sportsperson of the Month’ by sports drink manufacturer Taut, started out in taekwondo nine years ago when she saw an advert at her local sports centre, and hasn’t looked back.
“Taekwondo is her life,” said Shirley. “She puts her heart and soul into it.
“The Olympics are definitely in her sights and it’s what she wants to achieve.”
For more information on Lightning Taekwondo, and to find out how to sponsor Sophie, visit: www.lightningtkd.co.uk
SUPER SOPHIE
CM NWFP honours medal winners of 3rd Provincial Games
PESHAWAR, Dec. 23 (APP): NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti Tuesday honored medal winners of the 3rd Provincial Games by giving them cash incentives worth Rs.1 millions to more than 128 female and male players here at a local hotel.
NWFP Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar, Chairperson standing committee on Sports Sugufta Malik, Minister for Women Development Sitara Ayaz, Minister for Health Syed Zahir Ali Shah, Minister for Sports Syed Aqil Shah, Secretary NWFP Olympic Association Zulfiqar Butt, office-bearers of the associations and players were also present.
In his speech the NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti said that today is historical day as the players have been given cash incentives for the first time in the history of NWFP.
“Today is a memorial day for all of you and I assured that the government would continue its support to youth by providing all facilities and every good performance at provincial, national and international levels would be recognized with zeal and spirit,”
Hoti added.
“I salute you all as you are portraying the true image of the province both at national and international levels,” he while referring to the players remarked. “You are true ambassador of the province,” he said. “With your support and the support of the NWFP government to players would definitely work against those portraying negative image of the province internationally. “Neither we are terrorists nor supporting terrorism as we believe in peace,” Hoti added.
The world should come and see performance of our players at national and international levels. “It is a very minor step taken by the govt. as we want to continue our support to encourage the youth in all fields of life for prosperous Pakistan,” he said.
The elements involved in sabotaging the peace of the province in particular and in country in general are less in numbers and strength. The government has taken concrete steps not to let them succeed in their nefarious desires, he maintained.
In his welcome address Syed Aqil Shah thanked the Chief Minister for announcing cash incentives to the players who performed well in the games. A total of Rs. 1 million was distributed in the players with Rs. 5000 for gold medal winner, Rs. 3000 for silver medal winners and Rs. 2000 for bronze medalist.
NWFP grabbed 23 gold, 53 silver and 52 bronze medals by securing 2196 points and declared overall second in the Games behind Punjab. NWFP won gold medals in hockey, football, volleyball, Badminton (female), Cycling (female), weightlifting, karate, swimming, judo (female) taekwondo and wrestling. Taekwondo Association was also added best performance trophy of grabbing four gold medals.
The Chief Minister also gave shield to the organizing committee, technical officials, media and Enhancer Communication, the official media marketing. At the end, Aqil Shah presented a shield to the Chief Minister.
I Want Taekwondo as a Permanent Olympic Event
Taekwondo has 188 member nations, making it a sport befitting the Olympic spirit.
Former taekwondo Olympic gold medalist Moon Dae-sung told this to International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge at a meeting of the Athletes�Commission in Lausanne, Switzerland, held Dec. 8-10.
Moon is the first Asian to be named to the commission, and is lobbying to have taekwondo made a permanent Olympic sport.
In a news conference at Seoul뭩 Olympic Parktel yesterday, Moon announced his plan to globalize taekwondo. "I just began my first step as an IOC AthletesCommission member. I strive to learn more. I want to help Korean sports to be loved by the world,"he said.
Moon won the Olympic gold in taekwondo뭩 heavyweight division in the 2004 Athens Games by knocking out Greece`s Alexandros Nikolaidis with a jump spinning hook kick.
The Korean plans to hold an international forum on taekwondo in August, and will visit underdeveloped nations once or twice a month to spread the martial art and lend a helping hand to them.
"The World Taekwondo Federation has changed its grading system and reduced the scale of the ring,"he said. "I think these changes are good. I will talk to officials from the World Taekwondo Federation, Korea Taekwondo Association and the Kukkiwon (federation headquarters) soon to develop taekwondo into a more dynamic sport."
Moon said he will improve Korean sports diplomacy, nurture talented athletes, and boost the popularity of the Youth Olympics over his eight-year term as commission member.
At an inspection conducted by the National Assembly in October, rumors flew that he had the support of a government ministry in his election to the Athletes Commission.
To this, Moon said, "I broke no rules that members of the IOC Athletes Commission must follow. I was elected to the commission because I talked with athletes 15 hours per day during the Olympic Games."
Against an Armed Attack
by Sang H. Kim
The following article is based on the principles and techniques taught in the Armed and Dangerous Knife Defense video series. It is intended to give a brief overview of the central tenet of knife combat for the experienced martial artist.
Much has been written aout the effectiveness of one system or another in a realistic or "street" situation. Many styles claim to be scientifically designed or to have secret techniques to defeat even the toughest of opponents, including armed assailants. Yet when it comes to an assailant armed with a knife, you don't need to learn a lot of fancy, secret techniques, you only need to remember four simple options. In an armed confrontation, basic is best and the most direct techniques are the ones that will give you the opportunity to walk away when it's over.
Four Choices, One Result
When faced with a weapon, you have four choices: retreat, lateral inside close, lateral outside close or pass by. Each of these initial movements allows you to shorten the distance between you and your opponent. Once you get close, you can apply the defense of your choice. If you prefer kicking, you can use a kick. If you prefer locking, you can apply a lock. If you prefer grappling, you can take your opponent to the ground. But to use any of these skills, you first have to get close to your attacker.
Retreat: Cowardice or Foresight
To retreat is generally seen by the opponent as a sign of cowardice. You are too afraid to fight or you are unable to match your opponent's strength, so you step back to avoid being drawn into a confrontation. However, the retreat can be a smart intial move since it gives you a chance to meaure your attacker's seriousness and prepare a strategy. And there is always the chance that when you signal a retreat, your attacker will back off enough to let you escape. This is, of course, the safest and most intelligent way to defeat an armed attacker. It is also the least likely outcome.
The other option is to retreat a step or two to give yourself time to collect your thoughts and ensure you are in the safest possible position to defend yourself. You can use a retreat to gain better footing, adjust your stance or height to your opponent or manuever for the best position in a confined space. You also can use a retreat to take control of the timing and distance of the confrontation. When you begin to retreat, your attacker is forced to react to you. Now you are in control, at least for the moment, of how fast the situation is moving. You can find the distance most comfortable for you and prepare to retaliate when you are ready.While retreating, you should be observing your opponent's position. Is he holding the weapon in his right or left hand? Is he bigger or smaller than you? Does he appear to have any obvious weaknesses? Is he quick or slow? Is there anything behind him or out of his line of view that you can use to your advantage? Does he see your retreat as a sign of weakness or does it make him nervous? There are many signals, both overt and subconscious, that your attacker will give off. By being observant, you can prepare your next move.
Disadvantages of the Retreat
While a retreat is the most sensible option available, it has disadvantages that make it a poor choice in some situations. Obviously, it is not an option in a confined space. And while you gain a physical advantage by retreating, you lose a major psychological advantage. The minute you step back, the psychological upper hand goes to your opponent. He will see you as weak, uncertain, inexperienced and perhaps unskilled. Although you may have a plan of attack all thought out, he sees only your retreat and gains courage from it. If you do have a plan, you can regain the advantage by using it when he thinks you are about to give in. If you do not have a plan, your fear will only be magnified by retreating.
Lateral Closes
The lateral close is the most commonly taught method of defending against a thrusting, lunging or cutting attack. There are two methods of using the lateral close. The first is to side step your opponent's forward movement. When the opponent attacks, you step either to the right or left of the attack while maintaining your ground. The result is that you end up very close to your opponent on the right or left side of his body.
The second method for lateral closing is to move diagonally toward your opponent. Before your opponent moves forward to attack you, you make a preemptory strike by stepping out to the side and toward him. The result is that you move into your attacker's space and end up very close to the left or right side of his body. Both methods allow you to effectively close the distance while avoiding the attacker's weapon.
And the key to defending against any weapon is to effectively and quickly get close to the assailant. The weapon weilding attacker's biggest asset is space. By holding a weapon, he extends his range of attack by several feet and thereby shortens your range. Once you pass by the outer reaches of his range, the place where he is holding the weapon, you blunt his options for attack and take away his advantage. When you get very close, you force him to resort to grabbing you or blocking your attack, distracting his attention from his weapon and lessening his advantage still further.
The Deadly Pass
The final technqiue for closing the distance against a weapon is one that you won't see taught often. It is the most dangerous, both to the attacker and the defender, and it is recommended only for experienced practitioners. The pass is dangerous even in practice and should only be practiced by martial artists who are skilled in falling and do not have any preexisting back or neck injuires. Always practice on a soft surface and never at full speed.
With these cautions in mind, have your partner face you as before and move forward with a right handed attack. Step out to the left, as if performing an outside close, but take two steps by your partner so that you are behind him. You have now "passed" your partner and have several options. You may grab his hair, head or shoulders and pull him backwards. You may apply a choke or lock from behind. You may kick his spine, tailbone, or knee to knock him forward. Or you may strike the back of his head. To be effective, the pass and follow-up technique should be performed as a single move. In an instant, you have to move by your attacker and apply a single deadly attack before he realizes where you are.
The result of a correctly performed pass is that your attacker never sees it coming and is literally blindsided by your attack. If you choose to pull the attacker backward, he will certainly hit his head to the ground, knocking him unconcsious if the ground is hard. If you push him forward, he will likely hit his face on the ground, causing the same result. If you choose to strike him from behind, he will suffer a full force blow with no warning or defense, a potentially lethal strike for even the biggest opponent.
The pass is not recommended for beginners. You run the risk of becoming disoriented or losing your footing when you move so quickly and with such force. You also risk being tripped by yourself or your assailant as you pass by. And finally, you run the risk of not being fast enough to complete the pass and not getting a grip on your opponent to control his weapon either. For these reasons, the pass is taught only at the highest levels of weapons defense and should be applied with great care.
Choosing your Method
Which method you choose to close the distance depends on your skill level and experience. For beginners, practicing the outside close is safest. When you are comfortable with your speed and timing and can finish your partner easily from the outside close, practice the inside close. If you are very experienced and have an experienced partner, you can also experiment with the pass.
Whichever method you choose, there are a few common principles:
1. Stay as close to your opponent as possible after you close.
2. Focus on taking control of the knife first.
3. Grabbing the knife wielding hand is always preferable to parrying/blocking.
4. Cut off your attacker's view of the knife.
5. Close the distance quickly and smoothly.
6. Never take unnecessary chances or use complicated techniques.
7. Detach yourself from the fear you feel when faced with a weapon.
8. Stay alert but unemotional.
9. Keep a natural demeanor and deceive your opponent.
10. Move suddenly and without warning.
Finishing Techniques
In the above examples, we briefly touched on technqiues used for finshing after you close the distance. Although the methods for closing the distance are only three, the potential number of finishing technqiues are as vast as the arts we practice. Once you get close to your opponent, you can use your strongest skills, whether they are striking, kicking, throwing, locking or grappling. There are no secret weapons or scientific pricniples. There is only the simple truth that once you take away your opponent's advantage, you are free to use whatever you are best at.
