Rio Olympics 2016: Taekwondo's golden girls set to shine at World Grand Prix

Jade Jones and Bianca Walkden lead Great Britain squad for the World Taekwondo Federation World Grand Prix in Manchester this month

Olympic champion Jade Jones and World gold medallist Bianca Walkden head up Great Britain’s squad for the World Taekwondo Federation World Grand Prix in Manchester from October 16-18.

GB Performance Director Gary Hall has named 16 athletes – including six wild cards – for the final competitive outing on home soil before next summer’s Rio Olympic Games.

World Championship silver and bronze medallists, Damon Sansum and Wigan’s Rachelle Booth, plus European Games winner, Charlie Maddock also get their latest opportunity to impress.

London 2012 poster girl Jones has already qualified the -57kg spot for her country but the world number one is looking for a rare victory in front of a Manchester crowd.

She finished with bronze at the 2012 European Championships and has two silver medals to show for her previous Grand Prix appearances in the city.

But after victory last time out at the Grand Prix in Samsun, Turkey, the 22-year-old is hungry for more success. And the GB chief believes his Newton Heath-trained squad can use the home crowd at the Regional Arena on the Etihad Campus to its advantage.

“The atmosphere will be like a cauldron so I am looking forward to some great performances because the team is in a good vein of form,” said Hall.

“There is added pressure as it is on home soil but it is great preparation for Rio. We have got one of the strongest squads in the world and once we get them into the Grand Prix arena they go out and give it their all. And they will be in front of the Manchester crowd.

“We are looking to them to give us that additional boost and drive. It is a passionate taekwondo crowd and we hope it will happen again this time.”

Heavyweight Mahama Cho and London 2012 bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad struck gold when Manchester hosted the inaugural Grand Prix in 2013.

Welsh star Jones won silver but was Britain’s only medal winner at last year’s Manchester World Grand Prix.

“That’s sometimes how sport plays out,” added Hall. “We had four quarter-finalists and some very close matches which shows the level of competition.

“There will be top players in every category so it will be a tough challenge. But our athletes will love that.

“This tournament is important on so many fronts. Jade has qualified for a spot at -57kg for Rio but it is still very close in some categories.

“The athletes are also fighting for the future as these ranking points will carry over into the next Olympic cycle. So, for the wilds cards we’ve selected, it is important for them to make a mark so they can get into next year’s Grand Prix.

“Our team did extremely well at the last Grand Prix in Turkey, particularly the girls who smashed it.

“Now, it’s Manchester and the team is really up for it. It is going to be a massive three days for us.”

Original article:http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/other-sport/rio-olympics-2016-taekwondos-golden-10201655

Pioneering Grandmaster Looking To Bring Tae Kwon Do Unity

Is the Unification of ITF and WTF Taekwondo Possible?

Grandmaster Han Sam Soo (centre of picture), one of the pioneers of Tae kwon do, who had introduced the martial art to Jamaica in 1974, said the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which recognises the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), should once and for all "reach a compromise" to accept the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) into its fold.

Han, 71, was recently honoured by ITF-affiliated Jamaica Taekwon-Do Association at a ceremony in Mandeville, Manchester. Now retired and living in Canada for the last 26 years, Han was sent to Jamaica four decades ago by the founder of tae kwon do, the late General Choi Hong Hi, who was born in Korea before the North-South divide.

Han, also a Korean, spent three years in Jamaica establishing tae kwon do, training early pioneers, now masters, Claude Chin and Peter Lue, but left in 1977 due to what he described as a "civil war".

"Otherwise, I would have stayed. I like Jamaica. During this visit, I see Jamaica has not changed, very happy and relaxed," he said.

FORMER STUDENTS

He was elated to see his former students upholding the principles of 'tae kwon', "foot and hand technique to defend yourself and others", and , 'do', "the way of life based on the tenets of tae kwon do - courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit".

However, Han was visibly sad that the martial arts General Choi founded in 1955, split into three different ITFs plus the WTF.

"The WTF was started in 1973 in South Korea after General Choi left the country for political reasons. General Choi was born in Korea when it was one Korea, but went to Japan to study. He joined the Japanese army then the South Korean army," Han explained.

"When General Choi moved from South Korea to Canada with the ITF, South Korea decided to call themselves World Taekwondo Federation, just to kill the general's organisation," he pointed out.

WTF-style tae kwon do debuted as a demonstration sport at the Seoul 1982 Olympics in South Korea, embraced by the IOC, and has remained an Olympic event since, closing the door on the origins of the sport, ITF-style tae kwon do.

"WTF should have used a different name. It's like calling a beer a whiskey, saying it's the same alcohol. The IOC knows ITF is the original tae kwon do but are holding hands for profit. We have to make a compromise and change the rules. All they are doing is slowly copying the ITF style," he pointed out.

"However, money and politics talk. The WTF is controlled by South Korea. General Choi and myself had met a few times with Juan Samaranch. He knew but didn't want to recognise ITF because of money and politics," Han added.

The late Samaranch served as the seventh president of the IOC from 1980 to 2001.

Meanwhile, General Choi's ITF splintered into three groups shortly before and after his 2002 death. One is located in North Korea, where he had gone in 1980 and had started teaching the art in 1981. This was much to the displeasure of his son, Choi Jung Hwa, who, after his father's death, started his own ITF, now headquartered in the United Kingdom.

The third piece of the ITF puzzle, based in Alicante, Spain, to which the Jamaica Taekwon-do Association is affiliated, was explained by Han as General Choi's then vice-president, Pablo Trajtenberg, being elevated to president, "western people who wanted to stay out of the politics", he added.

HAN'S RETURN

Now a travelling statesman in tae kwon do, Han returned from a 10-year hiatus after Choi's death to join forces with the general's son's ITF as an advisor.

However, he said he is open to "help any member of ITF". "I will go anywhere to help tae kwon do," he said.

Han is also an advisor to the 36-member council Global Taekwon-Do Federation International (GTFI), headquartered in Malaysia. Its members are from 20 countries including USA, Spain, Armenia, Russia, Canada, Malaysia and others.

GTFI is a professional tae kwon do body formed to bring all tae kwon do groups together without politics or other restrictions, which, its website said, "has destroyed many tae kwon do organisations.

"We are waiting to make one banner, have one big world championships," Han said, with, at last, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Original Article: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20151005/pioneering-grandmaster-looking-bring-tae-kwon-do-unity

Ju jitsu and The Suffragettes: How they fought back using martial arts

How The Suffragettes taught themselves Ju Jitsu

The film Suffragette, which is due for release, portrays the struggle by British women to win the vote. They were exposed to violence and intimidation as their campaign became more militant. So they taught themselves the martial art of jiu-jitsu.

Edith Garrud was a tiny woman. Measuring 4ft 11in (150cm) in height she appeared no match for the officers of the Metropolitan Police - required to be at least 5ft 10in (178cm) tall at the time. But she had a secret weapon.

In the run-up to World War One, Garrud became a jiu-jitsu instructor to the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), better known as the suffragettes, taking part in an increasingly violent campaign for votes for women.

Sick of the lack of progress, they resorted to civil disobedience, marches and illegal activities including assault and arson.

The struggle in the years before the war became increasingly bitter. Women were arrested and, when they went on hunger strike, were force-fed using rubber tubes. While out on marches, many complained of being manhandled and knocked to the ground. Things took a darker turn after "Black Friday" on 18 November 1910.

A group of around 300 suffragettes met a wall of policemen outside Parliament. Heavily outnumbered, the women were assaulted by both police and male vigilantes in the crowd. Many sustained serious injuries and two women died as a result. More than 100 suffragettes were arrested.

"A lot said they had been groped by the police and male bystanders," says Elizabeth Crawford, author of The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide. "After that, women didn't go to these demonstrations unprepared."

Some started putting cardboard over their ribs for protection. But Garrud was already teaching the WSPU to fight back. Her chosen method was the ancient Japanese martial art of jiu-jitsu. It emphasised using the attacker's force against them, channelling their momentum and targeting their pressure points.

Read the full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34425615

By Camila Ruz & Justin ParkinsonBBC News Magazine