Frequently Asked Questions

The class timetable is as follows: MONDAYS 3.45pm - 4.15pm Juniors 4.20pm - 5.30pm Cadets (white belts to green tags) 4.50pm - 6.00pm Cadets (green belts up) THURSDAYS 7.30pm - 9pm Women's class (beginners to green belt) 8.00pm - 9.30pm Women's class (blue belts and above) SATURDAYS from 8.30am One-2-One classes in Taekwondo or Self-Defence

Our class fees are as follows: Women's classes - £20/month or £7/ session Pay As You Go (family discount for more than one member of same family - £16/month or £6 Pay As You Go) Children's classes - £3/session (Juniors) / £4/session (Cadets) (payable in blocks) Newcomers are encouraged to try out a few classes on a PAYG basis before deciding if they would like to sign up as members. Students can then decide whether to attend on a casual basis, or work their way up the belts by learning the syllabus and taking gradings. All students must be registered as members with the UK ITF, our taekwondo organisation. Membership covers your martial arts insurance and allows you to grade if you wish to, and costs £30 for the year. Special offer for new students: Adults: 1yr membership + official UK ITF uniform and belt for £50 +delivery (normally £76 +delivery if ordered separately) Juniors & Cadets: 1yr membership + children's uniform and belt for £35 +delivery Gradings occur every 3-6 months throughout the year and cost £30 per exam which includes your new belt and certificate if you pass.

The initial costs of joining a martial art organisation can be daunting so we offer a special discount for new students. For Adults, this includes 1 year's membership (covering your insurance to train) + official UK ITF uniform and belt for £50 +delivery (normally £76 +delivery if bought individually). For Juniors and Cadets: 1yrs membership + children's uniform & belt for £35 +delivery.

JUNIORS The Juniors taekwondo syllabus has been designed specifically for 4-7 yrs olds and builds upon what children are learning at primary school. The exercises we play not only help with learning the techniques, but help improve gross and complex motor skills, spatial awareness and social skills such as taking turns, which are still developing at this age. The syllabus breaks down into 5 sections corresponding the to 5 tenets of taekwondo: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit. Each student receives an attendance card to which they add stickers at the end of every class. Instead of formal gradings, children receive a certificate and are eligible to purchase an embroidered badge once they have completed 10 sessions. When all the badges have been attained, or if the instructor deems your child ready, they can move up into the mainstream UK ITF syllabus. CADETS & ADULTS The Adults and Cadets follow the official ITF syllabus which means they can work their way up through the coloured belt system by taking 'gradings' or exams. Gradings occur every 3-6 months and your instructor will let you know when you or your child is ready to take it. They are based on attendance in class as well as mastering the syllabus requirements and everyone progresses at their own pace. The belt progression is: white, yellow, green, blue, red, black with a 'stripe' in between each (eg, 'yellow tag' is the first grading, a white belt with a yellow stripe).

The Junior class is designed specifically for 4-7 yr olds (Key Stage 1), and Cadets is for 8-12 yr olds (Key Stage 2). The women's class is suitable for 12yrs and upwards. If the classes above do not suit you or your child then please try our sister club, Leicester Taekwondo Academy that runs family classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

To begin with, students simply need to wear something they can move around easily in - T-shirt and jogging bottoms or leggings for example. When they have decided if taekwondo is something they would like to pursue, then we advise ordering a dobok, the white uniform of taekwondo (see our special offer for new students). For safety reasons food should not be taken into the training hall (unless required for medical reasons), but do bring a drink. These can be kept at the side of the hall in case students get thirsty during class.

The answer here is absolutely not!! It is daunting, taking up a new sport if you have not done any exercise for a while, and worrying if you'll struggle to keep up is completely natural, but we are a friendly and supportive club and everyone works at their own pace. The adults' warm-up includes lots of low-impact Pilates-style exercises with adaptations which will get your muscles warm but let you take it at your own pace. Likewise the padwork, which is generally done in pairs allowing you to work at your own pace. Learning taekwondo is a journey of self-betterment, which means you improve at your own speed. The aim is not to reach a universal "one-size-fits-all" goal, but to see development in yourself after each class.

A typical adult class is a mix of: - fitness, strength and conditioning exercises - patterns (the different sequences of attacks and defences that we learn to move up the belts) - pad work to practice technique and develop power - line work (combinations of techniques in formation) - 'destruction' (breaking boards - this comes into the syllabus as you progress up the belts) - stretching for greater flexibility ​ In addition I use many low-impact Pilates exercises as part of the warm-up. It is an invaluable training tool to improve strength, balance and flexibility and bring greater self-awareness of the body's mechanics, and it perfectly complements the more physical side of taekwondo. No matter what your age or fitness level, you will be able to participate as the exercises are adaptable and everyone works to their individual ability. If you have any queries at all about the class activities, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Participation in sparring is completely up to the individual, although it does come into the syllabus from blue belt upwards. As beginners we primarily work on combinations of attacks or defences using the pads instead of sparring. Taekwondo is a martial art so working with the pads and strike shields gives students a feel for performing techniques with force but without doing anybody any damage! Sparring is done under strict instructor supervision and is non- or light- contact only. All children under 13 are provided with body armour in addition to their own sparring kit and may spar only if their parents agree or their instructor deems them ready and there is a suitably matched partner. If students wish to participate in sparring, they will need their own sparring kit (boxing gloves, foot pads, shin guards and head guard, breast guard optional).

Keeping your children safe is of utmost importance, especially in a martial arts environment. Instructor Tamsin is fully DBS-checked and trained in Emergency First Aid for sports injuries, and holds additional certificates in safe-guarding, such as the NSPCC's "Time To Listen". We have a dedicated Club Welfare Officer, Beenal Rajyaguru, whose role is to ensure the safety and positive experience of all our members. She is also DBS-checked, has BTC Safeguarding training and is your first port of call for any concerns regarding student welfare, either within taekwondo or outside of the dojang. All activities are carefully designed to cater to children's abilities at their particular age and focus on improving their gross motor skills and co-ordination, and the added benefits from learning taekwondo, such as self-control and increased confidence, prepare them well for life. As a member of the BTC (British Taekwondo Council, the UK's only recognised governing body for taekwondo), we have set policies in place for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults which follow the NSPCC/CPSU codes of conduct. If parents or students have any concerns they can speak either to our club welfare officer Beenal (clubwelfare.taekwondo4all@hotmail.com), instructor Tamsin (taekwondo4all@hotmail.com) or to the UK ITF's dedicated safeguarding officer.

Yes, as an instructor Tamsin is part of the UK ITF (UK International Taekwondo Federation) which is a member of the British Taekwondo Council (BTC), the only recognised sports governing body for taekwondo in the UK. At Taekwondo4All, we teach the ITF syllabus. For your peace of mind Tamsin is listed as a qualified instructor and IV Dan black belt, which can be verified on the BTC website here. She is also fully qualified to teach self-defence (Level 3 BTEC award), holds a valid First Aid certificate for Sporting Injuries and is DBS checked.