Grand Master Karel Van Orsouw seminar
by Sub-Editor1 on Nov.30, 2010, under News
A group of Warrior Tae Kwon Do students and instructors recently attended a seminar conducted by 9th dan black belt (the highest rank in Tae Kwon Do) and head of United Tae Kwon Do international (U.T.I) Grand Master Karel Van Orsouw, assisted by Mr. Marcel Hertog and Mr. Gary Brady. The warm up was led by Mr. Hertog and was as tough as it was informative as he gave the group tips on how to improve flexibility and kicking speed. Grand Master (GM) Van Orsouw then instructed us to find a partner so that we could work on some kicking drills and one step sparring. The combinations were fluid, practical and very enjoyable.
We then moved on to patterns. The group was split up by grade; 4th dans and above went with GM Van Orsouw to practice the more advanced patterns, the other black belts went with Mr Hertog to practice the finer movements in the patterns from 1st to 3rd dan, while the colour belts went with Mr. Brady to work on colour belt patterns and self defence techniques. The most complex moves of each of the patterns were broken down into fine detail and applications were given for the moves to help us gain a better understanding of the techniques.
Overall the seminar was very enjoyable and educational; the relaxed atmosphere put everyone at ease and everyone learned something new. GM Van Orsouw gave us all an inspiring talk on the value of Tae Kwon Do as a martial art and a way of life and was happy to take photos and answer any questions we had. It was a fantastic opportunity to train with a true legend of the art and we would like to thank our friends at U.T.I Blarney for the invitation to the seminar. We look forward to the next opportunity to train with Grand Master Van Orsouw.
