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INTRODUCTION

Powerhouse Taekwondo is a non-profit Community Amateur Sports Club, with a long history in the local community: the club was formed in 1994 and has held classes in Swanmore since 1999. The club is run entirely for the benefit of its members: all the instructors and the club officers give their time freely, in order to keep lesson fees to a minimum.

 

More than a thousand people have trained with us over the years: founder and lead instructor Master Pat Donnelly, reflecting on his nearly 30 years leading the club and his personal 35 years associated with taekwondo says: "I’ve seen so many students, young and old, of all backgrounds and abilities during my time teaching at the club. Not only do they develop their martial arts skills but they also develop as people. For Powerhouse it’s never been about being the best, fastest or strongest in class. It’s all about our students as individuals, working within their own abilities to excel, and recognising and congratulating personal progression."
 

The philosophy of the club is shown in its name: "Powerhouse", implying feeling empowered in yourself, and discovering your inner strength. The ethos of the club is inclusive, aiming to promote self-esteem, confidence and well-being in a family-friendly, non-aggressive environment. We cater for all goals, whether you’re an aspiring Olympian or simply want to improve your fitness, learn some self-defence, or train alongside your kids, everyone can learn the basic techniques and enjoy improving and applying them.
 

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THE TAEKWONDO STYLE WE PRACTICE

Taekwondo is a traditional martial art originating from Korea, where students learn a range of skills based on kicking, punching, self-defence and poomsae (patterns). Powerhouse Taekwondo is part of Chungdokwan GB, affiliated with British Taekwondo (the UK governing body), which is part of World Taekwondo, also known as the Kukkiwon - which governs both the martial art and the Olympic sport. As with all martial arts, there are a number of styles and schools, and World Taekwondo is globally the largest and most widely recognised - this means all certifications you earn are internationally accredited.
 

At Powerhouse Taekwondo we're proud to practice all aspects of the traditional martial art: this brings the greatest benefits in terms of fitness and flexibility, as well as being the broadest in its appeal. Practising the basic techniques develops strength and improves balance and co-ordination; combinations and sparring develops fitness; while learning patterns builds concentration. Combining physical and mental learning has been identified as very effective in developing and maintaining cognitive skills.

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SEMINARS, COMPETITIONS AND OTHER EVENTS

We occasionally run classes to focus on specific aspects of taekwondo.  This is especially useful for senior grades to focus and prepare for gradings or competitions. We often run these in conjunction with a few other clubs in the area.

 

We have the opportunity to attend the annual ChungDoKwan all-grades seminar covering all aspects of taekwondo, and senior grades attend the pre-seminar to concentrate on refining and improving technical aspects.

 

ChungDoKwan Korea’s chief instructor (and member of the Kukkiwon Technical Committee) usually visits the UK each year and ChungDoKwan GB host a seminar that he teaches at. ChungDoKwan Korea also invite us to participate in the annual training camp held usually in Seoul, Korea. Invitations to international events also come through ChungDoKwan GB.

 

ChungDoKwan GB hold an annual tournament in both sparring and patterns, and we also enter other pattern and sparring competitions.

 

As full members of British Taekwondo we can also attend seminars and competitions hosted by British Taekwondo or other clubs.

OUR TEAM

Master Pat Donnelly - chief instructor of the club since its founding in 1994

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Currently a 7th Dan black belt, Pat started training in Germany in 1987. He subsequently trained and instructed at Southampton University (under Grand Master Graham Jones) and Southampton City clubs (under Grand Master Mark Biddlecombe). He also instructed at Portsmouth University for 7 years and participates in ChungDoKwan GB seminars and training camps (Grand Master Lyndsay Lawrence and Grand Master Michael King).  He has attended a number of training seminars and courses in Korea (including Kukkiwon Masters 3rd class), Hungary, and Hong Kong.

 

Many people have progressed from beginner to senior Black belts under Master Pat’s guidance and for those who like to compete we have had a number of student and ChungDoKwan national champions in both sparring and patterns. He follows the ChungDoKwan ethic that we all train together in friendship, and makes sure we have fun whilst taking the martial art aspects seriously.

All instructors are DBS-checked through British Taekwondo, and we also have a Safeguarding Officer for the club.

POWERHOUSE TAEKWONDO

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