Welcome to International Taekwon-Do Glendowie!

We are excited to have you in our school. You just started an exciting journey to black belt and beyond, and we look forward to helping you get there.

Please read this email carefully, because it contains important information about your training.

Our website and weekly newsletter

Every Tuesday, we’ll send you an email with the latest important information. Please read this carefully, because it is the only way we tell you about venue changes, gradings, events, and other very important matters. If you don’t receive one on Tuesday, check your junk email folder and add us to your safe senders list.

You can also find our recent news on our website here. Some of the other matters in this email can be found under “members” at www.glendowie.com – such as our events calendar, about gradings, and syllabus sheets.

Remember to be familiar with the contents of our membership agreement, too.

Bring these things to every training session

When you joined, you received your uniform, training notebook, and syllabus handbook. Bring these to every training session. All students should also bring a pen or pencil, a drink bottle of water, and your clear mouthguard (available from pharmacies and sports stores, or from Master Banicevich for $10). Adults may like to bring a training towel as well.

You should use your training notebook to record feedback you receive from your instructor, draw diagrams and pictures to help you remember key points, and record things you learn.

Gradings, assessment weeks, and report sheets

We hold gradings on the last week of each term. You can read about gradings here. Gradings are how we measure progress in Taekwon-Do. For adults there are 10 grades before 1^st degree black belt, signified by the colour of the belt and stripes on the belt (“national grades”). Children take longer to progress, so we divide each grade into four parts, so they can experience their progression at appropriate intervals. These intervals are called “partial gradings”, and they are shown with extra stripes on the belt. Older children may skip some partial grades.

The sixth week of each term is an assessment week. Although we give try to give students feedback every class, in week six we ensure that students record their feedback, and understand what they need to achieve for their next progression.

The eighth week of each term is “pregrading”. In this week we assess students to determine who is ready for the next national grading. During this week, students under 13 are required to bring a report sheet completed by their parent, their teacher, and their class instructor. The report sheet is available here. We also test your knowledge of theory (contained in your syllabus handbook).

After pregrading, we send out invoices for grading fees. Those who do not receive an invoice are not yet ready to grade. Partial grading results are usually given on grading night. National grading results are awarded in regular classes the following week. New stripes and belts are included in the grading fee.

To help students understand what they need to perform and know to progress, we have syllabus sheets here. Download the 10^th gup (white belt) syllabus sheet now, and attach it into your training notebook. After each national grading, download your new syllabus sheet.

Please pay invoices promptly

Monthly training fees are due on the 1^st of every month. It is easiest if you create an automatic payment. These are due 12 months per year. Our classes run 49 weeks per year. We take a three week break over Christmas, and January fees are used to pay your annual reregistration fee to International Taekwon-Do (www.itkd.co.nz).

Note that we do not have classes on public holidays. During school holidays we do not run Saturday classes, and we invite students to attend alternative classes during the week. Between mid-January and the start of school, we run a reduced schedule of combined classes – outside in the sun! We will provide details in a weekly email closer to Christmas.

Grading invoices are due the week before grading. We send these invoices at the end of pregrading week (once we know who is eligible to grade). These are due the week before grading.

Please pay all invoices promptly.

Changing classes

If your schedule changes, you are welcome to change to any alternative class and venue within International Taekwon-Do Glendowie. Our class schedule is available by age group here, https://glendowie.com/training-times/.

Our age groups are approximate. If you are almost old enough to move to the next age group, we are flexible – try it out and see which group works best for you.

We recommend that students over 9 train twice or more per week (students under 9 can, too). Note that individual training fees are higher to train twice or more per week, so email Master Banicevich to increase your frequency. (Family fees are the same for one ore more sessions per week.)

You do not need to notify the instructor if you will be absent from a class (unless you are helping in some capacity).

Regional and national events

International Taekwon-Do run a variety of regional and national events that we encourage you to enter – seminars, camps, tournaments, etc. We try to post them on our calendar. Keep your eye on the national calendar, too, and notify Master Banicevich if something should be added to ours.

To help students become involved in these events, it is compulsory for all students to compete in the annual Auckland North Regional Tournament. Those who do not attend are not permitted to grade at the end of that term. The Regional Tournament is usually in the second school term, around June or July.

Additional resources are available

We are proud to partner with TKDCoaching.com, a website full of videos about all aspects of Taekwon-Do taught by some of the best instructors in the world. TKDCoaching.com is run by Master Banicevich’s instructor, Master Paul McPhail, who is the New Zealand Technical Director, and a member of the Technical Committee of the International Taekwon-Do Federation.

Our members get a special price, and you can find it here.

We also have a range of books available, from our self-defence syllabus handbook, the pattern workout book with every movement of every pattern described, and syllabus books for senior grades. These books are $20 each, and you can buy them from Master Banicevich. We recommend that you own the self-defence handbook before you attain yellow belt.

Before you attain green belt, you will need your own free sparring gear. Gloves and boots are available from Master Banicevich for $140 per set. Many students buy this equipment much earlier, because we use it in class regularly.

Regards

Master Mark Banicevich, VII dan black belt
Master Instructor, International Taekwon-Do Glendowie