UTA



BTCB



WTF

07/05/2008

Lesley was slightly disappointed to have missed her place in the final
but was happy to see that she has closed
the gap between her and the top international fighters. What is more, this medal, apart from being the first won
by a Scot at the Spanish Open, gives her another three points towards her ranking in Europe. As it stands she is still ranked number one in
the European Taekwondo Union list.

pictured left is Lesley at the award ceremony receiving her
Bronze medal.

15/03/2008

This weekend saw two of Central's elite competitors and Scottish National team (NT) athletes fighting in Europe's biggest A-class tournament. Lesley Jakubiak (sponsored by Physio Focus) and Craig Eden attended the German Open with Master David Bailey, head of Scottish NT, and Nikos Jakubiak, Scottish NT coach. Unlike previous years the event was hosted in Hamburg, instead of Bonn, with over 1300 athletes from over 50 countries using 11 fighting areas and the Adidas electronic body protectors (EBPs).

For both Lesley and Craig this was an exciting opportunity to challenge some of the world's best fighters in their respective divisions. Craig is the current senior British Champion in the -67Kg, despite having only turned 18 this year, and fought for the first time in the senior -67 Kg division of an A-class tournament. His division had nearly 80 athletes competing for a place in the podium including some of the best featherweight fighters in the world. Craig was drawn against the current World Champion in the first round!

Craig's match against Cuba's World title holder was the tournament's opening game(pic left). Needless to say this was
seen by all of us as an excellent opportunity to showcase our athlete's ability. A good performance was extremely important to strengthen his chances of being included in the UK team for the European
championship. Craig displayed good skill and determination and after
the end of the first round the score was 1-1. Throughout the
game he was composed and there were times it looked as if he was going to get the result. As a matter of fact he connected with the Cuban's hogu many times but he did not always deliver enough force
on the sensors to register more points. After three action-packed
rounds the final score was 4-2 to the World champion. Craig was
out of the event but he had already proved that he can be a
threatening force against anyone in the World. Master Bailey and Nikos hope that this result will strengthen further his chances of funding and support from Scotland's sport governing bodies.

Lesley, who is currently joint second in the ranking list of European female fin weight fighters, fought in a division with nearly 40 fighters including all of Europe's top -47Kg TKD athletes. Her first match was in the afternoon and it was against Bulgaria's top fighter(pic right). The game was exciting and the Bulgarian proved to be tougher than anticipated. Lesley opened the score very early in the game with a strong turning kick on the body. She made a lot of very good efforts to score but with the EBPs that was harder to achieve. Near the end of the first round the two athletes exchanged a series of kicks that concluded with the Bulgarian scoring a rather lucky two points with
a spinning kick. Lesley found herself trailing behind by one point at the start of the second round but she remained confident and composed bringing the game to a draw (3-3) and taking it to the fourth round for the golden point decision. Then she convincingly took the result in her favour after knocking down her opponent with a textbook back kick technique.


In her second match Lesley faced Germany's Olympic hopeful who recently qualified for the Beijing Olympics in Constantinople. Beating Gulec in Germany was always going to be difficult (Gulec is Germany's best fin weight athlete and currently tops the ranking list of European fighters). Of course this was never going to put Lesley off who has already fought Olympic and World champions in several occasions. The game started with a lot of the German press gathered around the fighting area to record their girl's progress against Central's best female
fighter. Lesley was not intimidated and started attacking her opponent from very early on. In one of the early exchanges the German hit the EBP with the knee and managed to open the score. Lesley's foot came in contact with the German's hogu in several occasions, and more frequently than her opponent, but she was always a few units short of scoring. Her opponent did not come close to Lesley's power when it came to body kicks and as she was unable to score with kicks on the hogu she kept looking to score with high kicks. After many failed attempts
she eventually had a breakthrough and was able to take the result. Despite three intense rounds, a very good performance, and having delivered some outstanding kicks from almost impossible angles Lesley bowed out of the competition. Although she did not make the quarterfinal Lesley once again showed her tremendous potential. It is certain that given the right level of support, to allow her to spend more time in her training, Lesley could establish herself as a World-class fighter. The previous point was echoed by Master Bailey who commented that with these sterling performances Lesley and Craig demonstrated why they are considered two of the best TKD fighters in the UK.

 

 

 

Master Bailey, Craig, Nikos, and Lesley









28/02/08

Central's team invited to Belfast for Olympic Taekwondo seminar

Scottish National team coach Nikos Jakubiak recently returned from Belfast where he delivered a two-day coaching seminar organised by the TKD association of Northern Ireland (TANI) and funded by Sport Northern Ireland (Sport NI). 

In his capacity as a state registered dietitian and as a specialist in strength and conditioning Nikos delivered a series of talks on TKD specific sports nutrition and strength and conditioning for competitive TKD.  TKD coaches
who attended the seminar had a chance to listen to important issues around nutrition for performance and discuss the link between important concepts in exercise physiology and sport TKD. 

During the first day there were a series of interactive talks on issues such as appropriate food choices, hydration, weight management strategies, strengthening of the TKD athlete, and power development. The talks were
followed with practical sessions during which important exercises were demonstrated and explained in detail. 
The theory behind what exercises and training tools are pertinent to
TKD fighters were outlined as well.

The second day of the seminar started with Nikos integrating some of
the theories and concepts explained the day before with TKD specific practice.  All NI athletes present in these sessions were able to practice their sparring skill against each other as well as against some of Central's elite team members including: Scottish National team captain and former British fin weight champion Alan Dunsmuir, reigning feather weight British champion Craig Eden, and reigning Junior light weight champion Ross Eden. The day ended with some demonstration matches using the new Adidas Electronic body protectors (EBPs). This was another important part of the seminar as the
EBPs will be used in the next European championships and they may be established as the preferred system for
all major TKD events in the future. Through this seminar the NI TKD athletes have been kept up to speed with this recent development.

Overall, the seminars were very well attended and the feedback we received afterwards was incredibly good.  Despite the diverse audience everyone felt they got a lot of meaningful information out of the two-day event.  The general consensus was that this initiative from TANI was a significant addition to their coaches' development and such seminars should be repeated. 

We would like to thank UTA's Master Glen Culbert and the rest of TANI for their tremendous hospitality and enthusiasm they showed during both days. We would like to thank Sport NI as well for funding this seminar and Brian Kerr who also supported the seminar with his team. We look forward to welcoming a team of fighters from
NI in the near future for training in Scotland alongside some of Scotland's best athletes.

 

15/02/08

To EBP, or not to EBP that is the question

Our team has already taken part in two tournaments where the Adidas electronic body protectors (EBPs) were used; Nord Pas de Calais, Lille, France and Trelleborg Open, Sweden. This new scoring system will be used at the next European Championship in Rome and it might be used beyond that pending the decision made by the executive committee of WTF later this year.

Certainly the idea of having games with a more objective method of scoring is an extremely appealing one.
We have seen countless games won and lost not on an athlete's ability but rather on judges' inadequacies in skill and judgment. It takes a lot of good training and persistent practice for corner judges to develop the necessary skills and even then many people cannot help the fact that they are simply… human. Of course there are some excellent judges out there with a very sharp eye and quick reactions but there are not enough of them in any
given event.

Adidas have come up with a system that, at least in theory, is quite straightforward; kick your opponent on the EBP's target area with enough power and you will score. Of course in practice nothing is ever simple and like anything else EBPs have shown so far to have many strengths as well as some weaknesses. Let me explain some important things you will need to keep in mind the next time you fight and you are using the EBP system:

•  First of all you need to hit the scoring area with a clear and powerful strike; this can be done with your foot or your fist (in a direct punch). In other words some of TKD's trademark moves such us leading leg kicks and double kicks will not get you anything unless you can deliver them with a lot of power. •  When you attack your opponent you have to try your best to kick their EBP target area before they pull back otherwise the impact force will not be high enough. This may result in a failed attempt even if you have achieved contact with the EBP's target area that most judges would have probably awarded you a point for. •  Kicking or punching someone as they move towards you makes it a little bit easier to score as in this case the impact force on the target area is greater. •  Headshots are still awarded by corner judges therefore any attempts for high kicks will score based on their evaluation.
In Lille corner judges would award two points for the slightest of contact on the head whilst in Trelleborg since it was an A-Class tournament there were more experienced international referees present who would only award clear shots. As a result less headshots were attempted and even less scored compared to the games in Lille.

The great strength of the EBPs is that your opponent will not score points for kicking your backside, thighs,
or arms. Neither will they get any points for any light-contact kicks that may connect with the EBP's target area.
In practice this means that the score lines by and large tend to be low. Unlike what we have been used to lately, tournaments with EBPs have far less games finishing with a seven-point gap or a 12-point ceiling. Of course
this can change as athletes practice more and become more familiar and more conditioned in their use.

There are cases where the system may fail to recognise correct contact. For example if you run into your
opponent's kick they might score with their shin or even their knee as a direct result of the increased impact force involved. The central referee still plays an important role in correcting such mistakes. One would argue that still a) this is a weakness that can be exploited by both fighters, and b) could encourage fighters to develop better
tactical skill and better judgment for attacking to avoid giving away such points.

EBPs are by no means perfect but I still think they are far superior to the alternative (the corner judges). I would argue that the EBPs weaknesses are still within the fighters' control and any faults in the system are available to both in equal measure. This is much closer to a level playing field that we have ever been before. In the current system there is nothing you can do to stop corner judges pressing buttons to award points for invalid kicks if they want to do so.

The gap in the fighting qualities between TKD athletes at elite level is closing. As more fighters are able to match the ones at the top more games are inevitably won or lost by just a single mistake. Unfortunately, more than often the judges rather than the fighters make that crucial mistake. It is only human to have emotions and judges can
be influenced.

There are some who may resist the implementation of the EBP system. Some coaches I spoke to in Trelleborg were worried that our beautiful game may become slow and heavy. I disagree. I believe that it will not be long before all coaches realise that if anything fighters will have to be faster in order to be successful. They will have to become more explosive in their attacks and more careful with their distancing so they can catch out their opponents. They will have to kick before their opponents get a chance to retreat or force them to attack so that they can get them
on the counter. Regular practice with EBPs will help TKD athletes to become more accurate and more powerful with their kicks. It is possible that some of the fancy kicking may become extinct but then a new era of fancy kicking may start where athletes perform fancy combinations of ‘air-assaults' with lots of high kicks that would definitely excite the fans.

So, to EBP, or not to EBP? There is not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that EBPs are an invaluable tool for
training. In competition they can be used successfully to provide a more objective and fair way of scoring and that
in itself merits our support.

We will carry out a series of demonstrations so that everyone in the club gets a chance to see how the Adidas
EBPs work and give members a chance to form their own opinion as to whether this is a good development in
sport TKD.


13/02/08

Lesley returns triumphant from the first A-Class tournament for 2008

Having won three fights and taking the first place in the female fin weight division in Sweden, Scottish National Team captain Lesley Jakubiak (sponsored by Physio Focus) achieved yet another important result, while at the
same time collecting seven points towards her ranking in Europe. Pictured right is Master Bailey(Head of Scottish National Team)with Lesley celebrating her success.

This year's Trelleborg/Swedish Open was held on the 9-10 February. It attracted over 700 fighters from all over Europe including many National teams. Sweden, Finland, Germany, Israel and Azerbaijan appeared to have sent the biggest groups. The A-class tournament status of the event was reflected on the quality of many of the athletes and International referees present.

What made the event more special this year was that the Adidas electronic body protector (EBP) system was being used for the first time in an A-class event. Probably, ETU's introduction of a ranking list of European fighters based on the results from the A-class tournaments may have had some influence too. Bearing in mind that the Adidas EBPs will be used in the next European tournament it came as no surprise to see the interest generated. Even teams that were not officially present wanted to know more about them. For example Turkey was not represented by any fighters but the National team coaches were present.

Lesley went to Trelleborg having already gained some experience with the EBPs from her last tournament in Lille; where they used the same system mostly for the benefit of the French fighters. She competed in the fin weights on the first day of the event where she was against notable opposition as her division included some experienced fighters.

In her first mach she faced Ireland and managed to open the score with a very well timed back kick just as the Irish fighter was starting an attack. Lesley maintained the lead comfortably with a good display of tactical skill and progressed to the next fight. There she had to fight against Denmark who in the round before was able to stop the more experienced Belgian fighter. By that point Lesley was on full throttle and was producing an excellent performance.




No matter what the Dane tried Lesley had a reply for it. Maybe the best point in that fight was when Lesley
executed a powerful turning kick(pic left)whilst her opponent tried
a fruitless high spinning kick. Not too long before the end of the fight the Danish girl was subdued with a very modest 3-0 and overwhelmed by her own frustration she reduced herself to a display of poor TKD etiquette.




Waiting for Lesley in the final was a Norwegian fighter who made it there having left behind the fighters from Germany, Sweden, and Cyprus. Lesley was the more dominant fighter from the start and was able to control the game and take the first place despite some good effort from her opponent to stop her.


19/01/08

Central’s team test the new Adidas electronic body protectors

During the first weekend of January 2008 Lesley, Craig, and Ross went with Nikos to Lille, France, to compete in
an international open tournament. This was not a major A-class event but it attracted many fighters who wanted
to try the new scoring system using the Adidas electronic body protectors (EBPs). The event itself was attended by many French fighters including some National team athletes plus many more from other countries. Ours was the only team from the UK.

For many years TKD officials have been looking into ways to increase accurate scoring during fights. In the current system of four corner judges the way points are awarded is too subjective and controversial results are not uncommon. In games where there are judges with little experience or training, mistakes happen just too often. Even good and experienced judges can make mistakes in tournaments where they have to officiate for many hours on successive days.

One of the ideas being tested at present around Europe is the EBPs. These hogus have an electronic system in place that can detect proper foot contact on them. When a kick lands on the scoring area of the EBP a signal is
sent to a receiver that is attached to a computer. The data received is then translated into scoring and displayed
on the monitor. This of course sounds great in theory; being able to have a system that can reward valid kicks objectively. Despite this advancement though corner judges are still needed to award kicks on the head.
Two corner judges are used bringing the total of officials around the TKD fighting area to three (two corner judges and a central referee), instead of five.

This was a totally new experience for everyone in Central’s team and it was quickly apparent that this was also
the case for most of the people in the event. Everyone was intrigued and waited anxiously for the first matches to start in order to see the EBPs in action. This was exciting. We all felt part of something special that if it is accepted by WTF’s competition committee it could change the game drastically. Technology has been used for many years by various sports, for example in fencing. It is certainly time for our sport to take advantage of the technology
available today to improve the quality of scoring and make it as fair and unbiased as possible. Adidas seems to have made some serious research and development and their staff showed to have a genuine interest in the coaches’ opinions. When Nikos was approached to give his thoughts on the EBPs he outlined what he perceived to be the strengths and very few weaknesses of the system.

It only took a few games for most to workout that the EBP demands from athletes to kick the scoring area accurately, correctly, and forcefully before it awards a point. The judges on the other hand, who could not help being human after all, would award anyone for even brushing their foot past their opponent’s helmet. This in turn encouraged everyone to look for the easier option; high kicks. All elite athletes found that with EBPs there is less room for fancy light-contact kicking and greater demand for full-on kicks.

All of our fighters tested the EBPs for themselves against good opposition. They all found it much harder to score points but that was also the case for their opponents too. For the first time we saw an event where TKD athletes were not rewarded for kicking their opponent’s arms or thighs.

The end of the first day saw Junior Champion Ross Eden winning the -68 junior division and taking the gold medal
in his first tournament abroad. He reached the final with ease and there he achieved a perfect game beating his opponent 7-0. Three times fin weight British Champion Lesley Jakubiak, who is sponsored by PhysioFocus,
advanced unchallenged to the semi-final where she faced France’s fin weight champion and current full-time
athlete with the National team Alison Pinteno. She lost 2-1 after a very good performance against the home favourite and eventual winner of the division. British bantam weight champion, Craig Eden, fought on the second day in what
was his first international event in the -67Kg senior male division. In his opening round he forced his opponent to retire from the match and progressed to the quarter-final only to lose despite having managed to play a much better game and having connected with the hogu on numerous occasions. Unfortunately he just was not
connecting with enough force in all of his kicks but that will come with practice.

Ultimately, the reason we went to Lille was to test the EBPs. Our team are the first people in Scotland, and possibly in the UK, to have had a chance to try the new electronic scoring system in an actual tournament. We all thought that this is a welcoming development in TKD.

Picture: All athletes who were present at the Scottish National team training, held in mid-January at Central TKD Academy’s base in Carronshore, had a chance to experience the new electronic scoring system from Adidas. In the picture above three times British fin weight champion Lesley performs defensive kicks on an EBP worn by Scottish National team and Central TKD Academy’s team coach Nikos. The introduction of EBPs into the Scottish National team training was welcomed by all three National team coaches including Nikos Jakubiak, Mark Russell, and John Cullen.