| Meet the Instructors |
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 There isn’t any better way of finding out about the people who will be teaching your Choi Kwang Do classes than to take a little peek into their lives. We asked three of our instructors, Brendon, Danny and Dominic to answer a few questions. Remember, you can take advantage of our free introductory class offer and get the answers to your questions live!Mr Dominic Mann Why did you choose CKD? I chose CKD because I had wanted to learn a new martial art. I checked through the classified adverts, unfortunately they were all for karate and kung fu, which did not interest me. Only one stood out, Choi Kwang Do. As it was a martial art I had never heard of I decided to find out more about it. I was delighted to find it was a new and very modern martial art designed for the modern world. What advice do you have for a total beginner? Never give up, it only gets better and better! How has CKD affected your life? At first CKD was a hobby to help me stay away from the pool tables in the pubs! But slowly over time I had more and more interest in the movement and study of the art. I also became more and more involved in teaching Choi Kwang Do classes. First as an assistant instructor and then, once I had graded to black belt, a head instructor now I teach CKD for a living. I have gone from a bored and very unfit pool shark to a fit and energetic person who can’t wait for my next class! Mr Brendon Morelli What is your favourite CKD moment so far? Picking my favourite CKD Moment is really quite hard; there have been so many of them. I would have to say at the moment my favourite CKD moment has to be the first ever Cassar Academy demo team demonstration and my Second degree grading. I never thought I would be able to perform a demo in front of a live audience as I suffer badly from stage fright and my Second degree was a huge step forwards in my Choi Kwang Do training. Are there any benefits in teaching in a full time school? There are loads of benefits of being a full time instructor and teaching Choi Kwang Do classes. For me the top reasons would be: we get to help people every day and get to go home every evening knowing we have helped improve people’s lives through Choi Kwang Do training. We also get a deeper understanding of the true benefits of the art as we need to know how it can help each individual. We are on the ground floor of one of the world’s top Choi Kwang Do Facilities. You often dress up as the “Red Man” (a suit which allows students to safely attack) but does it hurt? The red man is a great bit of equipment. The idea of it is for students to get a more realistic perspective of what it is like to be attacked by a large scary person. Does it hurt? I wouldn’t describe it as pain, I do however feel the impact of every technique and well, it can knock the wind out of you. In my mind a little discomfort is worth it for the experience of the students. Mr Danny Smith What is the most effective CKD move you know? I really like the Jumping Spinning Sidekick! How did you feel when you got your black belt? It was the greatest feeling of achievement I have ever had in my life. CKD is often tagged as a “Modern Martial Art”, what’s your view on this? I agree with this as even though we teach traditional values of humility, honesty, gentleness, self-control and unbreakable spirit. The drills, punches and kicks of Choi Kwang Do are based on modern scientific principles taken from human anatomy, physiology, psychology, kinesiology, neurophysiology and biomechanics. |
