Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to our January newsletter! As we step into a new year of training, competitions and personal goals, it’s a great time to reflect on what we achieved last year and look ahead to what’s coming up over the next few weeks.

2025 Reflection

Last year was another fantastic year for the club, building momentum from previous years. The club feels like it’s in such a good place, and that is entirely thanks to you, our members. Because of you, the club continues to be friendly, supportive, and incredibly welcoming to new students.

From a gradings perspective, 2025 was one of our strongest years yet. With more A-passes and grading awards than ever, this simply reflected the hard work everyone put into preparing for each grading. It makes us incredibly proud as instructors to see your dedication pay off.

Competition-wise, it was another hugely successful year. Exeter topped the medal tally once again at the Southern Championships, and we are incredibly proud to have a World Champion in our club. A huge congratulations again to Laila, who achieved both gold and bronze at the World Championships earlier in the year.

All in all, 2025 was another amazing year. We encourage all of you to take a moment to reflect on your own achievements. Looking back at how far you’ve come is a great way to set meaningful goals for the year ahead.

We hope everyone is feeling well-rested after the Christmas break and ready to get straight back into training with fresh energy and new motivation.

Christmas Party & Award Winners

We rounded off 2025 with a fantastic night of celebrations at our annual Christmas Party. It was great to see such a strong turnout, and we’re really grateful for the energy and positivity everyone brought to the evening. With music, games, food and our awards ceremony, it was a brilliant way to finish the year.

A huge well done to our award winners:

• Instructor’s Student of the Year: Evie Frost

• Competitor of the Year: Laila Middleton

• Student’s Student of the Year (Junior): Luna Gillard

• Student’s Student of the Year (Adult): Laila Middleton

• Tiger of the Year: Olivia Wasson

All of our students were incredibly deserving of their awards for many different reasons, and we couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you.

South-West Championships: Sunday, 1st February

The first competition of the year is just around the corner, making it a great motivation to throw yourself straight back into training. The South-West Championships is the only local competition of the year, so we’d love to see as many of you as possible sign up.

Black Belts: please note that unless you attend another regional event elsewhere, this will be your only opportunity to gain a local stamp this year.

Please read the competition pack carefully, as it often answers many common questions.

• Competition Pack: Click HERE

• Entry Form: Click HERE

The deadline to enter is Monday 19th January.

2026 Calendars

With the new year underway, it’s a great time to get organised. Tae Kwon-Do quickly fills our calendars with gradings, competitions and training sessions, so we’ve created a helpful PDF containing all the key dates for the year.

Please note that dates are subject to change, so always keep an eye on the WhatsApp group and your emails for updates. Separate calendars are available for Colour Belts and Black Belts, so make sure you download the correct one.

These files can be found at the bottom of this newsletter and on the club website in the Events section.

Colour Belt Grading

Our first Colour Belt Grading of the year is coming up quickly, and many of you may be due to grade. As preparation time is limited for this grading, there is absolutely no pressure to take part. If you would prefer to wait until the next grading in May, that is completely fine—just let us know.

If you’re unsure whether you are due to grade, please check with us.

• Pre-Grading:
  Thursday 5th February at St Luke’s
  This will replace normal training for that evening.
  All students must attend the pre-grading in order to grade.

• Grading:
  Sunday 8th February
  Cranbrook Education Campus, Tillhouse Road, Cranbrook, EX5 7EE
  From 9:30am onwards

Further details will follow regarding hall allocation and whether start times will be staggered between belts.

Black Belts

As we’re at the start of a New Year, this is a reminder to Black Belts about your responsibilities regarding your own progression. Keeping on top of requirements is essential in order to grade on time. Missing requirements will result in your grading being delayed by six months, which can be particularly demotivating given the length of time between gradings.

Please note that the requirements from 1st to 2nd Dan have changed in the last year or so, making it especially important to fully understand what is expected during your waiting period.

Key requirements include:

• Attending one Black Belt training session in each half of the year
  (You will usually have three dates to choose from per half.)
  Sessions must be booked via the Tae Kwon-Do South-West website:
  https://www.taekwondosouthwest.co.uk/

• Attending two competitions per year
  (1 local and 1 national), either as a competitor or as an umpire/referee.
  You must enter two events to receive a stamp unless officiating.

• Licence books must be brought to events to receive stamps.

Additional requirements include regular training with your instructor and attendance at umpire/referee courses (mandatory from 2nd Dan and above). If you are unsure which course you need, please ask.

Please remember that it is your responsibility to stay on top of all requirements. You must also:

• Be aware of when your licence expires

• Inform Miss Searle one month before expiry

• Ensure you have an up-to-date slip in your licence book

We recommend keeping your licence details saved in your phone (licence number, student ID and expiry date) so they are always accessible.

Key Dates – Coming Up Soon

• Umpires & Referees Course: Sunday 25th January

• Black Belt Patterns Course: Saturday 31st January

• South-West Championships: Sunday 1st February

• Senior Grade Training Session: Monday 2nd February

• Colour Belt Pre-Grading: Thursday 5th February

• Colour Belt Grading: Sunday 8th February

Finally…

Thank you all for continuing to make the club such a positive, hardworking and supportive environment. We’re excited to see what this year brings and look forward to training, competing and progressing together. Here’s to another successful year—see you in the dojang!