Jamie Woodland’s Black Belt Academy competition team from Radstock have recently been very busy in National and European events. Students have been challenging themselves against some very tough competition up and down the country.

The team, along with other Academy members, have been training daily at the fulltime centre in Radstock, and really putting in the hours to ensure they give themselves the best possible chance of championship glory.

Under the watchful eye of instructor, Jamie Woodland, the team have been working on their set routines, as well as weapons demonstrations and fighting technique, and a lot of work on fitness and physical conditioning.

In the first of the competitions after the summer holidays, the trophy tally was huge, with students winning right across the board and taking many of the top three places in a tournament that is always of a high standard. Pictured are some of the group with a whole range of trophies, including Individual 1st, 2nd and 3rd team event winners and one student winning overall Grand Champion.

In the next event which was, for many, the first time they had stepped into the national open circuit, students again won right across the board in all categories. Against some seriously tough competitors, the Radstock team showed a great spirit of determination and the hard work that had been put in really came to light. As a result, there were many top three placings as well as an amazing six European Champions in only the first event of this level. The last competition of the year saw students once again clear up in the national championships, rounding off the most successful year to date.

Instructor Jamie says: “I couldn’t be prouder of our amazing students for their continued dedication, their focused work ethic and their strong team bond. We have many talented students at the club, and this is demonstrated in how successful they are becoming.

“Whether they place or not, both children and adults are showing confidence and determination to compete against the best and put themselves into the testing ground where many would not dare set foot; they deserve recognition for this.

“Martial Arts and Tae kwondo are hard work and challenging, but with dedication and discipline, we know our students can achieve anything they set out to do in martial arts and life.”