>>> GTI England National Squad Selection
The GTI National Squad has been announced for the 2024 World Taekwondo Championships in Croatia this September! We’re very proud to have NINE Liverpool fighters selected to represent England: James Connolly, Liam Murphy, Nikola Kliza, Eloise Williams, Olly Gargan, Owen Gargan, Callum Edwards, Connor Murphy & Stef Davies. Well done, all!
We have a few fundraising plans to help the team with their expenses, so please help if you can!
- Sponsored kick-a-thon – Saturday 27th July. All students are welcome to take part. Ask your family and friends to sponsor you for one crazy hour of furious kicking! A solid hour of pad work using a variety of taekwondo techniques. This event will take place during the usual two-hour Tournament Training class (start time approx 10.30am). There will be no lesson fee for those raising sponsorship; anyone not raising sponsorship is still welcome to take part, with their lesson fees going towards the fund. There will be prizes for the best kicks and for whoever raises the most in sponsorship. Sponsorship forms can be downloaded here!
- Football cards – just pay £2 to pick a team from the card and if yours is the winning team, you’ll get £30 prize money! Take a look at the cards next time you’re in class and pick as many teams as you like. We also have spare cards if you’d like to get your friends, family or work colleagues on board!
- Crowdfunding page – we’ve set up a Justgiving page for donations. If you’re able to spare anything to support the team, or even if you could just share the page, we’d be extremely grateful.
If anyone knows of any businesses that might be interested in sponsoring the team, please let us know.
Thanks!
>>> Class cancellations
There will be no classes on Saturday 15th June due to the grading taking place. Apologies for any inconvenience.
>>> Tiger & Colour Belt Gradings
The next Tiger and Colour Belt Grading will be held on Saturday 15th June at All Souls Church Hall. If you want to grade, you should attend classes regularly (ideally, at least twice per week) and make sure you know all the theory and practical requirements for your grade (as specified on your revision sheet). Please pick up your revision sheet in class if you haven’t already or find them online here.
The instructors will let you know if you are ready and eligible to grade; but if you have any questions, please ask.
Start time: Tigers 9.30am (please arrive promptly); Colour belts 10.00am onwards.
Tigers will need:
- An up-to-date licence (£25)
- Grading fee (£10).
Colour belts will need:
- An up-to-date licence (£25)
- White GTI uniform & belt (£39)
- Passport-sized photo (if grading for the first time)
- Grading fee (£25 for those taking grades up to blue belt; £35 for higher grades)
- Sparring kit (green belts & above only).
Please hand in your licence and grading fee by Friday 14th June.
>>> Tournaments
Best of luck to those taking part in the GTI Junior Open in Cheltenham this Sunday. The next scheduled tournaments are:
- Sunday 30th June – ITFU British Open, Solihull. Open to 9th kups (yellow stripes) & above; ages 8 & over only. Enter online. Deadline: Sunday 16th June.
- Satunday 6th July – ITC UK Open, Birmingham. Open to all licenced students. More information.
Please see our Events calendar for a list of the year’s events.
>>> Merchandise Orders
We place our equipment and merchandise orders once per month. Please let us know if you need any uniforms, t-shirts, hoodies, sparring kit, kick pads, etc. Please take a look at our catalogue to see what’s available.
The deadline for the next order is Saturday 1st June (payment required at time of order).
>>> GTI National Squad Training
Train with the GTI England team! You can work towards earning your own place on the national squad, or just go along and enjoy a good workout.
All licenced students (age 7+) are welcome. You will have the opportunity to train with some of the GTI’s best fighters and coaches; practise with new sparring partners; improve your fitness, stamina and sparring; build your confidence; and make friends with fellow GTI students from around the country.
Fees are £10. Please bring casual clothing (no uniform required), sparring kit and plenty of water.
Scheduled squad sessions (see our Events page for venue details):
- Sunday 23rd June, 12:30-15:30 – Wolverhampton
- Saturday 13th July, time to be confirmed – Cheltenham
- Sunday 22nd September, 12:00-15:00 – Swindon
- Sunday 27th October, 12:00-15:00 – Bridgnorth
- Sunday 24th November, 12:30-15:30 – Liverpool
- Sunday 15th December, 12:30-15:30 – Wolverhampton.
Note: squad selection is based on a minimum attendance of two out of three sessions, but this excludes the location furthest from you. This is in addition to other criteria such as tournament performance, attitude and skill.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Thanks 