2024 ITC UK Open: Results

Well done to our team for a great effort at the ITC UK Open today! šŸ„Š

We had 12 students taking part; all worked hard and showed great improvement. They won 19 medals: 7 gold, 9 silver & 3 bronze!

Special mention goes to Kal, who was sparring competitively for the first time and did a great job! Well done also to Alin, who put up a really good fight but just missed out on the medals.

Well done, team! Thanks to our coaches for looking after everyone and to our cheer squad for all their support šŸ™Œ

RESULTS: 2024 ITC UK Open

Kal MerrittBRONZEĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Speed kicking
Talia MurphySILVERĀ Speed kicking
Jay Williams-GarrettSILVERĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Patterns
Jay ConnollyGOLDĀ Speed kicking
SILVERĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Patterns
Liam MurphySILVERĀ Sparring
Eloise WilliamsSILVERĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Speed kicking
Nikola KlizaGOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Speed kicking
SILVERĀ Patterns
Adam AhmadSILVERĀ Sparring
Olly GarganGOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Speed kicking
Owen GarganGOLDĀ Sparring
Callum EdwardsGOLDĀ Sparring

2024 ITFU British Open: Results

We had six students competing at the ITFU British Open today, and they all smashed it!

Excellent performances from each of them, despite some tough competition. Everyone came away with a medal, with the total at 4 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze!

Special shout-out to Jay, who was absolutely amazing in the sparring, even though it was his first time sparring at a tournament! He really got stuck in and showed true fighting spirit to win the gold. One to watch…

It was a successful day for our team and for the rest of the GTI fighters, who fought hard and bagged another load of medals šŸ„Š

Well done, everyone!

RESULTS: 2024 ITFU British Open

Jay Williams-GarrettGOLDĀ Sparring
Eloise WilliamsGOLDĀ Sparring
Olly GarganGOLDĀ Sparring
Owen GarganGOLDĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Patterns
BRONZEĀ Special technique
Rod HizmeriSILVERĀ Sparring
Callum EdwardsSILVERĀ Sparring

2024 GTI Junior Open: Results

Congrats to our little team who attended the GTI Junior Open in Cheltenham today! We had 8 students competing and we’re proud of every one of them.

16 medals won: 7 gold, 5 silver & 4 bronze! šŸ„Š


Well done to everyone who took part!

Thanks very much to our coaches – Connor, Nicole and Callum – for looking after the team today. And thanks to everyone who came along to support šŸ™Œ


RESULTS: 2024 GTI Junior Open

Jacob AlmondBRONZEĀ Sparring
Joe McNichollBRONZEĀ Sparring
Liam MurphyGOLDĀ Sparring
Nikola KlizaGOLDĀ Speed kicking
SILVERĀ Patterns
SILVERĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Team sparring
Eloise WilliamsSILVERĀ Team sparring
BRONZEĀ Sparring
Olly GarganGOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Team sparring
BRONZEĀ Team patterns
Owen GarganGOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Patterns
SILVERĀ Team sparring

May 2024 Updates

The GTI National Squad has been announced for the 2024 World Taekwondo Championships in Croatia this September! Weā€™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!

  • SponsoredĀ kick-a-thonĀ ā€“ Saturday 27thĀ July.Ā All students are welcome to take part.Ā AskĀ 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.Ā Sponsorship forms can be downloaded here!
  • Football cards ā€“ just pay Ā£2 to pick a team from the card and if yours is the winning team, youā€™ll get Ā£30 prize money! Take a look at the cards next time youā€™re in class and pick as many teams as you like. We also have spare cards if youā€™d like to get your friends, family or work colleagues on board!
  • Crowdfunding page ā€“ weā€™ve set up a Justgiving page for donations. If youā€™re able to spare anything to support the team, or even if you could just share the page, weā€™d be extremely grateful.

If anyone knows of any businesses that might be interested in sponsoring the team, please let us know.

Thanks!

There will be no classes on Saturday 15th June due to the grading taking place. Apologies for any inconvenience.

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 havenā€™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 (Ā£25)
  • Grading fee (Ā£10).

Colour belts will need:

  • An up-to-date licence (Ā£25)
  • White GTI uniform & belt (Ā£39)
  • Passport-sized photo (if grading for the first time)
  • Grading fee (Ā£25 for those taking grades up to blue belt; Ā£35 for higher grades)
  • Sparring kit (green belts & above only).

Please hand in your licence and grading fee by Friday 14th June.

Best of luck to those taking part in the GTI Junior Open in Cheltenham this Sunday. The next scheduled tournaments are:

  • Sunday 30th June ā€“ ITFU British Open, Solihull. Open to 9th kups (yellow stripes) & above; ages 8 & over only. Enter online. Deadline: Sunday 16th June.
  • Satunday 6th July ā€“ ITC UK Open, Birmingham. Open to all licenced students. More information.

Please see our Events calendar for a list of the yearā€™s events.

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 whatā€™s available.

The deadline for the next order is Saturday 1st June (payment required at time of order).

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 Ā£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 ā€“ Wolverhampton
  • Saturday 13th July, time to be confirmed ā€“ Cheltenham
  • Sunday 22nd September, 12:00-15:00 ā€“ Swindon
  • Sunday 27th October, 12:00-15:00 ā€“ Bridgnorth
  • Sunday 24th November, 12:30-15:30 ā€“ Liverpool
  • Sunday 15th December, 12:30-15:30 ā€“ 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 Emoji 

GTI National Squad Selection 2024

The GTI National Squad has been announced for the 2024 World Taekwondo Championships in Croatia this September! šŸ„Š

We’re very proud to have nine Liverpool fighters selected to represent England: James, Liam M, Nikola, Eloise, Olly G, Owen, Callum, Connor & Stef.

Congratulations to everyone selected to represent the GTI England team!

The hard work is just beginning… šŸ’Ŗ

A Tribute to Philip Zhu

We feel totally shocked and gutted today after learning of the passing of one of our former students, Philip Zhu.

Phil trained with us as a young lad from around 2011. He was a respectful, talented and dedicated student who always gave 100%, pushing himself and those around him. He earned his 1st Dan Black Belt in April 2015, aged 10; followed by 2nd Dan in October 2016. He was a skilled competitor and a massive part of our taekwondo family. Even though he eventually went on to concentrate on other martial arts, he did pop in once or twice to say hello and it was always a pleasure to see him.

Sending much love to the Zhu family and to Phil’s friends at The Combat Unit, where he trained in recent years.

A great young man, gone too soon šŸ˜žšŸ–¤

2024 ITF North West Championships: Results

Well done to everyone who took part in the ITF North West Championships today! You all did us proud šŸ„Š

It was awesome to see a few first-time competitors joining the team and overcoming their nerves to have a go. Great effort from Kal, Isla, Jay W and Luis at their first comp šŸ‘

It was also a pleasure to watch our students growing in confidence; fighting hard, taking the knocks, but never giving up šŸ’Ŗ

We had 28 competitors today and they bagged 36 medals: 16 gold, 14 silver & 6 bronze! Great work, team! ā¤ļø

RESULTS: 2024 ITF North West Championships

Jonny AlmondSILVERĀ Dragons Tails
Kal MerrittGOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Dragons Tails
Talia MurphySILVERĀ Patterns
Eoin CarneyBRONZEĀ Sparring
Jacob AlmondGOLDĀ Sparring
Tilly RileySILVERĀ Sparring
Erin DaviesGOLDĀ Sparring
Jay ConnollyGOLDĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Patterns
Olly KrukSILVERĀ Sparring
Dean AhmadGOLDĀ Sparring
Joe McNichollGOLDĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Patterns
Ava PhamGOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Speed Kicking
Tess WykeSILVERĀ Sparring
Dominik KrukSILVERĀ Sparring
Isla MurphySILVERĀ Sparring
Nikola KlizaBRONZEĀ Patterns
Eloise WilliamsGOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Flying Kick
Olly GarganGOLDĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Patterns
Adam AhmadGOLDĀ Sparring
Owen GarganSILVERĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Patterns
Rod HizmeriSILVERĀ Sparring
Joe SouthernGOLDĀ Sparring
Alan JohnsonBRONZEĀ Patterns
BRONZEĀ Sparring
Connor MurphyGOLD Sparring
Callum EdwardsGOLDĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ Patterns
Sandra BaldwinSILVERĀ Patterns
SILVERĀ Sparring

2024 GTI North West Open: Results

Super-proud coaches here today after a great effort from the team at the GTI North West Open!

We had some first-time competitors and a few students competing in higher divisions after the recent grading; but everyone got stuck in and gave it their best shot.

Our 29 competitors achieved 40 medals: 19 gold, 8 silver & 13 bronze!


Well done also to Jonny, Toby, RĆ­ain & Sandra. They missed out on medals this time, but they all gave performances to be proud of.

Thank you and well done to everyone who helped with officiating and organising the tournament, and to all our coaches and support squad. The dream team!

RESULTS: 2024 GTI North West Open

Talia MurphyBRONZEĀ Patterns
BRONZEĀ 
Team Sparring
Thomas BullockGOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Team Sparring
Tom KellyGOLDĀ Team Sparring
Eoin CarneySILVERĀ Sparring
SILVERĀ 
Team Sparring
Erin DaviesBRONZEĀ Team Sparring
Tilly RileyBRONZEĀ Team Sparring
Jacob AlmondSILVERĀ Team Sparring
Jay ConnollyGOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Sparring
GOLDĀ Team Sparring
Olly KrukSILVERĀ Team Sparring
BRONZEĀ Sparring
Joe McNichollGOLDĀ Sparring
Ava PhamSILVERĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Patterns
BRONZEĀ Team Sparring
Tess WykeBRONZEĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Team Sparring
Dominik KrukGOLDĀ Sparring
Nikola KlizaGOLDĀ Patterns
SILVERĀ Sparring
Eloise WilliamsGOLDĀ Sparring
Olly GarganGOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Sparring
Adam AhmadSILVERĀ Team Sparring
Zak AhmadGOLDĀ Sparring
BRONZEĀ Patterns
Owen GarganGOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Sparring
Rod HizmeriGOLDĀ Team Sparring
Krzysztof KlizaBRONZEĀ Sparring
Jake KayllGOLDĀ Patterns
Andy KettleSILVERĀ Sparring
Callum EdwardsGOLDĀ Patterns
GOLDĀ Sparring
Stef DaviesBRONZEĀ Patterns
BRONZEĀ Sparring

2024 ITC Northern Open: Results

Our team smashed it again today at the ITC Northern Open in Oldham, with everyone who took part winning at least one medal!

12 competitors. 30 medals! Total haul: 16 gold, 8 silver, 6 bronze! šŸ¤Æ


Well done, everyone! Many thanks to the ITC for hosting.

RESULTS: 2024 ITC Northern Open

Eoin CarneySILVER Sparring
SILVER 
Speed Kicking
Alin ManolescuGOLD Sparring
GOLD Speed Kicking
Jay ConnollyGOLD Sparring
GOLD Speed Kicking
GOLD Patterns
SILVER Sparring
Ava PhamGOLD Patterns
GOLD Team Patterns
GOLD Sparring
BRONZE Speed Kicking
Tess WykeSILVER Patterns
BRONZE Sparring
BRONZE Speed Kicking
Olly GarganGOLD Sparring
GOLD Patterns
GOLD Team Patterns
GOLD Speed Kicking
Riain BerginGOLD Team Patterns
SILVER Speed Kicking
Owen GarganSILVER Sparring
BRONZE Patterns
BRONZE Speed Kicking
Rod HizmeriSILVER Sparring
SILVER Speed Kicking
Callum EdwardsGOLD Sparring
BRONZE Patterns
Connor MurphyGOLD Sparring
Sandra BaldwinGOLD Sparring