About Puma
P.U.M.A. Taekwon-Do
P.U.M.A. Taekwon-Do is for everyone of any age or ability, and there are many benefits to starting Taekwon-Do whoever you are - confidence, motivation, fitness, weight loss and a sense of personal achievement, to name but a few.
P.U.M.A. is a modern forward thinking organisation with an inclusive policy, so everyone is welcome.
Whatever your goals, needs or requirements, your instructor will be able to work with you to help you learn and progress towards your goals.
Speak to your local instructor to find out more about how they can help you.
All of our instructors are black belts, and are qualified to the high levels required by PUMA, ensuring you receive the best quality tuition available.
New students can attend a free trial class, to meet your instructor, find out more about P.U.M.A. Taekwon-Do, and experience the class first hand.
Parents of juniors are encouraged to stay and watch our classes.
If you then decide to join your local P.U.M.A. school your instructor will discuss this with you and assist you with the joining process.
There are no expensive contracts involved in becoming a P.U.M.A. student.
For more information click here
P.U.M.A. Squad Training
Who is Squad Training For?
P.U.M.A. Squad training sessions are aimed at anyone who wishes to try and improve their fitness, sparring and technical Taekwon-Do.
The sessions are open to any P.U.M.A. Taekwon-Do, Tang Soo-Do or Kickboxing students (sorry, but no Little P.U.M.A.s).
There is no set minimum age or grade requirement to attend the sessions but anyone thinking of attending for the first time will need some patterns and sparring knowledge as the sessions are aimed at improving knowledge/skills rather than teaching from scratch.
If you are thinking of attending for the first time and have any questions then, either speak to your instructor or email Mr. Lammin at squad@puma-uk.com. Times and venues of forthcoming sessions can be found on the Calendar contained in the "News & Events" tab.
What Do Sessions Involve?
Each session involves patterns/technical work, fitness, pad drills and sparring. The exact content of session varies but below is a rough guide as to what you can expect.
The first hour of each session is devoted to patterns/technical training with the majority of sessions focusing on individual patterns/technique but in the build up to some tournaments team patterns may also be covered.
After a quick break the next 20 to 30 minutes are spent working on fitness which is followed in turn by 30-45 minutes of pad drills aimed at developing sparring techniques.
The last main section of each session is sparring which gives students a chance to try out the techniques they have practiced during the previous section.
What Are The Benefits?
There can be many benefits for students who regularly attend squad training depending on what they are looking to get from the sessions.
People often assume that squad training sessions are just aimed at those looking to be selected to represent P.U.M.A. internationally but this is not the case.
Whilst these sessions are compulsory for anyone looking to be selected to represent P.U.M.A. at this level they are aimed just as much at any student who wishes to improve their technical Taekwon-Do and/or sparring.
Obviously, anyone attending squad training regularly can expect their technical Taekwon-Do and sparring to improve considerably.
It is not a coincidence that those who regularly attend squad training generally perform well at both tournaments and gradings.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of each session is £10.00 for the 3 hours. (Kickboxing and Tang Soo-Do Students pay £7 due to the fact that they are unable to take part in the first hour of patterns training).
We are also pleased to be able to offer family discounts with 2 family members being able attend a session for just £16 with any subsequent family members paying just £5 each per session)
What Do I Need to Bring?
Traditional white P.U.M.A. Dobok (Taekwon-Do students only)
A full set of P.U.M.A. approved sparring equipment
Training bottoms and 2 or 3 t-shirts for physical/sparring sections of the sessions
Cushioned trainers for the fitness section
A round focus pad and kick shield (if you have them)
If you want any further information or have any questions/concerns then either speak to your instructor, email Mr. Daniel Lammin at squad@puma-uk.com or use the Contact Form.
For more information about P.U.M.A. Squad Training please visit their website section here
Bo Staff
A bō, joong bong (Korean), bang (Chinese) or kun (Okinawan), is a very tall and long staff weapon used in Okinawa and feudal Japan. Bō are typically around 1.8 m (71 in) long and used in Japanese martial arts, in particular bōjutsu. Other staff-related weapons are the jō which is 1.2 m (47 in) long and the hanbō (half bō, known as tahn bong in Korea) which is 90 cm (35 in) long.
Types
The bō is usually made with hard wood or a flexible wood, such as red or white oak, although bamboo and pine wood have been used, more common still is rattan wood for its flexibility.
The bō may be tapered in that it can be thicker in the center (chukon-bu) than at the ends (kontei) and usually round or circular (maru-bo).
Some bō are very light, with metallic sides, stripes and a grip which are used for XMA and competitions/demonstrations.
Older bō were round (maru-bo), square (kaku-bo), hexagon (rokkaku-bo) or octagon (hakkaku-bo).
The average size of a bō is 6 shaku (around 6 ft (1.8 m)) but they can be as long as 9 ft (2.7 m) (kyu-shaku-bō). A 6 ft (1.8 m) bō is sometimes called a rokushakubō.
This name derives from the Japanese words roku, meaning "six"; shaku; and bō. The shaku is a Japanese measurement equivalent to 30.3 centimeters (0.994 ft). Thus, rokushakubō refers to a staff about 6-shaku (1.82 m; 5.96 feet) long.
The bō is typically 3 cm (1.25 inch) thick, sometimes gradually tapering from the middle (chukon-bu) to 2 cm (0.75 inch)at the end (kontei).
This thickness allows the user to make a tight fist around it in order to block and counter an attack. In some cases for training purposes or for a different style, rattan was used. Some were inlaid or banded with strips of iron or other metals for extra strength.
Bō range from heavy to light, from rigid to highly flexible, and from simple pieces of wood picked up from the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.
Martial Arts
The Japanese martial art of wielding the bō is bōjutsu. The basis of bō technique is te, or hand, techniques derived from quanfa and other martial arts that reached Okinawa via trade and Chinese Monks.
Thrusting, swinging, and striking techniques often resemble empty-hand movements, following the philosophy that the bō is merely an "extension of one’s limbs".
Consequently, bōjutsu is often incorporated into other styles of empty hand fighting, such as karate.
It should be noted that the "bō" is also used as a spear and long sword in some of its motions, such as upward swing and slashing motion across the body as well as extensions by gripping one end and thus increasing its length as thus making it similar to a spear.
The bō is typically gripped in thirds, and when held horizontally in front, the right palm is facing away from the body and the left hand is facing the body, enabling the staff to rotate.
The power is generated by the back hand pulling the staff, while the front hand is used for guidance.
Bō technique includes a wide variety of blocks, strikes, sweeps, and entrapments. The bō may even be used to sweep sand into an attacker’s eyes.
History
The earliest form of the bō, a staff, has been used throughout Asia since the beginning of recorded history.
The first bo were called ishibo, and were made of wood (branches, etc. was common?).
These were hard to make and were often unreliable.
These were also extremely heavy.
The Konsaibo was a very distant variant of the Kanabo. They were made from wood studded with iron. These were still too cumbersome for actual combat, so they were later replaced by unmodified hardwood staffs.
Used for self-defence by monks or commoners, the staff was an integral part of the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, one of the martial arts’ oldest surviving styles.
The staff evolved into the bō with the foundation of kobudo, a martial art using weapons, which emerged in Okinawa in the early 17th century.
Prior to the 15th century, Okinawa, a small island located south of Japan, was divided into three kingdoms: Chuzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan.
After much political turmoil, Okinawa was united under the Sho Dynasty in 1429. In 1477, Emperor Sho Shin came into power.
Determined to enforce his philosophical and ethical ideas, while banning feudalism, the emperor instituted a ban on weapons.
It became a crime to carry or own weapons such as swords, in an attempt to prevent further turmoil and prevent uprising.
In 1609, the temporary peace established by Sho Shin was violently overthrown when the powerful Shimazu clan of Satsuma invaded and conquered Okinawa.
The Shimazu lords placed a new weapons ban, leaving the Okinawans defenseless against samurai weaponry.
In an attempt to protect themselves, the people of Okinawa looked to simple farming implements, which the samurai would not be able to confiscate, as new methods of defense.
This use of weapons developed into kobudo, or "ancient martial way" as known today.
Although the bō is now used as a weapon, its use is believed by some to have evolved from the long stick (tenbin) which was used to balance buckets or baskets.
Typically, one would carry baskets of harvested crops or buckets of water or fish etc., one at each end of the tenbin, that is balanced across the middle of the back at the shoulder blades.
In poorer agrarian economies, the tenbin remains a traditional farm work implement. In styles such as Yamanni-ryū or Kenshin-ryū, many of the strikes are the same as those used for yari ("spear") or naginata ("glaive").
There are stick fighting techniques native to just about every country on every continent.
Videos for Bo Staff can be found on the P.U.M.A. website here
Why Kickboxing?
Fantastic increase in fitness levels
Safe, effective training and instruction
Improvement in flexibility
Stress Relief
Gain confidence and self esteem
Learn self defence skills and much more!
In modern times kickboxing has become a very popular way of quickly improving fitness and having a great workout.
Kickboxing can be considered a hybrid martial art formed from the combination of elements of various traditional styles, and P.U.M.A. kickboxing is based upon our heritage in Taekwon-do coupled with modern boxing styles and scientific training methods.
This results in a kickboxing system with powerful kicking and punching techniques involving all of the major muscle groups in the body, guaranteeing a thorough workout and improved fitness.
With P.U.M.A. you'll learn genuine kickboxing skills and techniques in a safe and friendly environment. We fully believe that learning proper technique is the foundation upon which the student can build real skills and learn their art.
Our Kickboxing syllabus uses a the same structured belt and grading system as our Taekwon-do classes, ensuring you get a great learning experience.
We have regular gradings before an external examiner who will determine whether the students have reached the required ability to be promoted.
Our syllabus involves an element of sparring, which is strictly controlled and fully supervised.
Our sparring is used as a tool to demonstrate the technique we have learned and the practical application of the movement, drills and positioning we work hard on in class.
For students who would like to enjoy the more competitive side of the sport, P.U.M.A. holds regular competitions and tournaments throughout the year.
For more information on P.U.M.A. Kickboxing please visit the P.U.M.A. website here
Fast Defence
F.A.S.T. stands for Fear Adrenaline Stress Training.
Our FAST Defence courses teach you about self protection and show you how to be in control of confrontational situations.
Adrenal stress occurs in every confrontation, however big or small. From the arguments you might have at work to a mugging or attack on the street, the body is flooded with adrenaline.
The biggest factor in having a successful outcome or surviving an attack, is being able to channel the adrenaline and therefore avoid freezing up. The objective of all F.A.S.T. courses is that the student should learn to experience and control difficult situations whilst under the effects of adrenal stress.
F.A.S.T. courses are built upon teaching the student to achieve these successes in controlled but ever increasing adrenal stress situations.
Although the instructors control the scenarios, the students have a 'real' experience and effectively programme themselves for success in future encounters.
You will learn how real world situations occur and how to avoid the common mistakes that escalate them.
You will learn to use dialogue and verbal dissuasion. You will learn to avoid looking like a victim.
In self-protection terms, F.A.S.T. is simple, highly effective and empowering. The student learns to understand their adrenal response and therefore to operate effectively.
However, there is more to the course than self-protection.Worldwide, these courses have had massive impact on peoples lives.
Attendees report feeling empowered and more able to deal with the other stressful areas of their lives.
Corporate clients report excellent results in management training and team building. Nearly everyone who experiences this training becomes a massive fan.
