The esteemed and renowned Master Tan Eng Kiat DSM 7th Degree taught the Friday class at Crowborough TKD school in a tiring session lasting over two hours.

On Friday 27th July, Master Tan (7th degree from Malaysia) took the regular Friday TKD training session at Goldsmith's Leisure Centre in Crowborough. The special session attracted not only the regular Crowborough students, but also many students from several other schools. Over 60 attended in total from Uckfield, Hastings, Tonbridge, Guildford, Portsmouth and Devon, including a 5th degree, a 4th degree, four 3rd degrees (including Master Tan's son, Lyonel), four 2nd degrees, six 1st degrees, and over 45 colour belts.

The session started at 7pm on four badminton courts, with a half-hour warm-up taught by Mr Tim Dunn, before Master Tan took over for the next two hours.

Master Tan started by getting everyone to repeat basic techniques, such as walking stance middle punch, and L stance knifehand guarding block.

This was followed by front kick, turning kick, side kick, back kick, jumping back kick, reverse turning kick, jumping reverse turning kick. At 8.00pm the blue belt children who had stayed after their normal class had to leave, giving everyone else more room for the next stage of the training.

Master Tan then got the class to work through the patterns, starting at Saju Jirugi. Once a grade's respective pattern was passed as the class progressed through the patterns, then students at that grade dropped out, eventually leaving the four 3rd degrees, 4th degree and 5th degree performing the three 3rd degree patterns in front of everyone else. Including Saju Jirugi and Saju Makgi, the 3rd degrees and above performed 20 patterns (that's 696 movements!).

The class finished with flying kicks over obstacles. The black tags and black belts having to perform 360 back kicks (with push-ups for missing the target), followed by triple flying front kick, and then quadruple flying front kick! Only a few managed the triple flying front kick, with nobody successfully performing the quadruple.

At the end of the class a group photo was taken.

About 20 of those who trained then attended a late meal (at the Rose of Bengal in Crowborough) after the training session, to celebrate Master Tan's 50th birthday and 15 years of Vision TKD in Malaysia.

Click here to see the photo gallery.