Chesterfield Taekwon-Do

13/10/2026

🥋 ITF World Cup – Day 3 Retrospective 🌍🇪🇸

Day 3 in Benidorm, which brought more podium pride, fierce sparring battles, and well-earned relaxation!

Morning Ceremonies, Patterns & Sparring
Evan & Oliver's Medal Ceremony: The morning started with a wonderfully proud moment as Evan and Oliver officially received their well earned Bronze Medals! Seeing them step up to the podium after the previous days phenomenal performances was a true highlight for the squad. 🥉✨

Holly Henwood (Senior Adults Patterns, Area 6): Coached by Mr Swain, Holly kicked off her morning against a strong competitor from Norway, performing Choong-Jang. At this elite international level, it always comes down to the finest of margins, and the judges awarded a narrow 4–1 decision to the Norwegian athlete. Fantastic effort, Holly!

Thea McClellan (Sparring, Area 11): Coached by Master Lammin, Thea stepped onto the mats for her sparring division against an experienced athlete competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete. Thea got stuck right in and gave it everything, but came up against a seasoned fighter who ultimately went on to win the entire division! A brilliant effort for her first World Cup. 🥊

Afternoon Sparring: Jacob's Battles
Jacob Williams (Sparring, Area 10): Coached by Mrs Swain, Jacob had an action-packed afternoon session. In his first round against Germany, it was a nail-biting, close match, culminating in Jacob seizing control in the final 40 seconds to take the win! Next up, he faced a physically imposing Spanish opponent in a tough, heated fight. Unfortunately, the match came to an unfortunate end when Jacob took a big hit, resulting in his opponent being disqualified. It was a fierce contest, but these are the hard-earned lessons that will hopefully make Jacob come back stronger.

First World Cup Reflection & Poolside Relaxation
Both Thea and Jacob handled their debut World Cup brilliantly—it takes immense courage just to step onto the international mats, and they represented PUMA with pride.

With Day 3 wrapped up, the team headed back to the hotel for some much-deserved relaxing time around the pool and unwinding after another intense day of competition. 🏊‍♂️☀️

Well done everyone! Keep an eye out—Day 4 report is coming next, featuring our Chesterfield and New Century students closing out an amazing week of competition for PUMA! 💪💥

09/10/2026

🥋 ITF World Cup – Day 2 Retrospective! 🌍🇪🇸

What an incredible Day 2 at the 10th ITF World Cup in Benidorm! Our 1st Gup athletes truly left their mark on the world stage today with some phenomenal performances, nail-biting matches, and brilliant medal success. 🥇🥉

The morning kicked off with another commute to the venue some braved the walk, while others opted for a local taxi or Uber to make sure everyone was there in plenty of time for their warm-ups. The stadium felt slightly cooler than the day before... or maybe we were just getting used to the sauna!

Action on the Mats: Patterns & Sparring
Kerry Clamp (+46 Age Division, 2nd–1st Gup Patterns, Area 5): Coached by Mrs Swain, our senior competitor "Ice Cool" Kerry looked the part from the very start, even if her heart was racing inside! She faced Belgium in the first round and took a solid 4-0 win. Next up was Norway a nation renowned for exceptional pattern skills but Kerry kept her cool under pressure. When her opponent made a costly error and couldn't finish, Kerry secured a well-deserved 5-0 victory. In the final against a strong competitor from Chile, another mistake was made by her opponent. Did the umpires see it? Could Kerry keep her cool? Yes, she could! Kerry now officially known as "Clamp the Champ" became a World Cup Champion! 🥇 A massive moment that brought proud tears to many of us watching from the stands.

Holly Henwood (Senior Adults Sparring, Area 7): Coached by Master Lammin, Holly executed her game plan brilliantly against a very patient and lightning-fast opponent from Argentina. Despite fighting hard, it wasn't the result Holly wanted, going down 3-1. However, she put up more points against this opponent than anyone else on her path to the final—she definitely caught an unlucky draw!

Mid-Day Shift: After a short break, it was time for our junior boys' sparring divisions. With Oliver and Evan on at similar times, the supporters had to master the art of darting between rings!

Oliver H (Junior 4th–1st Gup Sparring, Area 11): Carrying a hip injury into the tournament, Oliver didn't let it show for a second. He marched through tough opponents from Poland (3-1), the Netherlands (3-0), and Ireland (3-0)—nations with massive reputations for strong sparring! He then faced a familiar English competitor whom he's traded wins with over the years. It was a close battle, but it wasn't quite to be. Still, there is a huge reason to celebrate: Oliver secured an outstanding Bronze Medal! 🥉

Evan (Pre-Junior 4th–1st Gup Sparring, Chesterfield Taekwon-do, Area 9): Competing at his first-ever World Cup with the PUMA squad, Evan handled the massive stage brilliantly. Showing incredible progress over the past year, he stormed past Colombia (3-1) and Latvia (3-1) with fantastic movement and strength. He then met a very experienced and strong athlete from Kyrgyzstan, losing 4-0. An exceptional performance overall that earned Evan a fantastic Bronze Medal for the PUMA squad! 🥉

Celebration Time!
To top off an unforgettable day of high-level martial arts, we gathered for Kerry's official World Cup Champion medal ceremony before heading back to the hotel to celebrate an incredible haul of medals.

The PUMA 1st Gups completely owned the mats today! Well done to every single one of them.

Stay tuned Day 3 is coming soon, featuring the official medal presentations for Oliver and Evan, plus three more of our squad members stepping up to compete! 💪💥

08/10/2026

🥋 ITF World Cup – Day 1 Retrospective! 🌍🇪🇸

Looking back at an unforgettable Day 1 of the 10th ITF World Cup in Benidorm!

Our morning started bright and early at 7:30 am with a 30-minute walk from the hotel to the venue, ensuring we could secure a great spot together for the team.

The Opening Ceremony
The day kicked off with the Opening Ceremony, scheduled for 8:30 am. After a slight delay, it finally got underway around 9:20 am with an incredible local gymnastic and dance display featuring aerials on a ribbon. A major highlight was Master Suska and Sabum Farigu demonstrating Tong-Il, the final ITF pattern. Nations proudly paraded their flags, and special recognitions were awarded—including a wonderful tribute to Grand Master Kim Jong-Chan, a founding member of the ITF 60 years ago and designer of the traditional ITF logo and tree. 🌳

Action on the Mats: Patterns & Sparing
Once the umpires officially opened the rings, it was all systems go!

Jacob Williams (1st Degree Patterns, Area 4): Making his World Cup debut, Jacob handled an unexpected curveball brilliantly when he was called to the ring and then sent back because the umpires weren't quite ready. He performed brilliantly, but from the sidelines, it initially looked like the decision went the other way. Thankfully, Mr Swain caught the error instantly, spoke to the jury president, and the mistake was rectified. Jacob had won his first-ever World Cup round! He powered through another two rounds before falling to the eventual pool winner in a massive division of 126 competitors across 8 pools. Fantastic effort! 🔥

Thea McClellan (1st Degree Patterns, Area 10): Also at her first World Cup, Thea stormed through her first round with a convincing 5–0 win, though she unfortunately couldn't get past her next opponent.

Mid-Day Adventure: We enjoyed a long break to find some food and refuel, which bizarrely included a trek through an empty shopping mall straight out of Resident Evil! 🛒🧟‍♂️

Lucas Clamp (Sparring, Area 2): Back in time for the afternoon session, Lucas dominated his first round against a Spanish opponent with a 4–0 victory. He came up against a tough Argentinian competitor in the next round and fought hard, but couldn't quite progress.

Faye Hubbuck (Sparring, Area 5): Representing our Chesterfield Taekwon-do athletes, Faye faced a tough mental hurdle in an unfortunate draw, fighting not just an ITF England teammate, but a good friend. Faye overcame the nerves, using her side kick brilliantly and following up with sharp secondary techniques to take the win. She met a strong Irish competitor next, fighting valiantly before bowing out.

Seth Melluish (Sparring, Area 4): Rounding out our day was Seth, another World Cup debutant who had battled through a few injuries leading up to the event. You wouldn't have known it! He put in a stellar performance against a tough Canadian opponent. While it wasn't quite enough to take the win, it was an exceptional effort in his first major competitive sparring division. 🥊

A Huge Thank You
A massive shout-out goes to our PUMA coaches, especially our own, Dom Melluish, who was coaching for the very first time at a major international world event and did an absolute fantastic job! 👏

With Day 1 done, we headed back to the hotel for a lovely evening meal and a well-earned, restful night to recharge for Day 2. Now that is a day to remember! 💪🥇

07/10/2026

🥋 ITF World Cup – Looking Back at Weigh-In Day! 🌍🇪🇸

Thinking back to Monday 28th September, the 10th ITF World Cup officially kicked off in Benidorm with everyone's least favourite part of a major tournament: the official weigh-in! 😅

New Century had five fantastic students selected to represent the PUMA national squad. With a mix of three experienced athletes who knew what to expect and two first-timers stepping up to the world stage, the tension outside the venue was palpable. Weigh-in day is always a nervy hurdle that athletes just want safely behind them, and arriving around 12:30 pm alongside the rest of the ITF England schools meant a very busy, buzzing atmosphere outside the building.

For the parents and supporters waiting outside, it made for a wonderfully anxious few minutes until the news finally came through...

100% success across the board! Every single PUMA athlete made weight, as expected, with zero issues. 🥇💪

With the stress of the scales finally lifted, the rest of the day was all about recovery and focus. The team enjoyed some sensible refuelling, a light evening training session to shake out the legs, a good evening meal, and an early night to lock in the preparation for day one of the competition.

Start your journey to international competition by trying an area squad.

Pics are pre, during and after the weigh in

05/10/2026

Having just arrived back from the ITF Taekwondo World Cup in Benidorm with the PUMA squad which included athletes and coaches from Chesterfield Taekwon-Do and New Century Taekwondo it seems like a great time to promote our area and national squads, especially with an area squad session coming up on 24th October! 🥋✨

​These sessions are open to all abilities and grades.

With hard work and commitment to attending these training sessions, you can push yourself to reach the world stage with the PUMA squad and even earn the chance to join the ITF England national team. 🌍🏆

​A more detailed post featuring a full report and results from the World Cup is coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for updates on how everyone got on! 🏅

​If you want to find out more, feel free to speak to Miss Deakin or myself (Mr Hubbuck).

04/10/2026

Check out what you could achieve. Some of the bo staff team demonstrating their skills.

Not to be missed…!

Seminar and grading with Master Ogborne and team!

This will be held after area Squad. So only one weekend of travelling.

Would be great to see you all at Squad and bostaff seminar, supporting our area for what could be a mint weekend.

02/10/2026

Josh on ring 4

02/10/2026

Iden about to start his first round at the World Cup in Benidorm

02/10/2026

Not to be missed…!

Seminar and grading with Master Ogborne and team!

This will be held after area Squad. So only one weekend of travelling.

Would be great to see you all at Squad and bostaff seminar, supporting our area for what could be a mint weekend.

30/09/2026