Black Belts are the wisdom of our club Taekwondo Central, Great people from all walks of life focused on self improvement. Melanie Buhlmann is one of those people we all love at the club. A genuine soul with a high work ethic and someone we all look up to.

Mel is the last person I double graded a belt, twice. Mel humbly rejected the second as she wanted to do the journey to black belt with her family. This is the type of person you get in Mel. Her ability to pick up Taekwondo was as impressive as her mannerisms. Now 3 members of her family. Partner Gary Veljacich, Daughter Rebecca Buhlmann (& Mel herself) are Black Belt and the 4th is on his way being son Eric Buhlmann.

I asked Mel some time back about contributing to our webpage. I hadn’t pushed as I knew the result would be great and it was well worth the wait. I know you’ll agree, so enjoy….

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A Question For You: What If You Already Have What It Takes?

 

Okay – the title may sound a little controversial. Please let us explain where this question is headed, it might make you think of a thing or two about yourself.

A little while back, I was asked to write something Taekwondo related for the website. I had no idea what we could possibly contribute. We read amazing articles on this site over the years, which all sent a loud and clear unified message. “Learning a martial art, such as Taekwondo, is good for you in so many ways!” The far-reaching benefits have been well portrayed by the instructors and members of the club, with convincing evidence based on their exceptional personal achievements. Congratulations to you all, how awesome!!! What more could be said?

We started thinking…

We are Taekwondo parents and club member ourselves, and you might associate as we share our experience, that when we and our kids started training here, we were unsure whether we had what it takes to ‘cut it’ at TKD Central.

Of course, nobody knows what the future holds, but initially, we were very hesitant to believe that we would be able to develop the necessary traits to pass gradings or ever reach Blackbelt.

So regardless of what belt level you are working on at the moment or if you are a spectator toying with the idea of starting training yourself, we have an interesting question for you to consider: What if you already have those necessary traits to ‘cut it‘ at TKD Central?

Undecided on our big call? Please let us unravel this idea…

Without implying that we got it all, know it all and won’t need to learn more skills, techniques and refinements from your instructors; nor suggesting we won’t need to develop our mindset and train hard to practice and improve – just think for a moment: What if you were meant for this and always had what it takes?

What if you have it all within yourself already and that is the reason you are here at TKD Central reading this write-up right now?

Think courage: Have you ever acknowledged the courage that is required to even contemplate attending a first class, as well as coming back for a second, third, forth and so on? Just because you were nervous about lining up in the back row and perhaps worried how you’d survive the warm-up, doesn‘t mean that you were not already courageous enough to take a plunge. Locate and trust the courage you have within yourself.

Consider focus: You centre your attention and concentrate to execute the technical aspects of Taekwondo. Without your already sharp mind amidst a society rife with distraction and convolution of your thoughts, do you believe you would have achieved the clarity to decide learning something new like Taekwondo? Something that demands your absolute awareness while you train? Allows you to ignore your constant news feed and offers a refreshing mental break from work, study, school or other personal challenges? Foster the focus you have within yourself.

Choose respect: Right, prior to Taekwondo, you may not have felt the urge to bow when expressing our gratitude to someone who was helping you. And yet now, you show deep admiration for the expertise of the instructors and assistants before, during and after your class every time you bow. If respect was not already valued and close to your heart, would you have regarded an activity entrenched in a hierarchical structure based on rank and seniority as pleasant? Take every opportunity to show the respect you have within yourself.

Then there are the 5 tenets of Taekwondo: Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. They are the gatekeepers which control the crowd by providing guidance and direction. They dictate what is necessary to succeed here.

Do you think you or your kid(s) already nurture and grow the 5 tenets within yourselves? Contentious and debatable? Maybe not! Read on please…

The virtue of courtesy demands politeness and good manners. The kind consideration you encounter when you interact with the instructors, assistants and members of the club. For example, despite teaching hundreds of students and dealing with just as many parents, the instructors and assistants know you and address you by name. If you were inherently impolite, rude and pompous yourself, do you think you would feel enticed to practice a sport where you listen attentively when instructors speak. Would you be here if you did not want to tolerate ideas, beliefs and opinions of others and ultimately build your character? You have sincere kindness within yourself and show it through courtesy.

Integrity is explained straightforward. You train to the best of your ability, you kick hard and spar fair, even when you think your instructors are not watching (although they always are!). Integrity simply translates to doing the right thing for the right reason, even if nobody sees it. That may be challenging sometimes, because it teaches you to validate your own actions, all by yourself without an audience. Without integrity, do you think you would have felt inspired to learn skills that remain mainly concealed, and yet set you apart in a crowd of people? Within yourself, you have integrity based on your own strong moral principles and the quality of being honest enough to do the right thing in every situation.

How about perseverance. Climbing the belt levels and pushing the limits when the syllabus gets tougher certainly demands persistence. Perseverance lets you become determined to do something despite difficulty, just like you do every single time you show up to training. Do you think, starting Taekwondo would have sounded appealing to you if you were fundamentally lazy, un-motivated and felt indifferent about investing some effort in exchange of great personal accomplishments? Be tenacious to strengthen the perseverance you have within yourself.

Self-control is not always easy. Those who know us noticed that we celebrate life and enjoy living it to the fullest (ha, under-statement!). However, without sounding like complete hypocrites, when it comes to Taekwondo, self-control is actually a piece of cake: You look out for your training partner and keep your emotions, impulses and strength in check, easy! Your self-control propelled you to make the necessary sacrifices to get involved with TKD Central in the first place. Do you not already control your time, finances, life-style and competing priorities to get to class? Harness the self-control you have within yourself.

Last but not least: Indomitable Spirit – what does that even mean? It implies that you are strong and brave and can take a knock, so to speak. Not literally, just metaphorically. You are resilient and not easily overcome in the face of adversity. If you were truly fearful because of the challenges life threw at you in the past, do you think you would expose yourself to more? So can you see that you are already spirited with indomitable stuff by immersing yourself in this unfamiliar Taekwondo adventure and adapt to the new circumstances as they arise? Embrace the indomitable spirit you have within yourself.

What do you think now? Can it be that you came to TKD Central because of who you already are? So – what if you always had what it takes to be who you need to be?

What you seek may already be within yourself and will grow as you put in the effort to learn, practice and advance. Acknowledge and cultivate those inner traits under the guidance of the club’s devoted and enthusiastic instructors and assistants.

Dare to believe in who you are and imagine where it will take you – Blackbelt and beyond! Pursue your next level or check the class timetable to make a start.

Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here
Master Justin Facebook  – Click Here

 

 

Taekwondo Centrals Head Instructor Ajana Plunkett Nominated For WA Young Achievers Award

Taekwondo Centrals Head Instructor Ajana Plunkett has … [Read More…]

 

 

Taekwondo Centrals New Club Badge Design are here and ready to be put on your chest, Our first batch has turned up so they are now available from your instructor.
These will be a part of our regular uniform now and in the future.

The asking price is just

Just $5 each

Our Taekwondo Central club badge will sit on top of the Uniform Daedo Logo as in the picture above.
The right side will be for our Head Academy Badge of Taekwondo Ohdokwan

About The Badges

The Taekwondo Central Club Badges are iron on badges.
We found they stick well but because the black border doesn’t have the adhesive,
we believe they will be prone to peeling off over time in the wash,
So our recommendation is to sew them on.

STICK N SEW BADGES

Heat Your Iron To 110*c – 150*c
Iron over area the badge is being attached to on the taekwondo top (5 Sec)
( thin piece of cloth between will stop accidently burning your top)
Place badge carefully on heated material in place (As Above) on the right chest
Compress and rub the badge onto the material thoroughly
Let it cool

Sew the badge onto uniform with black cotton once badge is glued in place

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Pictures are of Skills For Life “Patience”attachment.
The Blue Chest badge is the same process

READY TO BE SEWN ON

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Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here

 

 

Reminding Women What They Are Capable Of

Taekwondo Central Head Instructor Ajana Plunkett is a very active Instructor. Always getting behind any women’s club events and also teaching her own “Women’s Only Taekwondo Class”
along with her duties as Taekwondo Centrals Head Instructor.

This week Ajana give up some of her time to help the “Welcoming Women Group” by Rebecca Tichbon
Its a great idea that opens women up to some different activities they can get started on in Bunbury

Ajana talked about self defence & women’s safety. Taught some strikes and basic escapes and finished with teaching the ladies a board break.
Great job Ajana, keeping the women’s personal safety message strong and well done to all who broke their board.

Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here

 

 

Taekwondo Central South West Multi Cultural Festival Demos 2019 – Heaps Of Pics!!

Its a great way to start our year out … [Read More…]

 

 

LET ME HELP INSPIRE YOU

If you love martial arts like me or would like to learn more about Taekwondo Centrals history.

Taekwondo Central celebrates 20 years of operation in August and I would love to give out some of it history,
the main players of our clubs past plus some lessons I’ve learned along the way.

So after some encouragement I’ve started a Master Justin Facebook Page with the goal of releasing some of this history
Its going to be a great ride

Master Justin (Right) with Brother Kristian Warren & Japanese Fighter Tetsuhiro Shinkai

Please click the link below and take a look. I’d love to have you involved so your welcome to friend me

https://www.facebook.com/master.justin.73

 

Its a great way to start our year out though it always can become a challenge as we’ve only been back in action for 3 weeks of Term 1 2019.

From Little Dragons to Black belts we kicked, punched, jumped, rolled, flew, thumped and smashed our way through our routine and it was just so much fun!
Even the Master Justin board break face pulling show.

This year we put the call out and 12 come to our call, check out the photos below. It a great day out with international foods and acts and most of all its free so anyone can enjoy it.

A big thankyou to program manager Jo O’Dea and of course all the students who supported the club as either spectator or participant. Also A Big Thankyou to Gary Veljecic for the photos.

Jesse Smashes his Dragons Board

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Trinity Best & Rebecca Buhlmann Showing Knife Defence

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Trinity Best With An Fantastic Flying Kick

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Rebecca Collis Displays Her Strength – www.tkdcentral.com

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Rebecca Buhlmann Demonstrates A Nice Axe Kick

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Master Justin Warren Launches A Twin Front Kick

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Master Justin Warren Demonstrating A Flying Twin Front Kick Double Board Break

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Eric Buhlmann Getting The Job Done

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Annika Best & Trinity Best Break Boards With Spin Kicks

Watch Annika & Trinity Smash Their Boards – Click Here

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Black Belt Jy Gamble Smashes The Board With A Snap Front Kick

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Chris Charry Lands A Step Up Jump Back Kick

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Eric Bulmann Jumps Over Instructor John During His Flying Kick

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Rebecca Buhlmann Demonstrates A Wrist Lock Throw During Knife Defence

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Master Justin Shows The Bodies Reaction At Impact Point During The Tile Smash

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To Watch Master Justin’s Tile Smash – Click Here

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Yellow Dragon Dean Takes Care Of That!! Great Board Break

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Annika Best Gets The Advantage Over Master Justin

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This Ones Over – Annika Best Deals With The Situation

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To Watch Annika’s & Master Justin’s Full Demo – Click Here

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Instructor John Crawford About To Destroy His Boards

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Chris Charry Fly’s Over An Impressive 8

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Rebecca Buhlmann -Trinity Best – Rebecca Collis Demonstrate Gumgang Pattern

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Trinity Best Slices Through The Board With A Spin Kick

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Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here

 

 

Taekwondo Centrals Summer Holiday Program 2019 has been a huge success with all passing their belt and moving up a grade during January before the start of our official training term 1 in 2019. Congrats to the following

Kyah Goodall
Saphyre Goodall
Lexi Hynes
Paige Hynes
Matt Bowkley
Jesse Challis
Haven Aria Wymer
Michael Collins
Johnathan Twigger
Jason Taylor
Asami Tsukamoto
Emiri Tsukamoto
Kai Shapkaris
Anthony North
Alecia Shapkaris
Dean Emerson
Jessica Burch
Chris Charry
Lyn Behrens
Alicia Mackay
Deanna Gowland
Lachlan Tuenne
Kristy Hitchens
Sean Colgan

A big thank you to Head Instructor Ajana and Instructor John for all their work during this time.

The SHP2019 is the start of our 2019 season with a big year planned including our 20 year celebration on the 25th August.

Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here

 

 

 

Taekwondo Central’s Skills For Life Program is designed to teach our young students characteristics and Habits that make yours and their life a little easier.

Introduced in the early part of the Little Dragons Program. It was very popular with the parents and the kids loved the badges to show they understood that characteristic. You may even still see the odd uniform with the badges on the arm
A change in instructor schedule put the program on hold temporarily but its time to unleash SFL again and we are excited!!

This time its FREE! No extra cost, even for the badge. Its a way we wish to add more value to our Little Dragons & Super Dragons Programs.

We have 6 main badges and 3 Soper Badges to earn with our goal to make them a more responsible, human being.
The First Badge we will aim to achieve will be PATIENCE

Patience is a decision-making problem, involving the choice of either a small reward in a short span of time, or a more valuable reward after a long period of time.

For a child, Patience will be needed many times.
From waiting at the supermarket checkout line,
or being in the car on a long trip.
From waiting their turn in line and not pushing in upsetting others
To becoming old enough to get a mobile phone

Having Patience saves anxiety & worry and is a
personal characteristic often forgot about.

Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here

 

 

New East Bunbury Taekwondo Classes – South West Italian Club

We are very happy to announce that we will … [Read More…]

Mel with Rebecca Collis

Rebecca Collis is well loved at the club. Why?
Its not just that she is part of our Taekwondo Central Black Belt Team but as I discovered Rebecca has a hidden skill.

Hands That Heal and she has done wonders for me dealing with the injuries from the full contact sport martial art days. 2 of our other Black belts, Head Instructor Ajana Plunkett & TC Black Belt & Martialfit Founder Kelly Rowe are also users of her service. Both Ajana & Kelly have added their thought at the end of the article

Finding her to be a library of knowledge in her field, I asked if she would be interested in any advice she could offer the training black belt (or black belt to be) on getting more from our bodies. Its a great read. Please Enjoy.

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Introducing your friendly quack:

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a Remedial Therapist by day, specialising in combined modality treatment of neuromuscular conditions and functional movement rehabilitation, and a tae kwon do kicker by night. I am one of the Blackbelts from the Bunbury Open TKD class at the SWSC. I started training 4 years ago for self defence and stress relief and let me tell you, it’s grown to become a defining and integral part of my life that I wouldn’t ever be without.

I didn’t really know what to do or say when Master Justin asked me to contribute something to the website. How do I bring something of interest and value to the forefront of your screens when communications has never been my natural arena? Well, factoids, numbers and common sense have seen me well in the past, so here goes.

Coming to the club as an adult, I understand how much training can mean to all of us, and how much an injury on or off the floor can impact our lives. We’re busy people who can’t afford time off from work, family, or anything. So here are a few tips to help you train better tonight and in the years to come.

Would you still like to be doing awesome TKD kick-drills at 80 years old? I know I would.
Not the way you were expecting this tip to start, but let me explain:

30% of individuals over the age of 65 will experience at least one fall a year and in the same age category, falls are the leading cause of hospitalisations*.

As we age, our muscles deteriorate but the muscles we strengthen for tae kwon do are the muscles that protect us from falls. Yep. Strong and adaptable core muscles, glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings will mean you are stable on your feet and have the ability to get back up if you do fall.

Exercise triggers a natural response in your body that increased bone density* this means risks associated with osteoporosis and natural bone weakening occurring with age is reduced, so if you do fall as you get older, you are less likely to break something. Not to mention the protective and preventative qualities of hand-eye coordination based exercise on cognitive decline*.
So in short: exercise like TKD can help you to live better for longer.

Rebecca Collis (Holding The Target) with The Taekwondo Central Ladies At “Fight For Change”

We’ve all heard it before: Lift that knee! Rotate your lower foot! Pivot more!
When the Instructors give these tips during body kick/flick kick drills, they’re not just being pedantic, it is because they want you to have a long and successful career in martial arts.

Rotating your weight-bearing foot to the angles specified by the instructor minimises the strain on the ligaments in your ankle and knee while providing the most support for your body with a direct line for the kinetic energy to travel. It also works specifically to strengthen some of the muscles most important for protecting those joints.
In plain English, using proper technique might be more difficult to start with, but it keeps you from hurting yourself while practicing and living.

Please note: this may not initially be possible for you if you are starting TKD later in life or working a desk job due to changes in muscle and tendon adaptability. It will be a goal you work towards just like any other. Listen to your body.

Minimise risk to you, maximise satisfaction from hitting that target!

Injuries will happen.

We practice TKD in the safest manner we can. Of all the martial arts forms, sports tae kwon do is one of the safest* while still providing effective self-defence skills. Even still, you or your kids will end up with bruises or blisters. Someone will miss the target and whack a forearm. It happens. As Master Justin is fond of saying “This is martial arts, not checkers”

It’s all in how you respond after the event, that’s what counts.

Basic first aid is not hard to learn, you can ask your local chemist, or even attend a short course from St Johns ambulance for just a couple of hours if you are really concerned.
All our instructors are trained in first aid but you can help them out too. We all keep that box of band-aids in the cupboard, this is just an extension of that forethought, that preparedness.

Here’s a quick and easy one for you though: with tae kwon do, the most serious I’ve seen at our club is a hamstring tendon strain.

Remember: With any sprain/strain injury, the treatment is RICE
R est
I ce
C ompression
E levation*

The tips in this article are no substitute for a face-to-face with a trusted health care professional. Your local doctor, chiro, physio, and remedial therapist, we are all here to help. I promise I’m not scary and I always bring my skill set and work-tools with me into training 😉

When an injury does occur. It’s important to give your body the support and time it needs to heal properly. I know that sounds tedious (and very much in the ‘nagging’ area). Most of the time, a minor injury will have no bearing whatsoever on your life and training. When an injury is slightly more serious, take the time to make yourself a priority. If you handle the problem right the first time, it won’t develop into a bigger problem later.

Professional help If you’ve started training but aren’t getting the results you feel you should be, it might be time to get an outside opinion and a helping hand.

Let me prefix this by stating that it doesn’t need to be with me. There are many highly skilled health care professionals who are qualified to help you treat your aches and pains, improve your training and recovery times, and general well-being.

If you are based in Bunbury than I cannot recommend enough the skilled therapists at Cloud9 wellness on Spencer Street (FYI where instructor Ajana and her skilled lady warriors practice on Wednesdays). Bruce from Laughing Buddha Acupuncture has fixed me up more times than I can count.

As a TKD practitioner myself, I do have some insight into the most common injuries (finger, wrist, knee and ankle sprains. Calf and Hamstring tendon strains) and complaints (hip soreness, upper shoulder and neck tension and soreness, 1 day post training full body ‘so sore I can’t move’) found in TKD.

Working with a skilled professional to remedy a problem, overcome an injury or shortfall can make the difference you’re looking for.

Jaqualine, Rebecca & Mel from the Challenge Day 2018

For those who are interested, I run a clinic 2 days a week in Donnybrook. I’m experienced in treating stress, muscle spasms and strains, shin splints, headaches, growing pains, breathing difficulties, muscle imbalances, postural conditions, nerve injuries, sports injuries, repetitive strain injuries and degenerative conditions among other things.
Treatments can include a variety of massage techniques, Emmett, Lymphatic Drainage, Bowen, joint mobilisations, stretches, muscle/joint taping, hydrotherapy and rehab exercises.

If you are interested in having Rebecca help you she can be found at

Donnybrook Chiro Clinic
Wednesday & Thursday
Unit 3. 25 South West Highway

Call outs also available

Ph or SMS 0408 572 302
www.facebook.com/CollisRebecca

 

Customer References

From the first appointment I had with Rebecca, I knew she was someone I wanted as part of my recovery routine. From muscle fatigue to better sleeping, injury management or just therapy. I recognise the traits that show, this is a fellow human who knows their craft. I distinctly remember after my first session I sat up and felt this gentle clicking noise going up my back. I was like my spine was resetting as it was so relaxed. I stood up. No pain, Easier breathing and my body felt centred and balanced. Its a great feeling. I felt comfortable, relaxed and in safe hands. Dealing with injuries from my past full contact sport days and still training in my late 40’s. Rebecca will be a major piece of the puzzle that keeps me in tune to continue doing what I love to do and my ongoing greater personal goal of achieving Grandmaster status in Taekwondo. Thanks Rebecca.

Justin Warren
Taekwondo Central
Master Head Instructor

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There are many reasons why I love having Rebecca do my massages. Not only is she a wonderful lady I’ve known for years. She is a great listener to what’s going on with your body.
She get a full undertaking of your injury or ache and what you may have done to cause it. Rebecca not only gives you a wonderful massage and never lets you walk away without stretches and techniques to better your problem, Even having you repeat it back to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything haha. She makes the environment very relaxing with lovely music and scents. I almost fall asleep every time.

Ajana Plunkett
Taekwondo Central
Head Instructor

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Living a very active lifestyle, and running a small personal training business looking after my body is extremely important. If it’s not functioning properly I cant work.
Rebecca is my first personal choice when it comes to massage. I’m happy to admit that I’m incredibly fussy when it comes who I let look after my most valuable asset.
Rebecca has an immense knowledge base and it’s easy to see how passionate and dedicated she is when it comes to her work and her clients.
She truly cares and takes the time to listen and thoroughly gather all the information she needs to give you the best treatment and outcome she can.
Every massage and treatment Rebecca has given me has left me feeling relaxed, pain free and mobile again.
Her kind and beautiful demeanour only adds to what a pleasure it is to have Rebecca as part of my health routine.
I absolutely and highly recommend her services.

Kelly Rowe
Martialfit
Owner

 

*References:

WA Gov Dept of Health https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Falls-prevention-and-management-in-WA

The Link Between Exercise and Healthy Bones https://www.verywellfit.com/bone-density-and-exercise-3120770

Medical News Today: Exercise can help fight off Alzheimer’s, but how? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324151.php?fbclid=IwAR17f4sDr-oOcn1leeVk_HIDQzawV6bgp3S7fAC6N4eKzSjz7uSdkeZFxeY

Effectiveness of coordination exercise in improving cognitive function in older adults: a prospective study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3212417/

Boxing vs. Mixed Martial Arts: Which is More Dangerous? http://thesportdigest.com/2016/03/boxing-vs-mixed-martial-arts-which-is-more-dangerous/

Are the injuries in Taekwondo worse than boxing? https://www.quora.com/Are-the-injuries-in-Taekwondo-worse-than-boxing

St John First Aid Fact Sheet Sprains and Strains https://stjohnwa.com.au/docs/default-source/first-aid-compliance/sprains-and-strains.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Epidemiology of injuries in competition taekwondo: A meta-analysis of observational studies https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(08)00200-4/pdf

Nine year longitudinal retrospective study of Taekwondo injuries https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2796946/

 

Homepage – Click Here
Timetable – Click Here
Paragon Program – Click Here
Calendar Of Upcoming Events – Click Here
We’re On FACEBOOK –  Click Here

 

New East Bunbury Taekwondo Classes – South West Italian Club – New & Current Members Welcome

We are very happy to announce that we will … [Read More…]