Taekwondo 'important' for kids, says world champ

A world champion says taekwondo is important in teaching children to have "discipline, control and the ability to defend yourself".

Alan Collins, from Northamptonshire, won a gold medal in sparring and a bronze in patterns at the Taekwondo World Championship in Poland last month.

He joined 11 other teammates from the Wellingborough-based club BoroTKD which brought home 19 medals between them.

Collins, who is a mental health first aider at his workplace, said: "Being able to socialise and get those endorphins is massively important [for mental health]."

The team trained multiple times a week to prepare for the competition and "it was a lot of hard work," according to the gold medallist. He started the sport at the age of 40 to increase his exercise and has "really enjoyed it" since.

"I was really chuffed and not expecting to win anything," he said.

Collins does weekly classes at BoroTKD with his two children and his wife, who also picked up a gold medal in patterns at the competition.

His daughter, Madison, is the youngest student at just four years old.

Her father said: "Having [self-defence] skills, for the younger generation, is really important."

Master Steve King has been running the not-for-profit club for 30 years at venues in Wellingborough, Wollaston and at Grange Park on the edge of Northampton.

The income is generated by customers and donations which cover the costs of equipment and the use of the training space at Glenvale Primary School in Wellingborough.

King, who has a 7th degree black belt in the sport, has competed internationally throughout his career and was the Hong Kong champion in 2009.

"[The medals] are a testament to the people that went and the effort they put in. They really put their heart and soul into it," he said.

King said he encouraged people of all ages to take up martial arts for the self-defence and self-discipline benefits.

"It's much more about mental strength than physical strength. It's keeping going when you don't think you can," he said.

Kathryn Scutt and her son Jacob have been attending sessions together for more than three years.

"It's such a lovely family atmosphere; we all really care about each other," she said.

Scutt said it had helped channel her son's aggression into something positive and had provided a sense of community.

"He needs to learn to defend himself, [because] it's a bit of a scary world nowadays," she added.

Jacob, 11, said: "I have more of a family here than I do at other sports.

"I love [basketball] but it's not going to really help me, but [taekwondo] could, so I love it for that."

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