Sport
28 January, 2025
Dimbulah black belt factory
XTRHEEM Taekwondo Dimbulah has produced its 64th black belt student following the recent promotion of young local James Kath.
After commencing taekwondo training at five years of age, the now 10 year-old has been promoted to junior black belt in just under five years, joining the impressively long list of black belts already produced by the club.
“James is the 64th student to achieve a black belt at Xtrheem Taekwondo, which is a very impressive statistic for a small rural town with a population of a thousand people,” master instructor Phil Quayle said.
“He has always been a quietly spoken young person and a dedicated student with a respectful attitude.”
At the recent Xtrheem Taekwondo gradings in November, James was promoted to junior black belt by master instructor Phil Quayle.
His grading required him to demonstrate his skill and technique with several rounds of free sparring, including effectively performing the 30 movements of Choong-Moo 1st Grade black tip pattern, as well as breaking four timber boards with side kick, spinning back kick, knife hand strike and running-jumping flying side kick, which he completed on his first attempt.
“Dedicated practice of martial arts is one of the best physical activities there is. As well as strength and conditioning the body, taekwondo teaches kids and adults self-defense skills, discipline and perseverance,” master Phil said.
“Too many young people today don’t learn about respect, humility and integrity. These are all essential elements for success in life.
“I’ve been teaching taekwondo in Dimbulah for the past 30 years and it’s a huge honour to me when students like James step up and reach their full potential through focus, determination and hard work,”
he said.
