Annabelle Murphy becomes Bishop’s Stortford Taekwon-do’s youngest black belt aged 10
Annabelle Murphy became Bishop’s Stortford Taekwon-do’s youngest black belt after passing at a recent grading in Northamptonshire.
The 10-year-old was one of six club members to impress the judges at the event in Daventry.
She tested for first degree alongside Kellie O’Dwyer, 47, Georgi Georgiev, 12, Magdalena Montu, 18, and Lola Zheng, 13, while 19-year-old Callum Dodd tested for third degree.
The students were put through their paces in front of the Tae Kwon-Do Association Of Great Britain’s committee of grand masters on all aspects of the martial art, including floor work, set sparring, competition-style free sparring, patterns, Korean terminology and history.
Dodd’s grading also included breaking boards with hands, feet and jumping techniques.
“All students trained for many years leading up to the grading, often attending three or four classes a week, and fully deserved to be rewarded with their new belts,” said coach Colin Mowatt, fifth dan.
“Taekwondo is one of the few martial arts suitable for all ages, as shown by the wide age range of our students grading. Annabelle is now our youngest black belt, whose ages range from 10 to 68 and include 30 black belts.”
The club trains at Parsonage Community Hall on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Free trial classes for new students are now being offered. See www.bstkd.uk to find out more.