10.4.2018 / Instructors´ and assistants´ weekend at Lipno

Instructors´ and assistants´ camp at Lipno

On March 23th, Tereza Žilinská, Šarka Šestáková and I went to training camp by Velešín, which was led by our sonkal ace Martin Svitek. After 3-hour journey our group finally arrived to Přední Výtoň, where the camp took place. After arrival we realized, that whole assembly would be in style of seminar rather than a training camp. I was pleasantly surprised how many people from different sections across the country managed to meet here in Lipno at Hotel Aktiv.
Friday's training started at 5:30PM with basic movements / techniques + hosinsool (self defence) in groups. After the training we had dinner and a pleasant stay with other taekwondists.

Saturday began with warm-up at 7:30AM in front of the hotel. 40 people, including non-taekwondo volunteers, rushed on a frozen dam. Here we practiced some basic kicks and some patterns (from Chon-Ji to Yul-Gok). When main group leaved, Martin with few more people and I took a hardering bath. Everything went smoothly and we turned back for breakfast. Both Saturday’s trainings were focused on “Comprehensive Taekwondo”, where we practiced low (leg) kicks/defending against them, catching legs/defending against catching. Part of the afternoon training was also unsportsmanlike, but “friendly” matsogi with possibility to use grips, under belt kicks and could even go into ground fight. Weather wished us so a lot of people visited Vítek’s Castle with a beautiful view of the whole dam, Novohradské Mountains, Austrian Alps and the surrounding countryside. Before and after dinner, there was a sauna where a group of morning hardy swimmers and other less tough guys could try the other extreme. The Saturday night ended with a friendly sitting along with guitars and songbooks.

The Sunday warm-up was yoga, during which Martin showed us how important it is to work with breath and your own body. Follow-up training was focused on workout and stretching exercises than the Taekwondo itself. At the end of the day we received a certificate of attendance of 9.5 hours of pure training. We packed things up, said goodbye to the others and headed back to Prague.

Egor Popov, 1. kup, Sonkal Prague


Our impressions

Tereza Žilinská
This weekend in Lipno was great. Everyone trained well and also I could get closer to people I knew partly from different Taekwon-do events. Seminars with Martin are really instructive and entertaining. We laughed a lot. I repeated a few things I already knew from our Sonkal events and learned new things I did not know yet. Other taekwonders were all enthusiastic just like me and they took a lot of things to use for themselves or for their pupils. Thank you for taking part in this event.

Egor Popov
I know Martin’s type of training very well. The intent is to show in theory and practice the course of training from the point of view of health science and to practice the things that are missing or not in the normal exercise. Still, I think there is a need to attend this events as it is, because there is a huge amount of things that cannot be dealt with in one training / seminar. As a physiotherapist, as well as a long-time trainer with V. Dan, he knows exactly what each of us needs in terms of body work. Therefore, I think that everyone who has been at this camp has learned something and will continue to develop and apply it in his training or leisure. I would like to thank Martin and Milan for the great organization of the camp and all other participants for their activity, good mood and help.

Šárka Šestáková
It was my first experience with Martin‘s training and I was delighted. We did a lot of body strenghtening exercises that were new for me and can be refreshing for normal training or used as a warming-up. As a physiotherapist, Martin has a great knowledge about how to compensate hard taekwondo techniques with relaxing exercises and how important the breathing exercises are. The whole atmosphere at the training camp was very friendly and easy and we had a lot of fun with other taekwondists. I participated already in several camps at Lipno so I knew that Milan and his team won‘t let me down. I would like to thank expecially Martin for a lot of new experience and inspirations for my future training.

Martin Svitek
Others have to judge how I teach, but I want to mention one thing. This event remembered me how beautiful is to be part of Taekwondo – 45 people, many of my level or higher listened carefully, practiced, thought through. Everything in very friendly and active mood “let´s try his way of Taekwondo”. And free evenings with singing and friendly talk like one big family. Than to Milan for his invitation, I know he is called “patriarch” not because of age, but wisdom. And thanks to Velešín team for perfect organization.