The 31st Belgian Open was the last outing of the season for the National Team of Scotland. On the 10th and 11th of April 800 international competitors gathered to fight it out in Herentals.  The Scotland team welcomed back both James Tully (-68) and Ewan Harrison (-80) from long lay offs due to injury, it was a positive sight to see them both back in the fray swelling the ranks of the Scotland team to 10 athletes.

In what has been a very successful and in indeed very long year for the National Team, this outing was a true test of tired bodies and minds.  The team responded with a spirited effort signifying their desire to succeed, alas on this occasion determination gave way to a combination of world-class opponents and battle fatigue.

Up first in – 74Kg Male was Ross Eden.  His first match was against Ariel Pascolino Sergio from the Argerntina National Team an opponent Ross was giving away a few inches to in both height and reach.  Being on so early in a competition is never easy and Ross struggled to really get out of the starting blocks in the match.  His opponent took an early lead but true to his determination Ross tried everything to claw back the deficit.  A true measure of his character, Ross tried everything to take control, but his opponent was able to see out the relatively low scoring match 4-2 through excellent defensive skills.  Ross was going in to this match on the back of facing arguably the toughest opponent of his career at the Dutch Open (Servet Tazeguel) and was perhaps still drained from his grueling efforts only a few weeks previous.  It has been a highly successful first year in the seniors for Ross, taking the scalp of the world bronze medalist along the way.  Despite this minor setback, there are certainly golden times ahead for Ross.

Following him onto the mat was Peter Woods in Junior Male -68 Kg’s. A relative newcomer to the National team and to the International competition circuit this was a rude awakening for the youngster in his first A class event. A talented sportsman Peter is spoiled for choice be it football, boxing or Taekwondo.  Alas this lack of focus on Taekwondo practice was totally exposed by Poland’s Filip Sosik. An athlete of great stature and strength Peter was made to work tirelessly to get on the scoreboard. His undoubted potential needs to be matched with a greater commitment to Taekwondo, then he will get the rewards that his attitude, professionalism and courage merits. What a bright future he has on the Taekwondo mat.

Laura Sweeny showed continued progress and indeed a canny knack of finding world-class competition in the first match.  Sanna Atabrour of the National Team of Morocco, world cup silver medalist provided a stern test of the young Scots skills and desire. The Moroccan was made to work very hard for her deserved victory but glimpses of what is to come from Laura give great hope for the future. Application and work rate were first class from the Scottish flyweight but greater belief and flexibility are needed to mix it with world-class competitors. A spirited and intelligent performance were not enough to truly trouble the eventual silver medalist but the young Scot now knows what it takes to win at that level, a valuable lesson indeed. Watch this space.

In the welterweight category Dale Rhodie faced up against Sven Kaminski of Germany in his first round match. Dale ,fresh from training at the Norwegian Olympic centre, opened with great confidence and assuredness, his superior skill and footwork were evident throughout and showed real signs of progress in this match. Switched on from the start Dale showed his customary cool approach to play mixed with a new tenacity and aggressiveness that saw him deservedly win 12 - 6.  A double to the head showed where his game can go - more like it. In the next round Dale faced off against Hassan Nawafly of Norway, although the final 14-6 scoreline may have flattered the Norwegian, Dale will be aware of the improvements needed. A highly skillful athlete , now free of injury, Dale must work to turn his skills into threats. A base game to keep the match close whilst mixing in his own trademark techniques will provide the platform for future success.

In -80 Ewan Harrison fought the German National Team's Adam Bashir. Ewan in his first competition back from 6 months off with medial Ligament damage gave all he had on the day against the double European bronze medalist. Initially sharp and scoring with clean shots Ewan's lack of ringtime eventually caught up with him as the rounds progressed, with both players trading shot for shot the scores were even for the first round, rustiness came to the fore in round 2 where Ewan lost a few simple shots and the balance of the match changed. The final score of 10-5 shows the need for more consistent training and sparring over the summer months - gyms before glory  - and Ewan will take the lessons learned and work to regain his customary speed and power.

In the -68kg category Craig Eden faced Germany's Kiyan Karambakhschi. The match was evenly balanced throughout as each round finished level (2-2,5-5,7-7). Craig performed well throughout and maybe could have clinched the win in the final round but the draw was a fair result for both fighters. Throughout the match the German was the more attacking player which eventually payed off in the sudden death round when he scored the winning point. Craig has learned some valuable lessons from this match and throughout a successful season which will only benefit him in the future.

Next was the eagerly anticipated return of James Tully, returning after a 6 month lay-off through knee surgery.  His first match was against Taner Hickmet from the Australian national team.  The first round ended 0-0, however James showed world class movement and positioning but his ring-rust prevented him from pulling the trigger despite being in all the correct positions.  James actually only threw 2 kicks in the entire round despite the shots being set-up perfectly.  The second round was much better and James now started to believe that his knee was up to the stresses of international competition.  He scored some powerful and accurate shots that were matched by his opponent.  The real talking point of the match was a headhot by James halfway through the second round.  His opponent attacked with a leading front leg and James countered on the spot with a shot to the face.  There were clearly two loud bangs, one from James’ hogu and one from the Australian’s face.  Unfortunately for James the judges only saw the body shot and nothing was awarded to James despite it being possibly one of the most obvious headshots of the competition. James came out for the 3rd round chasing the lead and managed to score with a textbook double kick that his opponent could only stand and watch, but in the end James’ ring-rust proved his downfall.  The match ended 6-3, but the most important aspect was that James is now confident that his knee is fully recovered and he can get his career back on track.  His inability to pull the trigger when it mattered may have been his un-doing, however the first class athleticism, movement and distancing that he did show is extremely encouraging for the future.

Next up was Louise Mair in the -49Kg division.  Her first match was against Ann-Maree Dell Orso of the Australian National Team, a former Junior World Championship quarter finalist.  Louise, a European Bronze Medallist and defending Belgian Open 2009 champion, dominated the match from the start. She showed excellent power behind her counter attack and her opponent simply did not have a way round.  Louise scored a stunning 2 point back kick and a beautiful reverse turning kick to the head that unfortunately only scored 1 point.  Despite giving away a couple of silly points towards the end and loosing 1 through kyong-gos her opponent was unable to close the gap Louise had opened up and despite her best efforts at headshots later in the game was unable to find a away through.  The match finished 9-6 to Scotland.

Her second match was a much tougher encounter and arguably what should have been the final of the division.  Her opponent was Yasmina Aziez from the French national Team who is reigning Junior European Champion, Senior World Bronze Medallist and ranked number 6 in the world in the -49Kg division.  Louise had previously faced Yasmina at the British Open in 2009 coming up short 6-2.  Louise knew this would be a very tough match but had a game plan worked out that would hopefully stifle the main front leg weapon the French girl utilises so successfully.  When the game started Louise went straight to work attempting to shut out the French opponent and forced her to fight on her less comfortable rear right leg.  It was a tactic that proved fruitful for Louise with the first round ending 3-2 to France.  Louise now started to believe that she could beat the French girl if she stuck to her game plan and could continue to stop Yasmina playing the game she wanted.  Every time her opponent tried to lift her trademark left leg Louise would simply shift round the side and throw her right leg to her closed side, this won her quite a few points and could have been more had a few not landed on the French girl hips.  Half way through the round Louise hit a terrific back kick but the judges did not see fit to award the points.  At the end of the second round the scores were now level giving Louise a wonderful opportunity to take the match in the 3rd round.  Sticking to the same game plan Louise managed to keep frustrating the French number 1 and with 1 minute left in the match took the lead.  She continued to hold on until there was when Yasmina managed to level the score once more at 10-10.  With only a matter of seconds now left on the clock, The French girl threw caution to the wind and tried frantically to score a headshot to finish the match.  The long and flexibly legs of her opponent proved too hard to deal with and despite her best attempts to avoid the flurry of head shots, the French athlete opened a 13-10 lead with less that 10 seconds remaining. Heartbreak for Louise who for the majority of the match had done all the right things.  A mature performance from the young Scottish athlete who will now look to the European Championships in May hoping to improve on the Bronze Medal she won in Rome in 2008.

Next up was reining British Champion Chris Sweeten.  His first match Khavary Reza from Sweden.  Chris started the game very well matching his opponent point for point.  However, halfway through the first round Chris got caught with a wonderful jumping reverse turning kick to give his opponent a 3 point lead.  It was a lead Chris was never able to claw back, his biggest mistake being his lack of concentration.  After his initial attack or counters Chris would switch off wanting to essentially reset and start again, his opponent however, would always continue the exchange determined to be the last person to kick and come out of each exchange on top.  It was a tactic that worked extremely well for his opponent and despite his best efforts any impact he made on the 3 point lead was immediately clawed back. It was his lack of concentration that ultimately let him down and although not the result he was looking for, many lessons will be learned for the young and relatively inexperienced athlete who we can all expect bigger and better things from him in the future.

Nathan Brown went in 55 junior Male and found it hard to make any progress. The youngster, who has made great improvements this term, couldn’t find the right distance against his taller opponent. This fact alone meant that all of Nathans skills were of little use as his taller opponent countered simply to run out a deserved winner. More application in training, greater courage in the ring and a fuller understanding of distance is required for Nathan to realize his obvious potential. Plenty to work on in the close season and hard work is one of this young athlete’s many strengths.

Going in -57 kg’s was Carla Summerhill 2010 Dutch Open bronze medalist. Up first was Elly Greenfield of the Australian national Team, a good competitor with a variety of skills, Carla used her trademark headshots and indeed good back kicks to overcome her opponent 9-7. The ability to adapt is so crucial for top-level athletes and the Scottish featherweight used fresh tactics against Julia Baransky of Germany. Patience is a virtue especially when you have the height advantage, Carla controlled the distance throughout and drew her opponent in to some clean counter shots. Following it up with attacking headshots there was only one winner, 4-1 to the Scot.

Up next was Vinciane Douet of the French National team and a much sterner test. Starting brightly with a well-judged right leg counter, the first of the competition, the taller Scot controlled the distance. The desire to attack proved too much and the smaller French athlete countered a very close headshot attempt to go 1-1 and a similar foray in search of a headshot made it 2-1 to the French athlete. From here, no longer able to wait and control the distance, the Scot succumbed to a couple of headshots and the match was over as a points contest. Losing to the eventual winner Carla can take much encouragement from this her 3rd  A class ¼ final of the season.

A fitting close to a tough season and each player can be rightly proud of their efforts and successes.  During the close season each athlete has plenty of lessons to learn and fresh opportunities to acquire new skills or polish existing ones. Progress is often painful and this team is pushing through the pain barrier to win. Gym’s come before glory so look out for these athletes working hard in a club near you…who knows next season it may be you. Scottish Taekwondo is in safe hands (and dangerous feet)