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Tae Kwon Do - What is it ?
Students and instructors alike experience many challenges throughout their
Tae Kwon Do journey. Like all instructors, I have had my disappointments
concerning students as well as joy at their achievements. At the end of the day
it is the responsibility of the student to elevate himself/herself with the help
of the instructor, in all aspects of Tae Kwon Do.
When people visit my club and want to join, it is an experience for
everybody. On the one hand, the student is probably apprehensive about joining
and sometimes if the warm-up is pretty rigorous, they might be a bit put-off.
However, there are no shortcuts!! Also it is an achievement if eventually they
decide to 'have a go'. Yes, you have to put effort into the training but
everybody is nurtured and taught good basics in the beginning, which is
fundamental to Tae Kwon Do. In any new group of students, there will be a
cross-section of men and women, some 'raring to go', others still not quite
comfortable with their environment, they all want to feel part of the group.
Children like to feel part of the group quickly and so playing games like relay
races helps in this respect.
In one way my experiences in teaching in such transient environments as Brussels
has been
interesting in meeting new people who join the club, but in other ways it was
frustrating when they move or stop after so much time has been spent not only in
teaching the student but also integrating them into the club. I try to encourage
students to realise this is their club, they can help build it, and it is not
just about the training syllabus and moving up through the different levels.
Tae Kwon Do culture
It was a challenge in Brussels and quite unlike Tae Kwon Do clubs in
the UK, Wales, Ireland etc, where clubs are run within local communities. Here
clubs
are often large with students training several times a week, with an involvement
in regular tournaments home and away. I tried to create a community spirit in
Brussels, in being able to speak French and English, though it was an
English-speaking club and everyone including myself was also occupied with work,
studies, and family. I arranged tournaments with Welsh, Irish and Dutch clubs
(look at the News section) and seminars were held in
Holland for higher level students every month, with a summer camp training at the end of June, followed by a black belt grading.
Another aspect of Clubs in general is the image of
the club. What sets our club apart is our striving for a high standard of
discipline and technical ability. Most clubs produce 'fighters' but not 'martial
artists'. What's the difference ? 'Fighters' burn themselves out eventually,
'martial artists' go on forever. And that is not to say they are not also good
fighters. There are many women in the martial arts and Tae Kwon Do in particular
in most of Europe and elsewhere that actually work their way up and get the same
respect as the men after much dedication.
One of the things I like to see in a club is people working together as a
team and our club does a lot of that. I also like to see them with clean, pressed
doboks (training outfit) and a willingness to learn how to conduct themselves in
Tae Kwon Do, in every respect. It seems sad to see a student who reaches a first
degree black belt physically but is lacking in maturity mentally.
For more details about the different aspects of Tae Kwon Do please select any of the following:
[ Combat ] [ Patterns ] [ Weapons ] [ Evolution ] [ Founder ]
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