Including a Martial Art in your Sport Program

1. A presentation for the 2014 ACHPER Conference in Brisbane by Kate Eggar, Operations Manager, Taekwondo Queensland and 7th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo Including a Martial Art in your Sport Program

2. A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost! He who bows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. We realise that, unlike many other sports, to teach a martial art you generally need to know a martial art … and many teachers don’t. We all know that budgets are tight but if you can squeeze in a contractor affiliated TAEKWONDO instructors carry public liability and professional indemnity insurances, have coach accreditations and are already ‘Blue Card’ screened to work with children. Also, children sometimes enjoy working with someone who isn’t one of their teachers! Teaches RESPECT

3. Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself. Be true and honest with yourself and your reward will be great. TAEKWONDO is a great ‘add-on’ service to schools. By engaging with qualified and affiliated instructor your school could provide internationally recognised TAEKWONDO RANKING as an added benefit to your sport program in the same way other parts of the school provide certificate qualifications. Imagine your students being able to add BLACK BELT IN TAEKWONDO to their resume when they leave school because of the sport program you facilitated! Imagine if THEY became a TAEKWONDO instructor and created a flexible and satisfying lifestyle for themselves through a sport that you inspired them to do! Teaches HONESTY and RESPONSIBILITY

4. “Do or do not. There is no try” It’s OK to stop something, but that’s different to giving up! TAEKWONDO is the kind of program that you can pick up when you need to for short-program experiences or commit to your full program. Most instructors are already delivering multi-age, multi-level classes so they can deal with a mix of experience and be as flexible as your program needs – 1 term a year or a whole of sport experience! ….and …. small sports have great odds for State and National Champions – promote your school on the national stage in an Olympic sport with TAEKWONDO! Never, never, NEVER give up!

5. Sometime bubbles need to be popped and sometimes they don’t! Self-Control is knowing which is which! TAEKWONDO is the BEST stress relief – join in with the students! There is no better way to get rid of the tensions of the day than by kicking things really hard (that’s the kick bags, not the kids!) or doing a good solid workout. Students benefit from seeing the ‘adults’ put their money where their mouth is and all teachers are capable of participating alongside the students and gaining the same benefits. In time, you could add it to your repertoire and have another skill to make you an even more attractive employee! You know you want to do it!

6. TAEKWONDO comes with a position of strong moral standing with traditions that date back 2,000 years and that means participants, without usually being conscious of it, take on a protective and righteous nature. Team this with the ‘Rules of Life’ and the rules they encounter within the school and the home and their participation, even in a short-course program of TAEKWONDO, will have them thinking of what it means to be a martial artist. The movie role models all have the ‘good guy’ winning in the long run, the protection of the down-trodden and the willingness to make a stand for what is right. Imagine if taking part in sport at school inspired them to be better people! COURAGE to always do what is right!

7. Developing Self-Discipline – Achievement in a martial art is possible for everyone but is something the individual needs to do personally. What we do is show them how and make them want it. • Grow at Their Own Pace – Each participant can take as much time as required to achieve the advancement they seek. They still progress but aren’t stressed by pressure they can’t handle. • Encouraging Physical Activity – Those who achieve at the more popular sports will achieve at martial arts but not all children want to do football! ‘Small’ sports, ‘alternate’ sports attract children from a different demographic and can be attractive to those who might not otherwise engage well with the more mainstream physical activity options. People who do engage will often bring their children back to the martial art they did themselves and can re-engage with the next generation. • Setting and Achieving Goals – Inherent in martial arts is rank advancement providing staged goals and achievement that can carry on through whole of life. Martial arts is a whole of life physical activity. • Developing Respect – Martial arts have clear behavioral expectations and the uniform commands respect that is returned to reward the participant’s good behavior. Poor choices in behavior are discouraged and managed and the respect must start with self-respect. • Encouraging Non-Violent Conflict Resolution – Stressing the defensive nature of martial arts, the use of the skills is discussed and rules set and the sport side of the activity teaches strategic thinking within the game. It’s about being able to use it and knowing when to use it! • Balance, Flexibility, Co-Ordination and Core – Simple moves of martial arts bring everyone to the basics and steps up from there. Standing positions and movement practice will, by the nature of the actions, gradually improve wellbeing and bodily function and advanced levels link body and mind. • Developing Teamwork – Though working individually, participants will be part of a worldwide ‘family’ within the martial art. Classes are structured so that uniformity is encouraged in the areas that matter. Lining up, shouting, working in groups to help each other achieve individual goals develops teamwork among even the most independent individuals without the pressure of team member reliance. Encouragement without expectation. • Everyone Gets to Play – Martial arts can adapt to be inclusive from the very young to the aged and for all levels of physical ability and most levels of physically challenged lives. • Taking it Outside the Gym – Though the ‘Rules’ are set for use of the martial art, the benefits flow over into many other aspects of life, particularly balance, co-ordination, concentration and confidence. 10 Ways Young People Benefit from Doing a Martial Art

8. Taekwondo Queensland Inc PO Box 2432, Chermside Centre QLD 4032 Office 2.02 – Sports House, 150 Caxton St, Milton State Training Centre – South Pine Sports Complex, 620 South Pine Rd, Brendale Ph 0408 982 248 (new lines being connected at Milton shortly) www.tkdqld.com -info@tkdqld.com Operations Manager – Kate Eggar We’re here to help you…. TRY TAEKWONDO!