Report by Hans Rombaut:
2nd ITF Coaches Conference – Report
On the 30th of June, 1st and 2nd of July the 2nd ITF Coaches Conference was held in the University of Limerick, Ireland under guidance of the ITF Coaches Committee. From ITF- Belgium, Boosabum Nicolas Taylor and myself joined more than 100 participants from 16 countries for a weekend of learning, training, discussing and socialising over a shared passion of coaching and teaching Taekwon-Do. The conference combines practical Taekwon-Do coaching with theory based lectures and inputs from experts from academia and other sports, and is specifically meant for everyone with an interest in teaching Taekwon-Do, regardless of level. What was nice to see, was that blue/red belts assistant-instructors were just as welcome to share their (sometimes refreshing) ideas as were the Masters and Grandmasters.
On the first day Master Leo Oros Duek and Mr. Declan O’Leary set the tone with opening lectures on top performance under pressure and the concept of physical literacy to increase the likelihood that people will stay active in Taekwon-Do over a lifetime. We as participants felt immediately encouraged to think deeper about our coaching practice, to question long standing routines we might have developed and adapt them to get better outcomes.
After the lectures, we moved to the sport arena for practical sessions under leadership of GM Willem Jacob Bos and Master Stephen Ryan, Master Stephen Tapilatu, Mr. Brendan Doogan and Ms. Izzy Brider. A divers panel of teachers, each sharing from their own rich background and expertise in an open and welcoming atmosphere.
Day 2 continued with a lecture on skill acquisition by Dr Phil Kearny. Dr. Kearny stated that skill is the ability to adapt and to solve problems as they occur. To acquire it, we as coaches have to facilitate our students’ learning by “repetition without repetition”. Immediately after, Masters Byrne and Ryan let us put the theory to the test in a practical sparring session in which we could experiment with being more “FERAL” (if you want to learn more about this concept, ask ITF-Belgiums new coach developer Mr. Nicolas Taylor, hr). A revolutionary different approach to teaching skill in which creativity and a constant feedback loop between coach and athlete are key, this provides us with the possibility of making classes much more dynamic and engaging AND to get more adaptable athletes.
The day continued with – among other workshops – practical sessions by gymnastics expert Mr. Adam Doyle on flexibility for kicking and plyometrics for pre-adolescents and an amazing lecture on how to build a successful TKD organisation by GM Per Andresen from Norway. The scale and thoroughness of his work with NTN is nothing short but breath taking.
In the evening participants and lecturers joined in the student center of the university for a barbecue. This was a great way to come together and relax after a long day of learning.
Day 3 continued much in the same vein. We gathered in doboks for more skill acquisition with Masters Byrne and Ryan, or for patterns with GMs Bos and Andresen. After that, Master Tapilatu and Mr. Doogan took the floor for sparring and power breaking respectively. By now, many bodies were aching but spirits were high as ever, as participants felt they had been part of something unique within our ITF. The combination of quality course content, networking possibilities, the beautiful setting of Limericks University and the approachability of the teachers and lecturers over the weekend made it a valuable experience for everyone. As Master Duek concluded during the closing Q&A session: “The ITF is a family” and in this weekend, it just felt like that.
We would like to thank the ITF Coaches Committee, the ITA, organisers GM Bos, Masters Byrne and Ryan, and all the lecturers and participants for making the 2nd ITF Coaches Conference an unforgettable experience. We will come back for the next one organised in Europe and we hope to encourage other ITF-Belgium coaches to join in. When you do, you give yourself a great chance of becoming better at your craft of teaching Taekwon-Do!