Under the auspices of the Irish Martial Arts Commission (IMAC), Coaching Ireland and the Irish Sports Council the first ITF Taekwon-Do specific coaching award has been developed piloted and approved! The pilot of the Introductory award took place in Stonehall National School, Shannon, Co Clare over the weekend of the 31st February and 1st of January. 18 coaches participated, mostly new to the coaching vocation but with a few experienced individuals present to provide feedback on the course content and delivery. The course was lead by Mr Adrian Byrne (Coaching Development Program for Ireland Tutor), assisted by Mr Stephen Ryan. Coaches had 12 contact hours during which they participated in class based workshops and mat based practical coaching. Coaches also complete some distance learning and coaching tasks before certification.

This course is aimed at new assistant coaches/instructors who have little or no experience in teaching Taekwon-Do. The object of the course is to:

• Stimulate an interest in coaching Taekwon-Do
• Provide basic coaching skills
• Promote awareness of the coaching process
• Identify key factors in working with beginners and in particular young
• participants aged 6-8 years.
• Develop an appreciation amongst coaches of the technical, tactical, physical, mental, lifestyle and personal capacities related to the development of children at this age.

For the past number of months work has been undertaken in conjunction with Coaching Ireland to develop a coaching award specific to ITF Taekwon-Do. We are delighted to be able to offer our coaches a course that specifically deals with the coaching challenges facing a new coach and provides valuable instruction on the most appropriate training methods and best practice in relation to dealing with the 6 - 8 year old Taekwon-Do participant.

 

One of the things that most coaches commented on during the pilot was the usefulness of the support materials, website, RSS feeds and Podcast. All of which will be added to each time a course is run. The other was the enormous benefit of trying out their coaching skills with a group of 6 - 8 year olds, with support and feedback from the tutors and their peers.

The course is now available to all IMAC Taekwon-Do members and will be delivered in locations throughout the country based on demand.

Testimonials

• "One of the best courses I have been on as a personal trainer, it was excellent. At a high level and still FUN"
• "Excellent, relevant to Taekwon-Do and suitable for all instructors, even those that aren't teaching yet"
• "The course content and tutors were excellent. Also very enjoyable. Every coach and aspiring coach should make it their business to attend"
• "I learned a lot about my style of coaching at the moment and how to improve"

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Adrian Byrne IV Dan