Off Day Revisited

My off days during the weekend were most unproductive as most of the time was spent at home being a couch patato. As normally my weekend is being occupied with classes, so having off days during that time really total rest for me. This is not healthy as being a coach, I should have used the time more productively. Maybe doing some training or having a class or two would be a better option.

Probably next time, I should have a training session with selected students. Something to ponder...

Off Day

There will no lessons this weekend for our country independence day holidays which coincide with the school term break. It'll be a long weekend so many parents will take this opportunity to take their children for holiday.

If I to have lesson, there's a big possibility that many people will not turn up, so it's on good to give them a break. I too need a break after a hectic schedule for the past months.

After the break, it's back to training for the grading in November for many. The training program will be more on poomsae.

My Training So Far

After starting training for 6 weeks now, I already feel the effect of the training program. I feel much fitter and leaner. The training program is mainly on the work capacity combining interval training with strength training program. It is a total body functional training program. Now I am able to move more without feeling tired.

Next in the program is to work on my core specifically my back. I'm losing core strength and endurance. Although I can move better but I can feel the repurcussion of the movement the next day with back pain 'visiting' very often now.

I'll continue with my current program, supplement with core training and eventually with taekwondo training.

World Poomsae Champion

Today I have the privilege to have The World Poomsae Team Champion to join in my class for training. They are currently here for vacation and they saw my class and enquire to join my calss for training. So today they came for the lesson and as we are working on sparring techniques which is not suitable for them. They told me that they only train poomsae. However, we shared a lot of knowledge and I really gained from our conversation.

I've learned a lot about the new poomsae techniques and movements. They also provide an eye-opener for my students which is good in the long run. Luckily, we were not too bad ourselves.

It was a good experience and hope they can join us for training again after the Merdeka break. There are a lot of thing that I want to learn from them.

MSSS Matches

The competition was for the students to represent their repective districts in the state of Selangor and every medal winners are eligible to participate. Overall, in the competition there were some good fight and some below par performances. Many of the students were very experience competition sparring as they undergo specifically competition training. They have the speed and agility with good footwork. It was interesting to watch them move. Not much to see form the technical aspects as they were all the same. It was the experience that really separate them. With enough experience, they know how to move, when to move.. It was a point taken and I'll continue with my drawing board.

MSSS

Yesterday I was at the MSSS taekwondo championship coach my atudents and at the same time observe the competition. My sudents did not win but I was not disappointed with them. In fact, I blamed myself for not having enought training with them prior to the competition. It was the biggest stage of competition that they ever been to and I did not put enough effort to prepare them for it. Knowing very well that their inexperience will be a disadvantage to them. Anyway, this served as a very good experience and eventually they mature from there. As for me, I need to get back to the drawing board and start planning for next competition which in another 2 - 3 months away. This time, I;ll make sure they have enough training and exposure.

Sparring Training

Last weekend, we have been working on sparring with the junior working on the basic movements in sparring such as attacking and counter-attack movements. I want them to work on their movement first before techniques. This way, when techniques are taught to them then it can be incoporated into the movement easily.

Wheareas the senior, we worked on speed. The challenge of speed between the attacker and the defender. The skill is kinda fixed but they have to have the speed to execute the techniques. The training was very interesting as both were trying to get the best out of each other. I would love to work more on this in order for them to get used to the feeling of sparring situation. At the same time, this can help them to improve on their speed.

SEA Games Selection

Went to watch the SEA Games selection at the National Sports Council of Malaysia for Taekwondo. There number of participants are not more than 50 people for all the 11 categories that are open for selection. The fights were not that impressive although there were one or two good fights. The participants who were there for the selection did not seem to take it seriously with all of them sitting and waiting for their turn to fight. Even when it was their category turns to fight, the athletes did not do any warm up or getting ready for their fights. They just sat there and when it's their turn, they just go in and fight.

I do not understand the wholempurpose of this selection when the athletes showed no sense of urgency in it. The atmosphere was more like a training session than a selection. Were they interested in the selection or they just go there for the sake of going? Don't the know the needs of warming up and preparing for a fight?

Overall, I find this selection kind of meaningless if this is the way our athletes is behaving in preparation for competition. If they not interested then they better stay at home or find something better to do. I hope I do not see these athletes being selected to represent my country to be embarassed and humiliated.

Jade Hills Resort Club

Today is suppose to be the official opening of the Jade Hills Resort Clubs and I was requested to prepare a demo and some games for the visitors. Unfornately, there were not many visitors. The people came and gone without actually having a crowd. Therefore, there is no point of performing when there wasn't anyone around.

Not much of a promotion can be done without many visitors. Today being and school day for most of the school plus with the condition of the A, may contribute to the low number of turnouts.

However, I suggested to the person-in-charge to have another one to promote the club and the classes more and he came out with open day after the Hari Raya Puassa. Hopefully the next will be much better organized and we actually get to perform our demo.

My First Batch of Marketing Tools

Here are my brochure and poster which I designed on my own.

It took me few weeks to come out with the concept and took me less than 2 days to designed and complete them.

There's more to the brochure though.

Marketing Tools

I am not trying to sell anything, but in my 16 years of coaching experience I have not actually design a brochure, flyer or a poster before. Now I have to learn to design poster, flyer and also banner to market my lessons. It is a new challenge for me as I am more a techniacal person than an administrator.

I am actually struggling to design a brochure,flyer and banner to promote my lesson all at the same time. Luckily I had one poster done by my student that I can recycle. I need to get all these done before Saturday for the opening of the club. This is just so difficult....

All these brochure, flyer, poster and banner are the basic marketing tools to promote and to inform the people on our product and services. And as I do not have the background in business study, I am having difficulty here....

Anyway, by hook or by crook I have to get this done....

Private Class

I attended to a private class today on request by the parents. The purpose of this private class is to reinforce the kids what had been done in the class and also to attend to their shortcomings. In the private class more concentration can be given with the same amount of training time as only one or two kids will be attended at one time.

By having private class or private lesson the student can actually progress faster and learn better as they are no inteference from other students. Also more concentration and focus can be given to the student for him/her to learn the techniques properly.

However, not many parents are willing to have private lesson for their children due to the cost factor. Private lesson as it sound, it has to be exclusive where the student can have the full concentration by the coach instead of sharing with other students in the normal lesson. The time and effort of the coach should be valued as it is, hence the price of the private lesson.

Stretching

Today session ended with static passive stretching with the assistance from the partner to pull and to push them. It's been awhile since we did this and it seems that many had lost the flexibility. This also because I have been working more on the dynamic stretching than static stretching. The dynamic stretching at the beginning of the training session help them to execute their techniques, hwoever as in taekwondo their static stretching is equally important in improving their flexibility. Just remember that static stretching should be done at the end of a training session or static stretching can be a training session by itself.

More Sparring Techniques

Today we worked on more sparring techniques. Instead of just using the kicking pads, we worked on contact on the partners. We worked on attack with the back leg and counter with the back leg too. The attacker will have to try to hit the partner, and if miss, then the partner will land a kick to them. Here is where the speed training come into the picture. Both side will try to hit each other. Speed in attacking, speed in avoiding the kick and speed in counter attack.

At the later stage we worked on attacking with the front leg and counter with backthrust kick. It was more an introductory techniques than actual movements.

Today core training was sit-up with partner without locking each other's legs. Also we did a lower abs training with laeg raise and pushing the legs down without touching the floor.

What we trained today?

We work on their kicking speed and power control in their kicks and at the sametime we worked on the ability to take kicks with moderate force. THis is to train their ability to take kicks and the ability to kick with speed.

It is a new training regime for them, hence many of them are reluctant to hit their partner and some were scare to take the kicks. It is unstandable as not only it is a physical toughness training, it is also mental toughness training because only those that have a strong mind will have the courage to perform this kind of training.

Other than that, we also worked on some advanced 1-step sparring and self-defense techniques. The self-defense techniques are mainly graspling techniques to create some excitement in the training. The students enjoyed the training though as they practice the techniques non-stop.

Good practice today!!!

Grading at 1 U

The grading in 1 Utama went well today with the improved performance by the students. From my qualitative evaluation, their performance is much better than the previous grading. The students were very determined and more well-prepared for it. They put their effort in the grading. I was happy and proud with their performance.

All and all, it was a good performance by them. Good job everybody.

New Class Soon

Attended a meeting today at Kajang to talk about the opening of the club next weekend and the respective coach need to prepare something for it. Taekwondo is to prepare a demonstration and games to attract potential students to join the lesson.

I've already something in mind but one of the student pulled out from the show due to examination. Now I have to try to find a replacement or make to do with whatever I have in hand. We will start our first practice this Sunday and see hown it goes.

Another Grading

There will be another grading this Saturday at 1 Utama. At this moment we are having extra classes to work on their poomsae. The participants of this grading is of average age of 8 years old and they are able to do most of the things required for the grading but just lack of power in their execution. Also they tend to forget their poomsae quite often. These kids are the shortlisted ones and we'll see how many of them can actually make it for the grading by today.

Presentation at Monash University

Yesterday, I was invited as a guest speaker at the Monash University for their Occupational Health & Safety Week. I was to talk on Basic Self-Defense with a little bit of demonstration. It went quite well, given the fact that my presentation time was reduced to 20 minutes from the initial 45 minutes. I was the last speaker after two presentations from the Royal Malaysian Police on Crime Prevention and RakanCop and another presentation by a professor on the cause, effect and prevention of crime. All the speakers were later presented with a token of appreciation compliment of Monash University.

I was also given a booth to give out brochures on the self-defense tips and to promote self-defense course in Monash University (finger crossed). The audience enjoyed my presentation based on their response to me after my presentation or they just being nice. Anyway, that was a major presentation for me and I was nervous for the past few days preparing for it and now I'm glasd it's over and see where it gets me from here.

The short demo was presented with the assistance of Margaret. We did not rehearse the demo and it was a spontaneity movement of the techniques from her. She also help me to set up the booth there. Thanks Margaret for your help.

After the presentations, we were invited for lunch with the participants. It was Nasi Lemak for lunch, buffet style. Nice food to cap it off.

Now to prepare for the next show which is the opening of the Jade Hills Club next week. I'll be preparing a taekwondo demonstration and still thinking what to do. I need to think fast and first practice will be this Sunday afternoon.

My Birthday

Yesterday my students planned a birthday celebration for me. It was the one of the most memorable birthday celebration I ever had and I don't have many. It was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Thank you guys. You guys are the best. Really appreciate it. With students like them, this will drive me to continue coaching taekwondo.