Back to Basic - 2011 FUNdamental Training Program

At this time of the year during my break, I reflect on the training that I had conducted throughout 2010. While the training program for 2010 was not bad but there are still plenty of room for improvement. For one, the training program should be more consistent and with continuity. Therefore, right now I have somehow planned the general program for 2011.

I have to go back to basic. Most of time we coaches are so engrossed into coaching advanced techniques to our athletes or students that we do not spend enough time on their basics. We have to work more on their fundamental before progressing to advance techniques.

Fundamental training do not only cover basic techniques but also their basic physical capabilities. We spent too much time of techniques and less time on physical conditioning, hence the athletes lacking the physical attribute in executing the techniques.

So for 2011, I will begin our training with more physical conditioning and basic techniques to build a strong fundamental and foundation for better performance.

Year End Break

Every year, after a tiring year of coaching it is time for us coaches to have a break from coaching to spend time with our loved ones. It is always good not just for the athletes or students to take a break but also for us, coaches to have a break in order to recover and regenerate especially at the end of the year or end of season. This break will do us a lot of benefits as when we resume our duty, our mental and physical are well-rested to brace a new year or new season.

Taekwondo Training Workshop

Last Sunday, 19 Dec, I rushed to conduct a workshop on Functional Training for Taekwondo Performance to a group of Taekwondo Instructors/Coaches. There were about 16 of them, all very enthusiastic to learn.

I gave them a new insight into physical training that is applicable in Taekwondo training in order to improve performance of their athletes. I did not change what they do but just provide them with new ideas and training methods that they can add to their training program.

Train the way it should be trained and do not do just because other people is doing it. This is to eliminate the MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO syndrome.

Well, I hope they can go far with what they have learned.

Self - Defense Workshop

Last Thursday on the 16 Dec, I conducted a self-defense workshop at Petronas Tower, KLCC to a group of corporate people. It is always refreshing to conduct workshop to different kind of audience and that was my 2nd time conducting to corporate people. The last one was quite some time ago in Maybank HQ.

Anyway, it is always a new experience everytime I conduct a workshop as you have different audience, different environment and different kind of people. The last time I've conducted, there was only slide presentation, this time we have some demo and practical. The people actually get a taste of the techniques.

Also I had two students who were kind enough to assist me in the workshop. Thanks to them the workshop was a success.

Asian Games 2010

The Taekwondo event for the Guangzhou Asian Games, came and gone. The Malaysian contingent ended empty-handed and the best performance was only one athlete who qualified for the quarter-final. They are supposed to be the best Taekwondo exponents in the country and yet they only rely on one athlete to contribute a medal.

The athletes took part in the India Open and Korea Open and came back with a couple of Gold medals. They went for intensive training in Korea prior to the Games. They have enough warm-up and training for the Games and yet there was no performance to show.

What went wrong?

Probably it's time to review the training program that they had gone through throughout the year. Why are the athletes couldn't perform on the big stage? Is it something to do with their physical, mental, technical or tactical? Had the coach done enough prior to the Games? How about they periodization plan? Anyhow, it's time to go back to the white board.

Open-Ended

In the last post, I've talked about closed-ended and it is just natural that I'll also talk on open-ended. Open-ended is the opposite of closed ended. It is when the training is conducted in an unstable or unpredictable environment. After going through closed-ended training, then the athletes will have to undergo open-ended training, where neither will now what techniques they will be doing.

Open-ended training is to get the athletes to be able to react the unpredictable situation just as in the competition. In the competition, nobody knows what going to happen. So by going through open-ended training, at least the athletes will get to understand the situation that they will be in during competition, so that they are able to response to it.

Closed-Ended

Closed-ended or closed-chain training is when the situation is fixed by the coach in order for the athletes to practice a certain technique in a certain situation. In this training, the athletes and their partner know exactly what each other is going to do, hence the precaution and preparation to face the situation is already set.

This type of training is usually done when a new technique or tactic is being introduced by the coach so that the athletes will be familiarized with that situation and 'hope' that the athletes know how to respond and react when the situation occur in real competition.

All of us coaches will have go through this process of coaching but a visionary coach can see beyond closed-ended training situation. How many of us had really look beyond this training in order for the athletes to perform in real competition mode?

Comeback 2

I am thinking of making a comeback to sparring competition. There will be one competition this December and I am thinking if I can still make it. I just started training but the intensity and volume are still low. Maybe it's time for me to move up a gear.

I have not been taking part in any sparring competition since 2001 and had not been really sparring except doing some techniques during coaching. Not too sure if it is a good idea. Probably should start training first and decide later..

Repetitions

Currently I am coaching my students some sparring techniques which we go over it again and again every week before introducing new technique. Every week we will go through the same techniques that we had done repetitively in order for their body to 'remember' the techniques in the situations. There is no point to coach new technique every time when they can't even master one technique that you taught them.

Introduce one technique and let them do it over and over for both side until they can response spontaneously to the situation. Then introduce a new technique the next lesson after practicing the first technique that you taught them. Repeat this sequence every lesson. Only through repetitions that the body can 'remember' the movement and response to it almost instinctively.

This is something that realized recently on why my athletes can't really spar in a competition. They train different techniques every time that they do not master or able to response in a competition. Therefore repetition is one important factor that the coach have to implement in their training in order for the athletes to master the techniques and are able to response automatically.

Comeback

It's been more than 6 months since my last post. A lot of things had been going on and I now making a comeback in blogging and also in training. I've started training again and this time, I am serious in getting back in shape.

I also have a couple of students who are making a comeback in training taekwondo. Some who had laid off training for a couple of months to a few years. They coming back into training and really much into it now than before. Probably they are more mature now or my coaching have mature through the years that they feel more fun training now than before???

Organizing A Competition

I had been chosen to organize a competition and since I am not much of a organizer, I am having sleepless night as the competition date is getting closer. There are too many things to do which I have no idea of doing. So just recently I had elected a committee which I should have done earlier to segregate the tasks on the day of the competition. But prior to that I still have things to do. Thank goodness medals are being take care of but now the concern is the participants. The venue is not near therefore, I worry there will not be many participants. I am trying my best to push my students to participate in the competition.

There is not much time left as the competition is only next week. So much to do so little time...

Fitness Training

Currently I am doing a lot of fitness training with my senior students as a way to increase their strength and power. The fitness training consists of all the fitness components namely: muscular strength and endurance. cardio, power, speed etc.

As they are not only senior students but also teenagers, it is also good to improve on their physical outlook by increasing their strength and power. We doing a lot of sit-ups and now we just starting on push-up too...

Later, I'll incorporate lower body strength training in the training...

Team Poomsae

It is not easy for the students to do a team poomsae if they have not had any experience doing it. It also not an easy task since it required synchronization of all the team members. The team need to have some sort of chemistry and understanding of each other movement and timing in order for them to be able to perform the poomsae.

Currently I am working with a few teams and trying to teach them to learn to 'feel ' each others' movements so that they can actually get the timing and synchronization before actually perform the poomsae with power. This take some time but they understand what I'm teaching them and with only one lesson, they are able to get the timing and synchronization. We will then work on the power this coming lesson.

One-Step Sparring

Teaching 1-step sparring sound easy but in actual fact it is one of the hardest component to teach as the students tend to remember the techniques than to understand the purpose of it. One-step sparring is actually a self-defense technique where the students learn to protect themselves using the basic block and counter-attack. By focusing too much on remembering the technique itself rather than the big picture of its' usage will defeat the purpose of it.

The students have to understand that the 1-step sparring is not just for passing their test but it is the self-defense techniques in Taekwondo training that one day might be needed to protect themselves. Therefore, they should understand the concept of it and not just treat it as part of a test component.

Intensity and Volume

I am using the same approach for all the classes that I'm conducting but implementing different intensity and volume. This is because there are many differences in every classes. The differences consist of age, level of training, training age and different capability.

The intensity and volume of the exercises are very important to elicit training effect to the students. Depending on their level, too much will hamper their development and too little will not be enough to elicit adaptation. Therefore, we have to find an optimal level of intensity and volume of exercises which is effective to their progress.

My New Approach

Lessons have begun for two weeks now and I am still experimenting with my new training approach.

Last year, I am only begin training for poomsae one month towards grading but this year I am begin poomsae training from the beginning. we'll be doing one poomsae a week until the practitioners' own poomsae. Even then, the practitioners will have to practice all the poomsae below theirs in order for them to remember and master all the poomsae. Poomsae training will only be done at the end of the training.

My approach will also focus on their physical aspects and sparring. The physical part will be covered at the beginning of the lesson with dynamic warm-up followed by sports-specific endurance. For the start now we will be working on one basic upper body and lower body strength training which is the push up and squats. Not forgetting the core strength using sit up upon competing the poomsae training.

After that, we will work on some basic free-sparring movements. The focus is on the techniques and the movement speed.

This way, I feel that all the components are covered for the general training. However, this program only can run on the maximum of 6 weeks before moving on to a new program. Otherwise, it'll become redundant and getting bored. Nevertheless, the sequence will be the same and they still have to do poomsae after free-sparring training.

2010

It's been a long while since I last updated my blog. All the gradings for the year 2009 had ended lessons for the year 2010 has just began. As it was a 1st week of lessons, therefore training was light and just a lil' bit of physical with a lil' bit of skill training.

For this year I'll be taking a new approach in conducting my classes. I had just taken my first step this week and will try to keep it going and see how it goes.

It was an eventful week seeing old faces turning up for training and also a couple of new faces trying out for training. Students returning from oversea and will join back the classes. There was also an accident happened in one of the classes where 2 girls fell down and cried.

Well, all and all, it's a good start of the year and I wish the momentum will continue....