Formalized competition classes

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do' started by Artikon, Apr 22, 2005.

  1. Artikon

    Artikon Advertise here ask me how

    Over the last couple months the interest in the competition class I run has just tripled and maybe even quadrupled. The empahsis on competition in our school is minimal and it's essentially viewed as an extra curricular activity. There is a special class for it once a week, and that's it. Basically the class layout is done up on the fly because of the small class sizes in the past. Lately I've been finding this doesn't work, big surprise ;).

    What I will be doing over the next couple months is formalizing this program. My idea right now is to split it into three different levels. Beginner, intermediate, and of course advanced. Because of the nature of our school and the emphasis on other areas, belt rank will mean nothing in this class. If you come into the class as a black belt for the first time, you will start off with the beginner group. Right now I'm thinking I'll handle advancement in two ways. First there will be an informal test which basically judges the technical skill, and then you will have to spar someone in the higher group. The second part will be a small written exam, basically a take home true or false test based on the rules of competition. I find that there are alot of athletes that don't have a full understanding of the rules and that can get them into trouble.

    Because I'm in the very preliminary stages of developing this program I would like to ask the MAP TKDers (others can sound off if they want ;) ) what are some of the things that you think are important skills to have at each level. This is where my biggest problem lies as I personally feel that there are so many skills that you need and are equally important, and I'm not entirely sure how to split these skillsets up into the three levels.

    Are there any instructors are schools out there that have a seperate program for competition? How do you keep this seperate from the rest of the school curriculum? Questions, comments, suggestions, criticisms all are welcome. Thanks.
     
  2. angry

    angry Valued Member

    Just a quick thought.

    Beginners need to cover the basic rules and how points are awarded.

    Intermediates should be working on creating openings, counters and scoring combo's.

    Advanced could work on psyching out the opponent and controlling the bout.

    Lots of others I'm sure.
     
  3. Artikon

    Artikon Advertise here ask me how

    Thanks angry

    Beginners I absolutley agree. I've already made the decision to include that in that section.
    Intermediate, I'll have to look at this more but I see creating openings more of an advanced tactic. Trap fighting takes alot of time to get proficient at, and I would rather that they be better counter and attackers. Course again I could change my mind about that. Will be experimenting with that through the summer and see how the students progress under different circumstances.
    I think ring management should be in the intermediate level too, but again same thing as above . . . I think I have alot of work on my plate right now :bang: :D
     
  4. Spookey

    Spookey Valued Member

    Competition Training (Sparring)...

    Dear Sir(s),

    Here is a breakdown of training based in experience...

    1. Beginner Level

    -Rules and Etiquette
    -Equipment and proper usage
    -Proper Fighting Posture
    -General Techniques & Basic Combinations

    2. Intermediate

    -Ring Movement
    -Counter Kicking
    -Target Training (Kick Paddles and Hogu Drills)
    -Strength, Stamina, and Range of Motion Training

    3. Advanced

    -Dominating the Ring
    -Advances Combinations (Flying Multiple Kicks etc.)
    -The Science of Positioning (Drawing the opponent, trap fighting, etc)

    Bare in mind that each phase should rehash the knowledge and techniques of the previous phase. Also, strength, stamina, and stretching should be taught from the very beginning with the intensity level being raised based on ability!

    Tell me what you think,
    TAEKWON!
    SpooKeY
     
  5. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member

    i don't know how many students you have and what exactly your ideas are, but i was just wondering if 3 groups, divided in that way, are really necessary, so we come to another question whether different ages will be in the same group (the age won't matter but level?) and what the purpose of your classes will be (taking the students to competitions?)
     
  6. Artikon

    Artikon Advertise here ask me how

    Good questions Neryo. The purpose of the program is to give students of the school the opportunity to train for and compete in competitions. Like I said before this is not the focus of our school as a whole, and just an extra-curricular activity for students who are interested.

    Because of the increased interest lately in both children and adults I've had to split them apart. Usually I've just taught them as a single group but because of physical room constraints I can't have that many people in the same training area at the same time for safety reasons and of course for quality reasons. As well as the increased interest I have many students who have never experienced TKD compeition to those who already compete on the national level. This for myself makes it difficult to work with one group, and then change what I'm teaching to work with the beginners. I really don't want my beginners knocking each other out . . . yet :D

    So far the idea is to have two seperate classes. Adults, and children. Then they will be divided into the three different levels. Basically they will be doing the exact same things, however I want to make sure that each student has a firm grasp on certain concepts, techniques, and tactics before advancing. I think this way I will develop better competitors, who have a firm understanding of sport TKD.

    Thanks to everyone who has replied with ideas and suggestions so far. The more I look at this the more I feel I've bitten off more than I can chew . . . but I love a challenge.
     

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