Mdgwrites Class Diaries, Confidence, Inspiration, Leadership, Self-Development

Focus on Your Foundation: What I Learned From a Kindergartner

parent-meeting

“What are you going to do when you get out there?” I asked my first and youngest sparring competitor of the day.

My fellow coaches and I had taken eleven of our students to a local tournament and had settled in for a very long day. This student, a five-year-old yellow belt, was competing for the very first time. He was suited up and ready to begin his match.*

“Defend myself,” he answered in a very calm, confident voice as he gazed at the ring where the referee and judges stood.
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Mdgwrites Confidence, Taekwondo Training Tips, The Poomsae Series

Channeling Your Power: When Brute Force Just Doesn’t Cut It

punch-pow

A tall, blonde 17-year-old boy stood at attention near the back of the training area as I gave him some feedback and pointers on his form. He and his three siblings, all blue belt/red tips, were practicing the form Palgwe Yuk Jang in preparation for an upcoming  tournament.

“You have a lot of power, and that’s good,” I began. “This is a short form, but it’s expressive and strong so you need that power…there is, however, such a thing as too much power, or maybe the better word is force. Does that make sense?” He nodded.
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Mdgwrites Class Diaries, Taekwondo Training Tips

Eight Unexpected Things I Learned From a Taekwondo Tournament

sparring head shot
Y’all know this is your favorite part of watching a tournament. Boom!

Recently I had the privilege of coaching some talented kids at at taekwondo tournament. Thankfully my chief instructor has given me many opportunities to teach and coach in class and at other competitions, so I felt prepared. What I didn’t expect were some of the things I would learn from the experience:
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