With a background in boxing, judo, karate, and taekwondo, Master Réjean Sergerie has crafted many successful athletes on the mats of his school; HLD Kim Taekwondo in Ste-Catherine Quebec. His daughter and student Karine Sergerie has enjoyed phenomenal success by winning the 2007 World Championships, and by recently capturing silver at the Beijing Olympics.

Master Sergerie coaches his daughter Karine at a Canadian national event

First of all the dedication of an Athlete’s passion for Taekwondo is a must, nothing can give them wings except for themselves. To me the coach is a reservoir of experience and knowledge of the game; a motivator, a mentor, and the athlete is the one who must use these tools in order to become successful and realise their dreams in life.

I’ve heard rumors that I have military inclinations as a taekwondo coach, but in reality I put emphases on the athletes’ discipline, hard work, and dedication, and to find the way of respecting and loving themselves through this sport. When you respect and love yourself nothing is impossible, and you do the same for others surrounding you. With this attitude you can build a strong team spirit.

To me the scientific approach in the athletics is essential in modern taekwondo. If you do not follow, or apply what is done in other parts of the world and do not keep up with it, then you might as well keep on coaching in a collective or in leisure programs. This will make you happier and at least you will have time to enjoy your social life and be successful in business, which isn’t my goal. How many people do you know are foolish enough to manage a club, train people, and having to take money out from their own pocket to pay rent and other expenses at the end of the month? I do and I am sure that I am not the only one!

I have realized that planning is the solution for me, yearly planning of my training is 80% of my preoccupation. This assists juggling situations like injuries, mental downfall, lack of dedication of some sorts and making decisions that sometimes are personally difficult but have to be done.

I also think that it’s essential for coaches to learn from other high-level coaches from other countries, because they aren’t secretive and they can be a source of enlightenment for our own development. We must not be afraid to be part of their training camps. My contacts in other countries have never failed to help me improve my coaching and teaching skills, but there is a price to pay and it represents sometimes expenses that leave you broke. Except that in my case motivation and appreciation sometimes surpasses money problems.

Coaches should understand that they must always do their best and to never give up on an athlete no matter what. If in some cases coaches are unable to do so they should be honest with themselves and send their athletes to people who can help them in their development, which might happen to me one day. By doing so and by being honest so much will come out of this and the athlete will always look up to you and thank you for giving them the opportunity for what may be best for them. Not because the coach isn’t talented but because this coach is missing certain qualities for their athletes’ development, giving them more chance to realise their dreams. A coach is a tool — nothing else; and the dream of an athlete is their own.

Passion sometimes makes you happy but it can also have other effects. Many loads of work need to be done which can be stressful at times, such as nights without sleep because you are trying to figure how to help an athlete in trouble, or in a downfall, doing the best you can to make him or her comprehend new tactics or strategies and to put it into their arsenals — and at the same time trying to figure out a way of avoiding bankruptcy!

I believe that I am not doing anything different from any other taekwondo coach in Canada, they are all good and capable if their athletes have the will to work with them through their goals. I can say that my philosophy isn’t necessarily what they need to follow, they already have their own. Just by looking at them coach at tournaments I can see the determination and hard work in most coaches I have met over the years. I admire all Canadian coaches, particularly Alain Bernier, Jamie and Tino Dosantos, Shin-Wook Lim, Kim in Kyung, Raymond Mourad, Samy Masraahani, George Koh, and the many other coaches that dedicate themselves to elite coaching in the Canadian Taekwondo Association.

Karine’s success is in a way the reflection of all of this and hopefully with hard work I may be able to name other athletes who are going to make it as far as she has in the near future. I hope my answers can help other coaches in the making and I wish them to surpass what all Canadian coaches have done so far in order for Canada to become one of the strongest countries in the world in the sport of taekwondo.