From ballet and badminton to curling and chess, finding a suitable sport for your children can be a whole sport of its own. Martial art lessons have been a popular option for decades now, but how do the benefits stack up against more traditional youth sports?

This question was put to Dr. Jill Tracey, an expert in sport psychology at Wilfred Laurier University. Although research on the affects of martial art training on children is scarce, Dr. Tracey says there are indications that it really does enhance concentration, self-control, and self-discipline in young students. She adds that some children may also benefit from improved self-esteem, reduced aggressiveness, decreased anxiety, and increased independence.

Dr. Tracey explains that self-concept (what people think and feel about themselves) is especially important in young girls. The results of one study suggest that self-concept can be improved through Taekwondo training—good news for concerned parents looking for emotionally as well as physically appropriate activities.

Taekwondo (a martial art of Korean origin and now an Olympic sport) espouses five core values, or ‘tenets’:  Courtesy, Integrity, Self-control, Perseverance, and Indomitable Spirit. These tenets underpin the Taekwondo philosophy and are taught to students through hands-on lessons. Dr. Tracey comments on these principles as well as the Taekwondo belt system:

“All these [tenets] can be learned through sport, but Taekwondo specifically emphasizes them which is quite unique. In other sports it may be assumed they are learned.  You certainly hope all kids learn self-control—how they manage things—but in Taekwondo self-control is specifically taught. Also in Taekwondo the focus is on respect and courtesy, which is also unique.”

“The progression of belts is a strong motivator. Kids need success to build confidence, and the many belts is a continuous motivation. Sports such as hockey are mostly focused on if they win or lose, but Taekwondo focuses on more internal aspects such as memory, concentration, and balance. There are so many things to strive for in the sport.”

What age should children begin studying martial arts? Many schools offer programs for children as young as three or four, but is such an early start really advantageous in the long-run? Dr. Tracey shares her opinion:

“I’m not a big fan of competitive sports at too young an age, but introduction to sport fundamental skills are much more important than competition at a young age to prepare them for later training.  I think everyone needs to learn competition and we should all be exposed to it through various ways; competition is healthy.  But we must recognize that not all children thrive in that environment, we can’t assume everyone does.  Taekwondo does a good job of teaching those fundamental skills at an early age without having to get into competition.  Age seven or eight is a good age to become competitive.”

This stance is supported by Taekwondo Canada (the national governing body for Taekwondo) and the hundreds of clubs under it which encourage fundamental skill development beginning as young as three, and competitive specialization at age nine or ten. Dr. Tracey emphasizes that while appropriate competition provides real benefits to children, “There are no long-term benefits of highly competitive situations for a five year old”. Too much competition often leads to athlete burn-out and early withdrawal from the sport. “What’s really important is happy, healthy, fit kids that love movement.”

Dr. Jill Tracey teaches sports psychology courses at Wilfred Laurier University while focusing her research on the psychology of injury and recovery from sports injuries.

Alex Frakking is a combat sport journalist and martial art instructor

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Master Jamie Dossantos is an internationally recognized coach, teaching from Young Choung Taekwondo in Toronto. She most recently received the Female Coach Award at both the World Championships and the Junior Pan Am Championships in Daytona, and now shares with us some coaching practices that have helped her athletes be successful:

The focus on relationship building is important to me as a coach. Because of my strong communication and leadership skills and my openness to listening, I am able to establish good relationships with our team members. When there is a channel of open discussion between coaches and athletes, it minimizes errors and maximizes results. Back in the days when coaches would give orders and athletes follow, but by listening to what the athletes think it helps us coaches do a much better job.

In the culture of sports, coaches/instructors are predominantly male; I think as a female coach I give a different twist to coaching and add a dynamic to the group. I value the opinion of others, from coaches to athletes, to parents and officials. In order for us to work efficiently and be productive in what we do, we need to be able to listen and when we do that we will learn. For us to grow, improve and develop ourselves, as an athlete, as a coach or as an individual, we need to be able to listen and learn.

I know I am heading the right direction, when I have the confidence of the athletes and there is a bonding of trust which makes us work well together as a team.

Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to participate in some great international tournaments with Team Canada. I am privileged to be recognized by my peers as one of the top female coach in the Taekwondo world. This continues to motivate me to further develop and grow as a Taekwondo coach.

Refereeing is a necessary evil in every major sport, and even more so in sport Taekwondo. At least, that's what we referees assume the players think.

Although the majority of Taekwondo competitors' experiences are positive, disagreements are inevitable in sport so I would like to clear up some misconceptions once and for all. First of all referees are not evil, corrupt, or have problems with who what and where the players are from. Why does someone step up to the plate and referee in the first place? Is it for the glory? No! Is it for the money? I wish! Is it for the spotlight? No thanks! From a personal perspective, I started refereeing because of the love of the martial sport, the desire to give something back and hopefully make a difference. Very noble causes indeed but I think most referees share the same ideals and desires. Otherwise, why would we do it?

Now let me give you a little insight into the art of refereeing and what it's like from a referee's perspective. We are just as nervous, if not more so, than the players. We have to be. It's our job to protect both players and ensure the competition rules are followed. Stepping on the competition floor is stepping into the unknown. We prepare for and expect the worse - such as will it be a clean fight, will players follow the rules, will one be injured, will I be injured, and will I make the right decisions? And just like in the real world the worse rarely happens, but knowing that it could keeps us on a heightened sense of readiness and anticipation. As referees, we desire to be part of the game but not placed in a position to decide the outcome. We know we have done our job well when we are but a ghost in the ring, only appearing to start and end the match and remind the players of the rules, this is the ideal of a good referee.

Corner judging is an art of its own. The only responsibility that a judge has is to score points; sounds easy enough but it also has its challenges. Once the game starts the judge has to be on a heightened state of focus and concentration in anticipation for a scoring technique. This is where it gets tricky: what constitutes a point? Is it the sound, the body displacement or the "trembling" power? I personally think it's a combination of all three in varying degrees. The referee chairman of the WTF once said: "Don't look for the point, the point will look for you". If you have to think about it, it's not a point.

Corner judging also has its limitations; it takes 3 out of 4 judges to confirm a point within 1.5 seconds of the first judge to score. This takes synchronization and the same ideals for point criteria. Some of the problems that can affect this synchronization are if there is a lapse in the constant state of readiness, if the judge is tired or daydreams, if the game is boring and the players lull the judges to sleep with inactivity, if the center referee blocks the view of one judge and takes them out of the equation, or if the players are at a bad angle. Now that 1.5 second synchronization seems an impossibility.

Refereeing and judging is not an exact science or perfect, just like Taekwondo is not a perfect sport. When you include the human element into the game anything can happen.

Players: if you want to give yourself the best chance for success other than ending the fight with a K.O., play by the rules and if you're not sure of them take a referee course and read the rule book. Keep your techniques clean and with power and always keep yourself in a position so that 3 judges can confirm your point.

Master Tim Bell
International Taekwondo Referee
Bell's Taekwondo, Halifax Nova Scotia.

My dreams of being a Martial Artist in the Art of Taekwondo began 21 years ago in London, Ontario, Canada – a dream which ultimately led to being a competitor, and now a First Class National Referee, an Associate Instructor at Tri Star Taekwondo WTF (with Master Sai Visouvath, who've I've known since day one) and finally onto representing Canada internationally in various capacities including being appointed by WTF Canada as Head of Team position.

I was recently accepted by Hui Ya Chen (a very friendly competitor who I met at the 2005 Universiade in Turkey) as an honorary guest instructor at his Xiamen University Taekwondo Academy in Fujian, China. It was an honour and pleasure to present a different perspective to the students during a week of training involving all aspects of Taekwondo.

I was even more pleased to hear after my return that nine of his ten black belt competitors had qualified in their respective divisions, and will compete in the upcoming Chinese National Championship in early 2007 . It was a real honour to meet such wonderful Taekwondo practitioners, and a trip which I certainly hope to repeat some day.

Respectfully, Master Scott Woodhouse

Associate Instructor, Tri Star Taekwondo WTF
Associate Instructor, University of Western Ontario Taekwondo club WTF
London/Exeter Ontario , Canada
www.tristartkd.com

Akmal Farah is a model of a well-rounded and successful Canadian Taekwondo athlete. Training at Toronto's Young Choung Taekwondo, he continues to challenge and motivate students through competition across the country.

Combat Canada (CC): First, congratulations on again becoming National Champion! In the feather final you fought Chris Hodgins from Nova Scotia, who had a lot of hometown support (see the full match: Farah vs. Hodgins). Give us a play-by-play of this match.

Farah: Thank you Alex. I had fought Chris Hodgins at the previous Nationals and it was a close fight. Learning from that experience I knew the type of fighter he was so I had to set up some strategies based on our history. As the fight began, I decided to fight him in open stance where he took a direct Roundhouse and gained 1 point. My main plan was to slow him down, but with the crowd on his side constantly cheering it was a tough task. Nevertheless, I also tried several times to exchange but I got kicked in the groin pretty hard. I can't remember the last time I was kicked that hard but believe me it was painful. Every time I see it on tape it still hurts. And when I tried to exchange with him, again, I was kicked in the groin. From then on, I decided not to exchange too many shots. I had to keep a safe distance and counter when he came in and if he didn't, I was going to kick first.

As you've probably seen, he is putting the pressure and when he attacks I counter and if he takes too long to attack then I attack first. But I kept it very basic and slowed down the rhythm of the match. And it seemed to work.

CC: Sounds like a rough day! Let's talk about your bout with Ali Ghafour at the World Cup Team Trials (July, Montreal). This had to be the closest match of the year, going point for point into sudden death overtime, then scoring simultaneously with Ali - so close the computer couldn't decide a winner and scored it 1-1! At that point the decision fell to the referee and four judges, who awarded you the win. Have you found judges to score differently during sudden death? What tips can you give us for getting that deciding point first?

Farah:

Yes Alex, it was a close match. However, at first I was thinking of giving Ali a 5 point lead just to make it fair for him. Then I said to myself, let's make this interesting for the audience and make it look like Ali actually has a chance. Haha. I'm just kidding here. As your readers may or may not know, Ali and I are very close friends. We are not only from the same club but we are also training partners. So we know each other too well. The way we step, kick and move is all too familiar. I was feeling a lot of anxiety the week leading up to the game knowing I would be fighting Ali in the quarterfinals.

Personally, I don't care who I fight but to know that I could be the cause of a set back to a dear friend was hard to swallow. Here we are, me and Ali driving to Montreal together, sharing the same car, the same room and soon we will be sharing the same ring and the same judges that will decide our fate. The morning of the fight I could sense the tension and we were slowly drifting apart, even though we normally warm up together. That morning we warmed up hesitantly and wished each other luck and he was on his way to his first fight. I didn't see his fight but Eric Ahn, (Another of our close friends and team-mates) came to me and said Ali didn't fight his best. I knew the pressure was weighing on him just as much as it was on me. Then I thought to myself that this is very hypocritical of me. I'm constantly preaching to all my juniors that we should take it one fight at a time and here I am thinking too far ahead (Ali vs. Akmal).

I approached Ali and told him, that we should take it one fight at a time and if/when we should fight then we fight but right now we should just focus on the task at hand. Notwithstanding the fight was very close and it was decided in sudden death. However, I believe that sudden death is 50% luck and 50% strategy because in reality whoever kicks first wins.

Therefore, even if an individual has the right strategy to get the point if the other person kicks you first the game is done. Nonetheless, I think if a fight goes into sudden death, a fighter should know their opponent's strengths and weaknesses since it is after 6 minutes of fighting time. This is where a strategy is crucial. My advice is to set up a plan going into sudden death and just do it. If it works great, if it doesn't... well it was your fault for taking the fight into sudden death.

As close as it gets: Ali Ghafour vs. Akmal Farah (World Cup Team Trials, Montreal 2006)

CC: You've trained and competed with many awesome players over the years. On the individual level, what have you seen to be the most common challenges to personal development?

Farah: I think time and motivation are key factors in personal development. Anything else would be considered an excuse. We are all living proof that if we put the time and effort into training then we can improve drastically over a short period of time.

However, keeping ourselves motivated to train consistently has also proven difficult. There are many competitors who are motivated but they lack the desire to make that extra effort to achieve what is truly within their reach. Nevertheless, I have found that if you put the time you can make a difference. And if you show motivation people will want to help you get better.

CC: Alright, time for those deep personal questions. Have you ever had a major training or competition setback? How did you overcome it?

Farah: I've had many competition set backs. I've lost many times and in a lot of the cases I was so disheartened that I didn't know how I would deal with it. Rather than looking at the lessons learned I was too caught up in winning and losing aspects of the game. I wasn't enjoying competing and it sure wasn't fun to lose. For example, in 2005 Nationals I lost in the semifinals but most of my friends made the team. It felt horrible knowing that I wasn't a part of the crew going to world championships. Similarly, that same year I was not selected to go to Universiade. So in that time frame there wasn't much to train for.

But fortunately, I am surrounded by many good friends that kept me motivated and reminded me that everything happens for a reason. In essence, we all have set backs but first and most importantly we must remind ourselves of our purpose in Taekwondo. Is it simply for the purpose of winning? If that is the case then we must accept losing as part of winning and remember that we cannot win if we don't lose. So we must accept our losses as lessons and move forward rather than beat ourselves up. No one has ever retired a flawless career of 100 percent winning average regardless of what sport it might be. But what makes people great is how they come back from a devastating setback.

CC: Next, if you could fight any superhero, who would it be?

Farah: Superhero eh? well, I would like to fight Zinedine Zidane and see if I can counter his head butt. But on a serious note, he truly is a hero to me.

CC: Wow interesting choice. No man is an island; who's been your greatest inspiration or support through the years?

Farah: There have been so many individuals that have been supportive throughout my ups and downs. But one individual stands out amongst the rest when it comes to inspiration. If a colour belt in Taekwondo could be synonymous to a baby learning to walk then Master Dossantos held my hand and patiently took the little steps with me.

Master Dossantos coaches Akmal during the World Cup Team Trials (Montreal 2006)

CC: What's been your most rewarding moment or accomplishment in your study of Taekwondo?

Farah: It is hard to pinpoint a moment in my development because I think Taekwondo itself has been rewarding in shaping the individual that I am. Many would think of Taekwondo as just an art of kicking and punching, however, TKD to me is the pursuit of self gratification through graceful movements that accolades inner peace. Everything that happens around us as a result of the art of kicking and punching and how we deal with it defines the person that we are. I know I am a different person because of Taekwondo. Therefore, I cannot point to single moment that has proved rewarding, every moment, every lesson is rewarding in itself.

CC: I believe Canada's players are some of the world's best martial artists. Can you share some ideas on how we could strengthen our international competition team? What do you see as our greatest challenge?

Farah: Our biggest challenge right now is that we don't train for international competition the way we prepare for nationals and provincials. For example, if I'm fighting at nationals in the same division there are 2 or 3 individuals that maybe give me a hard time then I study them and find ways I could beat them.

Unfortunately, we don't apply that same method to international competition. Let's say in the middle weight division we have Estrada from Mexico, Karami from Iran, Borot from France. We know that we might fight these individuals at the world championships. So we have to start watching their tapes and study their movements. Learn and realize their strengths and weaknesses. That is one of the ways we can prepare ourselves for international competition by knowing who our competition might be. I think what happens a lot of the times is we win nationals and pray for a good draw at the internationals competition.

J.F. Lebreux vs. Akmal Farah (World Cup Team Trials, Montreal 2006)

CC: When it comes to building a national team, Canada's low population density is a disadvantage. Uniting our athletes from coast to coast in competition means long flights and considerable expenses. While some people advocate more national tournaments, others feel the expense is better put towards local events (i.e. more provincial tournaments and open events for our American friends). What are your thoughts?

Farah: This is a question I've been struggling with for a long time. We as Canadians are very unique in the sense that we do not have a high number of Taekwondo practitioners and at the same time, those who do compete live quite far from each other. So in the provincial and even nationals we end up fighting the same people. This does not allow much room for development.

However, with our current point system in place, it gives athletes an incentive to fight outside Canada and earn, not only points, but also gain valuable experience. As much as we like to complain that we are "poor Taekwondo athletes", I strongly believe that at the end of day we can save money and put it towards international tournaments. Currently, relying on domestic tournaments is a hopeless cause. I wouldn't want to travel from Toronto to Saskatchewan to fight some guy that will be of no benefit to me even if I win. But going to recognized tournaments like the U.S. Open and the Dutch Open will help our athletes benefit because many respected international fighters participate at these tournaments.

CC: Finally, what's your next competition goal?

Farah: To win team trials in BC and medal at the next Pan Am championships in Argentina.

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	Ivett Gonda is a bright star over the Canadian Taekwondo landscape. Training at Tae Geuk Taekwondo in Port Moody B.C., her international accomplishments include Gold at the 2004 Pan-American Championships (Dominican Republic) and participation in the 2004 Olympic games (Athens).
An impressive record for one who's just turned 20! Most recently, Ivett took Gold at the Senior National Championships (also scoring the female MVP award), and Gold at the World Cup Team Trials (Montreal, July 1).

Combat Canada (CC): In Halifax you took full advantage of the new 7-point spread rule by ending your matches quickly and cleanly. Finishing without a single point recorded against you, your total ring time for all four matches was under 10 minutes -- hardly a warm-up by most standards! Would you say that was one of your easiest national tournaments?

Gonda: No, I wouldn't call any nationals easy because each year you still have to prepare equally as hard. It shouldn't matter who's in your division or who you end up fighting. You still have you fight just as hard.

CC: In Halifax these new rules worked in your favour. Looking at the bigger picture, do you think the rules will make the game faster and more exciting as they were intended to do?

Gonda: Yes, I do think that the new rules have made the game much faster and of course more exciting. The game can shift one way or another... you really don't know so its more exciting and keeps us athletes always aware.

CC: How have the new rules changed your match strategies? Do you feel they will generally benefit or hinder your style?

Gonda: For strategy the new rules make fighting more simple. First to get a 7 point gap or 12 points first wins. Before, the game used to be single shots but now we are forced to keep kicking and reaching that 7 point gap. I think as a fighter we should all take advantages of the new rules and use them as part of our strategy to benefit us. The only way the rules will hinder us fighters is if we don't use the rules to the fullest.

CC: Please tell us about some of your goals in Taekwondo.

Gonda: My current goal is to get some medals at the Pan Am games and world championships next year and then make it to Beijing in 2008.

CC: Anyone who's set foot in a dojang knows that tournament success is the result of tremendous training effort. What motivates you on a daily basis? Do you have specific goals that keep you focused?

Gonda: To be honest training gets harder and harder. I think it's because through the past years of experience in international competitions I learnt what it really takes to get that gold medal. So the only way to motivate me to keep training is to focus on my goals, the steps I need to take to reach them, and the drive to perform well.

CC: How did you become involved with Taekwondo?

Gonda: I first got involved in Taekwondo when I was 8 years old. My dad made me try it because he noticed I watched too much T.V., so he put an end to that real fast. I was just like any other student that tries Taekwondo, I enjoyed it and stuck with it.

CC: Although Taekwondo is becoming more popular with women, some girls may not consider full-contact fighting as their sport of choice. For you, what makes WTF Taekwondo more appealing than other contact sports such as boxing, or even football?

Gonda: I think that because I got started at a young age I'm used to all the hits and bruises, but to me its more of a game and sport rather then full-contact fighting. Plus, WTF Taekwondo does have weight classes for all different weight ranges, so it doesn't really matter how your body is built, you can always fit in.

CC: Are you currently in school? Tell us what your training schedule is like, and how you manage to juggle both school and taekwondo.

Gonda: Right now this summer I'm finishing up my last grade 12 course and then I'm planning to go to university (SFU) or college to study criminology. I'm training 2 to 3 times a day, 6 days a week, morning afternoon and night, or I go to school in the afternoon. It is very difficult to juggle both school and training, but certain things I had to sacrifice or go at a slower pace to gain in something else.

CC: British Columbia is producing some spectacular young competitors. What are you doing guys so well?

Gonda: I'm not doing anything well... I'm just training hard with my teammates and focusing on my goals. I have to admit that I have such a good group of people to train with. Excellent coach, great partners, so I can't complain.

CC: Is there anyone in particular who's been a role model or positive force in your development?

Gonda: My coach [Shin Wook Lim] has always been there to help when I was down and we've been through a lot the past couple of years, so I'm very grateful to be working with him. Also I've always looked up to Dominique Bosshart. I remember watching her in Sydney on T.V. and I guess that was the first time I really thought about my Olympic dream. So it was such a great learning experience to be her team mate in Athens. She's great!

» WTF Canada Athlete Profile: Ivett Gonda

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After careful observation of thousands of matches, the key physical factors in Taekwondo begin to crystallize. Superior anaerobic alactic power (utilized during brief maximum-intensity activities) with moderately well developed aerobic capacity is critical to reaching the highest pinnacles in Taekwondo. Anaerobic lactic power (less intense action, several minutes in duration) is less critical for competition, but long training sessions force the athlete to develop this system. The jury is still out about whether this is time well spent.

Speed-power with superior mental skills is the key to podium success. Efficient training is highly desirable in a sport that has neither a professional level nor scholarship opportunities. Like many Canadian athletes, Taekwondo players must lead alternate professional lives to survive. It is worthwhile to measure critical success factors, and implement systems to develop them. In the words of the late Dr. Mel C. Siff, a world renowned sports scientist and coach,
"Even though a relatively amateurish approach may produce increases during the first year of training, this may not be entirely beneficial to the athlete, because the improvement may not be sufficiently sport-specific."

The approach of the Author in developing sport-specific abilities is to find ways to add resistance to the exact motions of the sport, and to measure the speed and power of those motions and the flexibility of the athlete performing them. While some sport scientists might dismiss this approach because it does not conform to the established protocols for measuring speed and power, we are prepared to absorb their brickbats in favour of establishing our own standards. While it might be possible to map success of athletes based on their anaerobic power in a jump test, we would rather determine, for example, how fast they can deliver a rear leg round house kick and how much impact they can deliver through a standard hogu to the recipient of that kick.

Proper measurement is crucial in any athletic training program, both for determining how an athlete is reacting to training, and for recognizing when peak performance has been achieved (and hence when the athlete is primed for competition). One measurement strategy is the use of a reaction time, kick speed, and force measurement tester and simulator. Such a system has recently been developed, and will soon be seen on the market.

On the training side, resistance bands (such as the Thera-band™ system) are an inexpensive and versatile way of training a wide variety of Taekwondo-specific motions. While the band is attached to extremities such as hands or feet, the other end is secured to a roller channel system to maintain near-horizontal force vectors. This allows the resistance of the band to enhance the training of both the muscles and the nervous system, causing the body to adapt to the higher resistance by recruiting more type IIb muscle fibres (fast-twitch fibres, ideally suited for short fast bursts of power). This has the added benefit of not adding body weight through hypertrophy of muscles.

Eventually, as you increase resistance in a planned program, you recruit continuously more muscle fibres to perform the task, while strengthening tendons and ligaments without appreciable loss of flexibility, assuming you continue with appropriate protocols for stretching as part of the program. The nervous system is also trained so that it becomes more efficient, even dropping out the recruitment of unneeded muscle fibres, reducing energy use and fatigue.

The challenge is to find the right resistance for each athlete, and ensure that there is no degradation of technique when resistance is added. Then performance can be re-measured, and progress charted. Each athlete is unique and needs assessment and careful coaching to reach their full potential. This system has proven so versatile, that almost any sport can benefit from its use.

Ken Anstruther is a partner at TKF Sport International Inc. (www.tkfsport.com)

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