Empowering Taekwondo is a concept that I have developed based on my own experiences as a student of Taekwondo over more than 15 years as well as the findings from my own research that has been published as my dissertation titled “Beyond the Dojang: A phenomenological perspective on transferring the values of Taekwondo into daily life” (2012) as well as other findings that suggest that Taekwondo practice does not only benefit young and healthy individuals, but also those who are older or those dealing with recovery of health issues as well as those with some chronic health issues.
The benefits of Taekwondo are well documented and those benefits are both physical and mental in nature. While empowering Taekwondo will most likely improve overall physical well-being, my major focus as your coach will be improvement in mental well-being, especially for those learning the art after illness, injury or other trauma. Empowering Taekwondo has a great potential to help with focus, mental balance, increased motivation for continued learning, decreased anxiety, self-confidence and self-worth. Notably as well is that empowering Taekwondo will also increase empathy for others and promote a sense of giving back. In short, it is empowering not only for your physical self, but also for your mind.
My coaching philosophy for Empowering Taekwondo is further guided by having started to learn the art in Hawaii with a spirit of Aloha, Ohana and Ha’A’Pono Pono (to make things right) as well as by the fact that I am a cancer survivor and someone who lives with an autoimmune disease with connective tissue involvement.
Empowering Taekwondo is based on some of the traditional aspects of Taekwondo (such a meditation) but mostly on highly individualized exercises that will cater to your needs and your abilities while not neglecting the curriculum for belt promotions while also adhering to etiquette inherent in the art.
Empowering Taekwondo allows those who want to learn the art to do so without having the feeling that they need to be in the physical shape of an olympic athlete or that they have to compete against others – the only competition is betterment from one day to the next while learning to cope with inevitable setbacks (yes, they do happen) with the knowledge that it will get better leading to empowerment and balance.
If you allow me to be your coach, I will meet you where you are, both in the physical and geographical sense. You will enjoy either one-on-one or small group instruction without the constraints of practicing in a commercial setting, which rarely allows for proper individual attention needed for older students, particularly those who share my experiences, which allows me to teach with a great sense of empathy and understanding and patience. I will not teach you on a calendar basis but rather teach on your needs and abilities.