20º th IKC – Taipei

This year 2016 has been marked in the history of the ITF Taiwan, as the last 26 and 27 of March, the 1^st International Children Development Course “International Kids Course” was held in East Asia.

This event is considered by both the International Taekwondo Federation and the ITF Taiwan, as a key point for the implementation and development of the Children Development Program in Asia. This course is the number 20 of all courses carried on worldwide by Sabum Nim Izquierdo and by Master Nardizzi, both members of the ITF Children Development Committee.

We count with the participation of several Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and China. The course was taught by Sabum Nim Fabian Izquierdo and dictated in three languages; Chinese, English and Spanish. For the translation have been collaborating the ITF Taiwan President Daniel Obon Sabum Nim, and the General Director of the ITF Taiwan, Boo Sabum Nim Carlos Machado.

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For this course, there were months of preparation and prior coordination, of silent work and sleepless nights due to the large time difference, in translating the slides, the instructors guide and the practical work sheets.

We had obstacles along the way, including delays and missed flights, however, after a journey of more than 3 days of travel, newly arrived in Taiwan and only hours before the first day of the course, there were two Argentineans and a Nicaraguan in the hotel lobby rearranging slides, photos and videos to be presented.

For the ITF Taiwan, was the first time to carry out an event like this, counting with the participation of ITF instructors from other Asian countries as well as black belts and colored belts from Taiwan, mostly adults, children and adolescents. We also count with the participation, at certain times, of some parents and teachers of preschool and primary education.

Although having a priori many obstacles, as language and cultural barriers among them, the course began and with the running of the hours, those barriers were not such to transmit the message of the teaching, the concepts, theories and information that Sabum Nim Izquierdo had prepared to strengthen our teaching methods.

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In a conservative society such as the Taiwanese, and the Asian culture itself in general, Sabum Nim Izquierdo managed to broke those barriers through drawing, through his smile –which without doubt describes him– and through big hugs, always within the respectfulness and of course following the ITF protocol standards.

At first we thought that starting with some dynamics or game would be better to “break the ice” between participants and the speaker, but it was not necessary since the charisma and personality of Sabum Nim Izquierdo and the translators, Sabum Obon and Boo Sabum Machado, encouraged the audience to remain alert and interested in the contents and the themes of the course.

Many accessories were prepared to carry out the games, at the request of the speaker, but we did not manage to use them all. And there were more than 12 hours more after the conference was culminated. Among questions, doubts and opinions of several participants, the night reached us and we were still in the Dojang where the course took place. Each topic we covered, we took the maximum advantage, and however, we did not cover all the issues due to the limited time.

While the IKCs are directed toward ITF instructors, we consider that in certain countries as in the case of Taiwan, it is essential to have the presence of parents, children and adolescents. The little ones are a great source of a quick response to any direct practical implementation of the theories and dynamics during the course, while ultimately they are the final recipients of the contents.

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Therefore, and by virtue of the results, in my personal opinion it would be a good idea to have as a requirement the presence of a certain number of children, adolescents and parents. I share this idea, because the students who participated in this course have been unable to forget each game that we performed; on the other hand, parents are now more committed with the teaching through the Program.

A week after the course, we noticed the difference in the treatment to a child by a parent who was in the course for a few moments. It has been noticed him with a more peaceful attitude towards the child, perhaps he does not rebukes him as before when he was performing a “Twimyo Yopcha Jirugi” jumping side kick.

It was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience for all of us; we did not get bored at any time despite the tiredness. As expressed by the President of the ITF Taiwan, Mr. Daniel Obon: “this course is a great first step to encourage many people in our ITF schools to carry out this Program both in the Dojangs we have, as well as in the different kindergartens, primary schools and nursery schools”.

It has been working in the Chinese translation of the “Study Book”, now only missing to make corrections and revisions. And it’s being working on the translation of the “Instructors Guide”, as well as in developing the system for the Program that will be specifically implemented in Taiwan.

Many smiles were stolen to us by the presence of Sabum Nim Izquierdo; he gave a touch of greatest joy and charisma to our classes. The education in Taiwan is known as being one of the best in the world; however children and young people are still receiving punishments and negative rebuke in several schools, as often the educator follows the orthodox guidelines in the teaching practices of the “old school”.

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So this Course was, no doubt, like a bucket of cold water for the assisting instructors -as well as for parents and educators- who are used to this way of teaching and learning. However, it was not taken badly; on the contrary, the modality attracted much more the attention from them.

That is why I shared some lines before that little anecdote of a family father. Something that was engraved by fire of what was said during the course is that “what children learn with a smile, will remember for their whole life”, quote by Master Gato Gato, from Puerto Rico.

We will keep in our memories and in our hearts the moments experienced during the course. We now have the assignment of making good use of everything we learned; we took a big step to start to strengthen ties with other Asian countries. And we will not keep only there, we will be back to relive those moments, and to create many more with a second encounter, making new friendships and helping our younger generations through the ITF Children Development Program.