Young Brunei taekwondo
practitioners in action during a
training session. Brunei's first
taekwondo coaching clinic kicked
off yesterday.Picture: BT file

Taekwondo in Brunei is in for a boost after the country's first ever coaching clinic got off the ground yesterday.

Jointly organised by the Sports Coaching and Development Unit under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Taekwondo Association, the three-day Taekwondo Level III Coaching Course which is being taught to 34 black belt holders by a delegation of South Korean instructors is aimed at producing regionally certified and recognised local coaches.

Despite its name, the Level III course covers the basics and essentials of coaching while the Level I and II courses deal with advanced training methods.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Brunei Taekwondo Association president Hj Tajuddin Hj Md Salleh outlined the course's importance in developing taekwondo in the Sultanate.

"This course will help Brunei taekwondo coaches learn the necessary skills and knowledge to teach taekwondo," noted the president at the Commonwealth Games Room of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.

"By acquiring this knowledge, we will eliminate the need to depend on foreign coaches to train and strengthen local athletes," he added.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Hj Tajuddin said that the country can do well to follow the example set by neighbouring nations such as Thailand and Malaysia, who have enjoyed some measure of success with homegrown coaches.

Asked about the association's long term plans, Hj Tajuddin said that it is looking at promoting the sport at the grassroots level by forming clubs in schools a move which can only be done once there is sufficient coaching manpower.

"Our (Brunei's) coaches already have the basics of coaching and all they need now is the qualification to become certified coaches," said Hj Tajuddin.

"Good examples of ASEAN countries which have been promoting their local coaches are Malaysia and Thailand. During the 2012 London Olympics, the Thailand taekwondo athletes almost beat South Korea but fell short by only two points and they trained under local coaches.

"A lot of the participants in the course are teachers, and upon completion of the training we hope to place them in schools to establish taekwondo clubs and expose the younger generation to taekwondo.

"Even after they finish the training, the coaches will still have to undergo continued assessment. If they excel, hopefully we can send them to South Korea to acquire international certification from the World Taekwondo Federation," he said.

One of the course's participants, Md Younis Asmad felt that the knowledge they learn over the three days will provide them with the structure and guidance they need to serve as coaches.

Like Hj Tajuddin, Md Younis also felt that the course will help promote the sport and eventually lead to a wider base of exponents.

"The course equips potential instructors with the basic tools they need to coach," said the 28-year-old, who is also an instructor with a taekwondo studio in Kiulap.

"More clubs will be formed with the certification of more coaches... Which in turn will make for a bigger talent pool for athletes to represent Brunei," he added.

The course was declared open by the Acting Senior Administrative Officer at the Department of Youth and Sports, Pg Mohd Amirrizal Pg Hj Mahmud.

Courtesy from Brunei Times