Mrs Harper’s Training Session for Girls

During the “off-season” a conversation transpired over the phone between myself and Mr Proctor from the Latrobe Valley club. What started as a brief comment around our recent combined grading turned into an idea on how we could encourage further interaction and role-modelling among the young girls from our respective clubs. So it was agreed that I would facilitate a training session for girls only, and invite students from both Latrobe and Melbourne. My main focus was to encourage friendships between the girls so that they could draw courage and inspiration from each other. We don’t often get together since our clubs are a couple of hours apart, so it was great to see them train together so happily.

After some “getting to know you” type activities we covered basic fundamentals, and some kicking drills. Then I introduced the girls to Team Patterns via You-Tube footage. Of course the girls all thought it was too hard and something they could never achieve at their level. So with a little encouragement I asked them to perform Saju-Jirugi (4 direction attack/punch) in time with each other. After all, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a black belt pattern or a white belt pattern, the point is a choreographed routine that reflects timing, teamwork and co-operation! They perforned in sync with each other and so I then began to suggest a couple of ways they could stagger some moves and before they knew it, the girls were performing a team pattern, getting right into the thick of “choreographing” their own routine! I was so happy to see what a little encouragement could do to take the girls from “we can’t do that” to “can we do that again?!”

It was a privilege to host the girls, who bonded so well and they have already asked for more “girls only” training. Actually they asked for it to be a permanent arrangement! But I countered that Mr Harper and Mr Proctor would not be as enthused about that idea 🙂 We certainly will look to arranging more sessions like these, to help increase the confidence of our more shy students, who sometimes can feel that they can’t “match it” with the boys in the club. The great friendships being formed between the girls is also a huge bonus!

Alexandra Proctor (aged 7) was one of the students who attended and I would like to share with you her thoughts on our session (I love her honest, matter-of-fact account 🙂 ):

“On the tenth of the first month of 2013 there was a girls training session. 6 girls turned up. There names were Mrs Harper, Katrina, Rose, Isabella, Alex and Jasmine. We did a quick talk so we could get to know each other.  In the talk we told each other our school and our age. We also got to know each others names.

Then we did a few laps. Every body ran ahead of Mrs Harper.

We did four directional attack. We counted in Korean. Katrina was the best at counting in Korean.

After that we did turning kicks. A few people accidentally did slapping kicks.

We then did jumping kicks. They were jumping front kicks.

Mrs Harper showed us some team patterns videos .We tried to do team patterns . After that Mrs Harper gave us books to put down Taekwon-do stuff .

After the class we went to the park for lunch. We played.”

Thankyou girls, I look forward to training with you all soon!

Michelle Harper

Il Shim Melbourne