May 2005
Firstly please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Terry Taylor, a second dan shotokan karate instructor based here in the UK. To say that karate and the wider issues of martial arts in general is, apart from my family, very central to my life would be an understatement. And here's the journey through it so far…
Coaching/Club Activities:
I opened my first dojo up (and we're still going) in 1991, just 2 months after I had attained shodan. This was something I had been more than keen to do for a very long time. This desire was further enhanced by my having been invited to teach for the instructor who gave me my first-ever karate lesson – he also coached at his brother's dojo and had just set up his own. A true honour and pleasure.
Even before I attained shodan I already knew I wanted to coach people with disabilities. That happened just a year later when I took on a group of visually impaired students. A number of them I now count as being amongst my very best personal friends.
Some years later I attained nidan.
With the passage of time the Club's activities have somewhat diversified. For, sadly, even in this day and age it is not always easy for someone with a disability to find an instructor who is willing to coach him/her. Thus in the past couple of years I have also set up long-distance training sessions.
From both the student and instructor perspective this has been far from ideal but, so far, it honestly has worked. Also, by necessity the sessions are longer. The aim of them is to give those who attend a higher level of attention. Thus the sessions are typically fairly small. In one student's case as you will see below this is because he has very specific communications needs. Thus, a small group is very appropriate for him.
So please allow me to introduce you to 'J'. He is both deaf and blind (deafblind being the correct term). He was born blind but with some very limited tunnel vision and at age five, he lost all of his hearing through fever (therefore described as profoundly deaf). He is not the first deafblind student I have ever taught but he is the first one where I have had to adapt my communication methods i.e. away from speech. Instead I use a combination of Block Alphabet (signing in block capitals on his hand) as well as large print on his laptop.
'J' is a very bright individual. He holds a degree and has a full-time job working in the stock broking division of a major bank. What makes it a lot easier for me is he also has a truly wicked sense of humour.
His achievements thus far have been truly excellent. For in the past twelve months he has gained 4 awards/trophies, not bad going for someone who cannot hear at all and who can barely see much beyond his nose…literally.
He began his training in early 2003. His latest two awards were second place in adult kata in a huge 'open' competition (almost 400 competitors took part). This was his first attempt at an external competition with able-bodied entrants alongside of him. Right at the end of the tournament he was also picked out for a merit award for the best male competitor on the day. A great sense of pride was obviously therefore felt by all concerned.
You may therefore also be surprised to learn that 'J' has achieved this based on just one lesson a month. For he travels some 200 or so miles to come to train, hence why I run a much longer lesson for him and anyone else who wishes to join in. This is also the reason why he is only in July about to take his seventh kyu.
'J' trains in between lessons on his own, which is why I said earlier this is not an ideal arrangement. Clearly, however, he is self-motivated. Once he has taken his next grading I have asked him to increase the frequency of visits, despite the additional cost that this will obviously incur for him. In between sessions I provide support to him, principally via e-mail. To use his own words, he is not a 'quitter' and notwithstanding the added difficulties he also has with balance (and because of this, kicks), almost definitely the result of his dual sensory loss (including possibly damage done to the balance organ in his ear, the organ of Corti), I hope to continue training him in the way we have developed together since 2003.
In terms of other students with disabilities during my regular weekly sessions, most have typically been those with sensory (sight and hearing) loss. However I have had the pleasure of coaching those with other difficulties e.g. learning difficulties, the occasional wheelchair user, a couple of students with hemiplegia also a couple of young people with ADHD. A number of those who I used to teach at my earlier-mentioned second dojo of visually impaired students also had other disabilities (technical term is multiply disabled or a person with multiple complex needs).
Learning/Coaching:
With all of my students who have disabilities it has very much been a case of only adapting occasionally. If you look at the main article on my website (14 pages in print!) there is a section on coaching techniques in the appendices which may well help those of you contemplating or already working in this specialist area. As I indicated it has occasionally been the student who has suggested adaptations. As instructors, we should not be averse to this either for, in a sense, it is we who are the students too as we learn to coach/adapt if necessary some of the techniques/skill areas we are expected to go through with all of our students whether they be disabled or not. For example, in this instructor's case, trying to explain to a totally blind student about hip power has proved to be quite difficult. This is also true in 'J's' case. For, even with the benefit of the limited vision he does have, this is something we continue to work on together.
And from this instructor's perspective whilst I do allow for a person's disability[ies], in a sense I don't. Basically I will be looking to each of my students to produce a good standard of karate (or preferably better than just 'good'), regardless of whether they have a disability or not. Further, I will only adapt or totally remove a technique from their training if it becomes obvious that this is absolutely necessary. This is not a case of my being hard on them or macho (and I'm definitely not the latter). For just because they have [a] disability[ies] there is no reason why, as instructors, we should accept a different standard, the possible exception being those with learning difficulties. Equally however I have witnessed some truly excellent demo's from this particular client group i.e. learning disabled. We therefore need to remember and understand that a person's disability is just one part of their being, not the whole. As one of my former chief instructors said to me, when any of his students come to train they, in a sense, are also disabled as until they have learned a given technique/concept/kata/whatever they too are disabled. It is up to us as instructors to therefore pass on that knowledge as it is our students, again disabled or not, who are the future of our chosen martial art.
For, one of the pleasures of working within disability martial arts has been to meet/exchange views with an ever-increasing number of fellow instructors who themselves either have [a] disability[ies] or who regularly coach within this specialist area, not only here in the UK but internationally too. I see this as being vital for the development of disability martial arts anywhere as, again, I continue to meet up with instructors who are open-minded and willing to learn along the way. And, again, this is how it should be regardless of dan grade.
The Uk Martial Arts Festival For People With Disabilities:
The above title will be new for 2006, our tenth anniversary. Basically I set up this Festival Programme originally as a county-only event. It then grew to regional level. Likewise there has been an increasing level of interest from both instructors as well as prospective new students. Sadly in the case of the former despite kind offers to coach for me I am now sadly having to turn instructors away. I am not happy about this but equally I am extremely pleased that there is now so much interest. I try to lay on as many martial arts as I can as attendance is now not only coming from other regions of the UK but from overseas too. It is now therefore right for this to be extended countrywide. In short, this is a truly excellent event, not because I say so but because others do. Again, please look at the feedback just from 2004 on our website.
The Development Programme that has come from (a) literally nothing and has been reliant on an absolute ton of goodwill and kindness on the part of others and (b) from something where I hoped to personally recruit new students with disabilities to my own dojo has grown organically. Again, there is plenty of information on my website, but basically I inaugurated this Programme as a co-ordinated way of providing a platform for this client group to come along to a taster day specifically in martial arts so that they could then join a local club near to where they live.
And this has worked. But the organic element of the Programme has been where it has had added benefits.
As I have just said, Festival Days are basically run on a lot of goodwill and kindness e.g. from fellow instructors who are keen to come along to coach this client group. Some already have the range of skills of working with people with a wide range of disabilities, both physical and intellectual (sometimes both), whilst others do not.
At each Festival I have tried to add a new dimension. And so, whilst those who attend have gone away smiling from ear to ear after having had a really good day, what it has also provided (for the instructors and other volunteers) is an intensive experience of working at close quarters with this client group – if you like, a form of disability awareness training.
Also from it has come the ever-increasing network of instructors I referred to earlier who are keen to or who are already working in this specialist area of martial arts. Some of them it is pleasing to note also happen to have a disability.
New for 2004 was a first-ever all-styles kata/forms competition. In reality however each student's entry was based on whatever s/he could perform. So, for example, a number of them were from a dojo further west of me. All of them had severe learning difficulties. Thus, the 'rules' for this event were largely discarded. For these students they performed a limited range of basic techniques.
I will be the first to acknowledge that this is a wide variant from the 'normal' protocol for a competition. However my argument in this debate has been as instructors, are we teaching the student or the martial art? You may well say both. However, in teaching people with disabilities whilst earlier I have highlighted the need only to adapt if/when necessary, with those with this level of impairment it is clear there is a need to adapt the 'rule book' to meet the student's level of ability, ditto their training.
In effect this part of Festival 2004 was a first-ever opportunity for those attending who were already practising martial artists to compete and succeed on their own terms – just as it should be and hence my putting forward this debate about 'throwing out the rule book'.
Festival 2006:
This is being expanded to a two-day event:
Thursday 16th November will be Festival Day along with its competitive element. With the extremely positive fallout from the last event (again, please have a look at my website for the feedback on this as well as some of the photo's from the day) it was extremely pleasing to note the increased level of interest for the next event with the result that even prior to my formally announcing the date for it, there have already been a number of prospective entrants for the competitive element.
Saturday 18th November represents the 'new' element for 2006 and it is appropriate it will be held in the Programme's 10th year. A Conference is set to take place to endeavour to put together a formal Development Plan to set an agenda for disability martial arts. The schedule is all but complete. I have a number of very worthy speakers coming along at the very high elite i.e. Paralympic level as well as those, like myself, who work at the grass roots end of the spectrum. The subject matters of each speaker will be very wide. The aim is for any of you as instructors or at Governing Body level to come along to learn about disability martial arts and to take it back to your own organisations to develop further.
There will also be the opportunity for those of you who are instructors to work alongside people with a wide variety of disabilities to gain, as a minimum, some initial skills although equally Festival Day will also be able to offer you that in a much more intense way as it will be spread over an entire day.
An Invitation:
As participants for Festival Day: you are most welcome to attend, whether you be a prospective new student in martial arts or whether you are already practising in your chosen style (there will be an increased number of places on offer [for both general attendance as well as for the competitive element]). I also hope there will be even more martial arts to enjoy, also possibly from one or two more obscure styles. Every Festival that has taken place has always enjoyed a high level of satisfaction e.g. by actively trialling a wide range of martial arts so that you can then select the style that you feel you will enjoy the most. A minimal fee to cover expenses is charged for general entry, a bit more for the competition.
As instructors/Governing Body officials: this is your opportunity to come on board a platform to develop martial arts specifically for people with disabilities. (This writer feels that it is long overdue). You may already have experience of this or you may be totally new to it but basically I am always keen to recruit new instructors to Festival Day as you, too, will benefit from the intensive learning experience that it offers you. A word of note however: the entire Programme is run on a lot of goodwill and kindness. I ask that you be kind enough to volunteer your time to coach on the day. Also I always need additional 'buddy' volunteers to assist the instructors.
Conference Day: this is aimed very much at instructors and those of you who operate at Governing Body level. The first sentence of the last paragraph applies equally here. However this particular Day will be to actually come together to put together some kind of formal Development Programme and for each of you to take it back to your own dojo's/organisations as a framework for you to use, learn and develop from. There will be other representatives present from the wider arenas of disability sport to help with this. Time has also been set aside to gain practical learning experience in working alongside people with a wide variety of disabilities. A delegate fee will also be payable – it is hoped that you will all gain a lot from the day. Places are however limited. Early expressions of interest even this far in advance are also therefore welcomed.
Finally:
- If there is anything further you need to know and/or would like to link up in an exchange of knowledge please do not hesitate to contact me as below;
- We are always also looking for sponsors and have some excellent packages to put forward to any of you who are interested in supporting/sponsoring Festival 2006;
- And truly finally…thankyou for taking the time to read this and for considering my thoughts
Please contact Terry Taylor,
Chairman: Breaking Down Barriers/The UK Martial Arts Festival for People with Disabilities:
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.twt.org.uk
© Disability Media and Martial Arts 2005. All rights reserved.
