Kukkiwon TaeKwonDo Academy conducted the 12^th (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd) Class Foreign Instructor Training Course from 17 July to 22 July 2006. I arrived in South Korea ahead of schedule and spent a few weeks touring around the country. My instructors, Master Mark Biddlecombe, Master Brian Hussey and Master Gerry Reilly arrived from England on 16 July.

 

It had been raining quite heavily for the last ten days in Seoul, so the rapidly rising water level has led to flooding around the city. Our taxi ride from the airport turned into a scenic detour due to road closures. Luckily the rain subsided a few days later and allowed the water level to go down.

 

We started the course with an opening ceremony. This year we had:

 

 

A total of 57 black belts from all over the world. Seventeen nations were represented: Canada, China, Denmark, England, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and USA.

 

Our daily schedule consisted of 9am starts. We would start each morning at “Gerry’s café” at 7.30am. He would lay out fresh orange juice, pastries and coffee for the four of us in his hotel room. A great start to the day.

 

We all had to be ready in our doboks (uniforms) and be on time. Punctuality was stressed again and again. Concentration in class was also important. Anyone caught napping in class will be automatically marked down. This will greatly decrease the chances of passing the course because a minimum mark of 60% is required. The director of the Kukkiwon Academy kept a close eye on the class through close circuit television.

 

Master Gerry and I had a good buddy system in place. If one of us were feeling sleepy, the other would give their partner a jab in the ribs to wake them up. Many of the students have just arrived from overseas and were suffering from jet-lag. A steady supply of coffee kept us going. 

The topics included in the course were:

 

 

We would finish each day around 6pm, followed by two hours of poomsae training with Master Mark Biddlecombe. Dinner was usually an adventure in itself. We had a variety of food such as marinated beef grilled at the table and live octopus cooked at the table. Every meal came with kimchi (spicy preserved vegetable) and plenty of raw green chilli. Master Gerry was the only one with a strong stomach who dared to try the raw chilli.

 

On our first day, Grand Master Park Hae Man came to see us during our morning tea break. He took representative from ChungDoKwan Great Britain, Singapore and I to meet the President of Kukkiwon, Woon Kyu Uhm. It was a nice surprise because it was totally unexpected. Grand Master Park also came to one of our late evening training session and took us through our Dan poomsae. We worked on our poomsae under his guidance.

 

The exam consisted of two poomsae of the examiner’s choice and a written test. Despite of injuries suffered during training, all three of the injured students attended the exams. Their indomitable spirit and determination were inspirational. Citations for exemplary conduct were given to eight students, including Master Mark Biddlecombe. He sacrificed his time and helped many black belts with their poomse. We are all proud of his achievements and glad that he has been recognized for his dedication, hard work and leadership.

 

After the awards ceremony, Grand Master Park took us and representatives of ChungDoKwan out to lunch. We sat cross legged at a traditional Korean restaurant and had samyetang (ginseng chicken soup). After lunch, we gathered together for a group photo and said our goodbyes.

 

I am honoured to be a part of the course and to train with instructors from all over the world. Learning from one and another, sharing mutual respect and united in the TaeKwonDo spirit.