PROFESSIONAL TAEKWONDO COACHES ASSOCIATION NIGERIA Masters, Instructors and Coaches..... Footsteps on the sand of time. This story shall be told many times over. The young kid strolled towards a Taekwondo dojang and paused to marvel at the near impossible physical dexterity and agility displayed by both master and students alike. He was enthralled. He enrolled in the club and a few years later this student had been painstakenly mentored by his master into a star athlete that was the toast of many state coaches. The young kid was also fast metamorphosizing into a very promising Assisstant instructor. The student was well on his way to being transformed into another Master Instructor or Coach sooner or latter after his competition days are over. It may not be out of the way for this same student to join the Referees ranks where his Grandmaster was already a house hold name. Meanwhile, a lot of his club mates and even some who started Taekwondo training long before him could not persevere to the black belt level and had since dropped out. Many are called, but few are chosen. Verily, I say today, it is these few who have persevered to learn the true ideals, become real black belters and continue the spreading of the martial arts gospel, that are the bedrock of our Taekwondo today. It is these Taekwondo Instructors and Coaches who continue to maintain their clubs and schools against all constraints and difficulties that have kept the sport alive. They have continued to propagate Taekwondo at all levels and ensure that new students are discovered and trained to sustain the influx of new talentst to keep the sport alive. They have ensured that Taekwondo does not become extinct in Nigeria by ensuring that there are constant supply of new practitioners who may progress to become black belters, state and national athletes, coaches and even referees. These self sacrificing Instructors and Coaches are the true Masters and Grandmasters of our times. One dares to wonder what would have become of Taekwondo today, if all the pioneers, grandmasters, masters, instructors and coaches, had decided to forget about training new students, and rather gone somewhere else to seek greener pastures. The story would have been terribly different. No Taekwondo in Nigeria for sure. Kudos should be given to those whom its due. They are the true Taekwondo Professionals. But there is sadness in the air. What we have presently is a situation where instructors and coaches do all the grassroot stress to discover and nuture new talents for years, and the moment these new athletes come to limelight, they are either snatched away by either a State or the National Federation without recourse to the principal instructor or coach. Not even a thank you or appreciation. No recognition at all for the coaches who have done all the job. It is appreciated that when athletes are well trained, they must move up the ladder of success, and sometimes away from their original trainers for a better life. The way and manner it is done however, should not leave the original trainer feeling short changed and nostalgic. Taekwondo is not like home economics or some other leisure past times. Every practitioner, coach, instructor, referee, master and grandmaster, all started as a student and athlete and so understands where the shoe pinches. Sooner or later too, athletes will have to make that transformation, stop Taekwondo or become a coach or instructor and maybe a referee too. No one can remain an athlete forever. So it is imperative that athlete to coach relationship, vis-a-vis the role of the State Associations and the National Federation be properly recognized and streamlined in future dealings. All Taekwondo events are in reality, Instructors and Coaches events because they train those that will participate in all these events. It is the Instructors and Coaches that are likely to still bring the athletes to participate in any events what so ever. When the going gets rough in any Taekwondo event, especially where athletes are involved, it is the Instructors and Coaches that bear the brunt. What is therefore being advocated is that it is time that various key organizations that are apprpriately relevant to the progress of Taekwondo, especially in this new dispensation, be given appropriate placements and recognition. The PROFESSIONAL TAEKWONDO COACHES ASSOCIATION (PTCAN) is one of such organization and has been in existence for over fifteen years trying to champion the cause of Coaches, Instructors and their Athletes. The PTCAN has now been reinvigorated and is set to take Coaches and coaching to a new international level never before experienced in Nigeria. PTCAN is therefore calling on all true Taekwondo Grandmasters, Masters, Instructors and Coaches, to get up and get on board. Its now time to get to serious work of reorganization, regulation and recognition. Not minding where you maybe, the distance, the difficulties and the negative circumstances that may want to inhibit your progress, we shall get to you and we shall lift ourselves up, together as one strong unifying group. It is a new dawn. The PTCAN therefore welcomes the new NIGERIA TAEKWONDO FEDERATION leadership and informs them with all pleasure that PTCAN is set to run this new race of progressive advancement with them at full throttle. Watch out Nigeria, new things are happening. Dr. Ferguson Oluigbo (7th Dan)
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 15:26:13 +0000
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