The First Year as Chief Instructor - - Chief Instructor's Blog January 1, 2009

When I took over as the Chief Instructor a year ago, I laid out three primary objectives to help keep me and the art form on track:

1) Maintain and promote the style, form, and philosophy of Han Moo Kwan Tae Kwon Do emphasizing its use for self-defense and for improving oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually.
2) Provide an environment for students to excel in the art form, at their own pace, recognizing their accomplishments through formal testing and promotions.
3) Prepare material and train qualified candidates to become Certified Instructors to preserve the legacy of the art form and the club.

To date here are some of the activities I have participated in and supported with the Officers, Certified Instructors, Black Belts, and the Board of Directors that are aligned and track to these objectives.

1) Maintain and promote the style, form, and philosophy of Han Moo Kwan Tae Kwon Do emphasizing its use for self-defense and for improving oneself physically and spiritually.
· Working with the Board of Directors, we developed and published the basics and the hyung reference material on the Association website that is available to all students. Students have reviewed and made comments on the information which has been updated in a timely manner. This information is a reference for both students and the instructors to ensure consistent teaching of the art form.
· Through dialogue with past Chief Instructors and members of the Board of Directors, I have captured throughout the year thoughts, ideas, and drills of Mr. Kim’s to support the legacy of and consistency of Mr. Kim’s teachings and will continue to do so.
· I believe I have maintained and demonstrated an enthusiasm for practicing Han Moo Kwan and demonstrated a passion for teaching and helping others learn.
· Through a blog on the club website I have periodically shared my views, history, my understanding and philosophy of the art form with all club members.

2) Provide an environment for students to excel in the art form, at their own pace, recognizing their accomplishments through formal testing and promotions.
· Through the blog and in classes (mostly in advanced class), we are spending time sharing incidents, reading material, and websites that allow more insights into martial arts and Han Moo Kwan.
· With the participation of the Officers, Black Belts and the Board of Directors, we continue to conduct testing and promotions in a professional manner.
· I have been working myself and with the Certified Instructors to ensure we provide information and set up drills to ensure we hit all major learning styles. We stop and ensure understanding of drills before continuing to ensure all students understand the intent.
· I, and the Certified Instructors, make ourselves available (myself especially on Saturdays and before and after classes) to provide feedback to the students and go over any specific aspects of the art form they are interested in discussing or practicing in more detail.
· I have made myself open to feedback and suggestions on the classes, drills, and exercises to ensure a safe and a good learning environment for students.

3) Prepare material and train qualified candidates to become Certified Instructors to preserve the legacy of the art form and the club.
· I have worked with and supported both Aaron Weiner and Todd Lilly in completing their Instructor Certification Requirements in 2008
· We hold periodic Black Belt meetings to exchange ideas, thoughts and ensure Black Belts are all on the same page regarding teaching of Han Moo Kwan
· Working with the Officers and Board of Directors, we have actively updated and enforced the Association Mandates and Club Policies to ensure the Club meets the needs of the students and assists in keeping the Club running smoothly and in alignment with the legacy. Working with the Officers we have published on the Club website six best practices in 2008 to capture traditions and guidelines that have worked for the Club in the past. I published and updated two Directives in 2008.
· Some classes were designed for one-on-one coaching throughout 2008 where emphasis was placed on ensuring students were provided information on what, how and why we wanted them to demonstrated techniques as we do
· Using drills and exercises used throughout the Club’s history and dialogues with previous Instructors, current Instructors, and the Board of Directors, we have put together and maintained an Instructor Training Binder that contains reference material for coaches and Certified Instructors to support them and keep instruction as consistent as possible
· We have started to create a series of training videos that will be used as reference material and instructional videos for various levels. To date, we have captured both Brian Rainie and Jeff Burgess on their advanced perspective on the hyung and made it available to Black Belts on DVD. We have also taped the Kibon series with a focus on precision of the techniques that will be used for training material and, in the near future, will be available through the Club and Association websites.

Throughout 2009, I will continue to focus on these objectives and initiate or support activities that are aligned with these objectives with the continued help and support from Black Belts, Officers, the Board of Directors, and the Club Members themselves.

I want to thank the Black Belts, especially Jeff Burgess, Todd Lilly, Bob Ramirez, and Aaron Weiner, for all their dedication and support to the Club and me as the Chief Instructor. I also want to thank the Officers (Bob Ramirez, John Chen and Amy Wong) for including me in their meetings in 2008 and working hand in hand with so we can continue to run a successful Club. And I want to thank the Board of Directors (Brian Rainie, Bob Rainie, and Gary Murray) for the support and guidance.

I look forward to working with all of you throughout 2009 to meet not only these objectives to retain the art form but yours as well.

Regards,
Kelly

“Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself” ~ Chinese Proverb