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Title [ICM's Pick] After Participating in the 2024 Martial Arts Coaches Academy
After Participating in the 2024 Martial Arts Coaches Academy (Myung-il SEO) Q1. Can you please introduce yourself? Hello, my name is Myung-il Seo and I am a professor at the Department of Asian Martial Arts of Youngsan University and also a representative of the The Hon Hapkido Wushu Association. Q2. So what made you decide to participate in the 2024 Martial Arts Coaches Academy? I have been working as a martial arts instructor for quite a long time and thus have paid attention to the martial arts industry. Then when the COVID-19 hit, I felt that we needed to go through new challenges brought about by the changing environment. That was when I was informed about the Martial Arts Coaches Academy Programme operated by the ICM and I decided to join, and the experience turned out to be very meaningful to me. It seemed like the foundation of the martial arts industry was severely shattered by the COVID-19, and accordingly, I desperately felt the necessity for the martial arts institutions to embrace the changes rather than cling to the old tradition. In particular, I found out that martial arts institutions tailored for people with disabilities were one area where the potential had not been fully realized by instructors. That was when I came across the poster promoting the Martial Arts Coaches Academy Programme and I felt excited when I decided to join. Q3. Please tell us how you felt about the programme; which session was the most impressive and how you felt about the overseas training programme? The training programme gave me the opportunity to learn about various martial arts training methods for women and people with disabilities. The most impressive part was the overseas training in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Especially the visit to the AJOKA Project, run by the Inclusive Cambodia NGO, truly taught me that martial arts can go far beyond physical activity and actually play a meaningful social role. The AJOKA Project has been providing opportunities for growth to marginalized women and people with disabilities in Cambodia. The participants showed how to build confidence, overcome prejudice, and even achieve economic independence by practicing martial arts, especially jiu-jitsu. The Project and its achievements deeply touched me, making me wish for such projects to be implemented in Korea as well. It also gave me inspiration that such projects can be implemented in other countries adopting Korea’s traditional martial arts as a tool too. Q4. Are you actually applying what you have learnt from the Programme in your work? After completing the training, I started teaching martial arts to adults with developmental disabilities. At first, I felt overwhelmed since I didn’t even know where to begin, but now, it has already been two years. Especially for this year, we are running a project to support adults with developmental disability to get hapkido certification in cooperation with the Clover Short Tem Protection Facility for the Disabled People, with the support of the Community Chest of Korea. Whenever I see the participants truly enjoying hapkido classes, I know I made the right decision to get started with the project. Q5. Do you have any last words to share with us? The Martial Arts Coaches Academy run by the ICM is a programme that I would definitely like to recommend to any of you who are working as martial arts instructors. I’m not exactly sure how the program is being promoted, but I strongly believe that all the martial arts instructors should come and join the programme. You will find various programmes that can be utilized in the field, so it will be a great opportunity to learn more and become better instructors. Lastly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the ICM members for offering such a valuable opportunity. I would also like to express my special thanks to Hyewon LEE, who gave me great help by accompanying me on overseas training. I hope more instructors will experience the joy of getting connected to the wider world and growing together through martial arts. Thank you! ※ The views expressed in this interview are those of the author. |
