Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: With our weapons offering. Let's talk about it. I do want to reiterate to everybody, from a judging standpoint, at the national events or even regionally, to, because we're in this transitional stage where we have people getting educated on the newer versions. Judges, please don't judge harshly the version of the form that.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Ladies and gentlemen, instructors, students, parents of song arm Taekwondo, welcome to the ATA Nation podcast. This is episode 115, and I am your host, senior minister Zach Hayden. I am thrilled to be back with you today. It's gonna take some time. Do me a favor real quick before we get started, hit that subscribe button. Share this out on social media so we can make sure that we are reaching all of ATA nationwide. And I was just looking at the stat. We are all over the globe. And speaking of all over the globe, I know if you notice, but there has been a lot of action going on all around at nation with the european camp, the tournament, the song arm university trip to Europe, and also the ATM X gathering in Little Rock, Arkansas.
[00:01:17] Speaker A: And it's more fair.
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Other stuff coming up with world championships districts and the athlete development training in Little Rock. So let's hit a little information with, I mean, director of training from Ha headquarters, chief masters Scott, for years, and.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: The previous project team, they were all, were constantly making tweaks and all that kind of stuff. So I don't know that there's ever been a ha nation.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: We have back with us one of our favorite guests, chief master skiles from the ATA training department. How are you today, sir?
[00:01:53] Speaker A: Because we want to be able to create a much better competition experience for the competitors. So it needs to be quality, technique, excellent.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: You were just out in Europe for the tournament there, and I know song university has some people go over. How was your time in year?
[00:02:09] Speaker A: Enough. We've had enough training.
The videos are there for you to see. Now we're going into this is the way it has to be done. So just something to reiterate to everybody that as a judge, let's be mindful of the time process that it takes for this information to get out and everybody to be on the same page, especially at worlds, when you're talking about tournament of champions, right? And people are coming in and they're, they're doing the version that they know the best. And we're telling people there's no need to change an update to the updated version for tournament of champions and even going into the new season. Again, don't judge too harshly because you don't know what level of access of training those competitors have been exposed to. Right. So anytime anything new comes out, we've got to have some grace period. So the grace period.
Also use some grace when you're judging. Yes.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: Yep. And understand, like you said, you know, quality of technique, what's a good strike, what's a. A correct line, you know, all those kind of things. So you've got legacy pro. This is a great program. I know there not as many people know about it necessarily. I love these. I put the class planner things on my wall every week. We've got them going. What are we doing here with the legacy pro?
[00:03:35] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, unfortunately, legacy pro was launched, like, right before COVID so it's kind of flown under the radar, so to speak. We've done some online trainings and things like that.
Every facilitator training that I do, I bring it up, I practice it. I.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: Well, you weren't the only one who then had to come right back and do some additional training.
Master Turner was also this weekend at the ATM gathering. Tell us how that went.
[00:04:03] Speaker A: Everybody's familiar with the catchphrase, right? Discipline is to obey what is right. And that's a lot of times where instructors stop in the lesson, in the lesson planning or the lesson learning of what discipline is. So the life skill scripts were written in such a way that you can actually give them an example of how to demonstrate discipline in class. And then another script for at home. There's three scripts, kind of a beginning, middle, end, and it helps the instructors that either, one, a, don't have experience, two, don't know what to talk about, or three, you just want to create that structure to know that there's a true lesson being taught about the life skill. And so it makes everybody sound professional. It keeps it structured. You're not guessing on what to talk about that particular day. It's right there.
I encourage people to read right from the script. You don't have to. It's not something that has to be memorized. So we're going to be going through that, practicing it, practicing using those same scripts for when you're teaching tigers, when you're teaching Mac, when you're teaching teens and adults, because the scripts are, you know, there's. There's no denying it. The scripts were written for to be taught towards kids, primarily because that's our main market in all of our schools. But with just a few tweaks of some terminology, you can apply that to teens, adults, because that last script is, how do you apply that life skill out in the real world? At home, with your family, at work, with your co workers? Or are you talking about teens, adults, those type of things?
[00:05:45] Speaker B: So, yes, sir, I think it's a great program. Yeah, people should definitely go and check that out. It is especially fantastic, I think. You know, a lot of our schools have a head instructor that might have a lot of experience and then some, some younger instructors. And, uh, understanding and talking about life skills is a little bit easier when you've had to deal with a lot of life skills through life, you know, and when you're a little younger, you don't quite always grasp all the intricacies of a life skill, and I think these are just awesome for that. And keeping consistency across all your instructors.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: Yeah, 100%. I mean, and there's gonna be transparent script idea at work, actually.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: And I want to get to that schedule now.
You know, worlds is right around the corner, Mister Mike C. Frank and registering for the event world championship, we were actually teaching the training. So I want to hit this training with you a little bit, instruct what's going on. I know for school owners licensees, we get registered for the thrive live.
There's only a few more spots for that, so make sure you get that. Masters. There's the master training on Tuesday as well. But let's go right to yours.
Your the world conference sparring combat drill. Train like a champ.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: Keeps you from having chief Master Kimmitz.
[00:07:09] Speaker B: This is an event that we've had in the past, really, and also share.
[00:07:13] Speaker A: Some ideas on ways that licensees have shared with me the ways they've been using them in their school.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: Great.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: Cool.
[00:07:22] Speaker B: Good stuff. You're doing a song on forms review at the world conference as well. Detailed reviews of the color belt forms.
Give us a little overview of that.
[00:07:32] Speaker A: Yeah, we're going to start with song on one. And you and I were talking before we jumped on this podcast. The simple things like when you start a song on one, you don't start by putting your arm above your head and then moving and blocking. Right. So there's those types of things. So we're going to. We're going to get through as many forms as we can in that two hour block without going too fast, but also answering some questions, because it's my job as a director of training, is to do the best I can in my position to preserve song on taekwondo for the next generation and the next generation after that. So there's my experience.
There's just some things and concepts and ideas and things that we should be doing that are seem to be falling through the cracks. So from whether you're testing, we want to make sure people are performing our song home curriculum correctly, or whether you're competing, we want to make sure that you're presenting the most accurate song curriculum as possible. Right. And coming from the top with, you know, my direction comes from Grandmaster MK Lee and the master's council. And so this is, I want to share. This is to pardon the, pardon the phrase in the pun, but this is the way. But, you know, we've got these books and they all have this, this logo on the front. And I think we should maybe go after Lucasfilms for maybe some copyright infringement.
[00:09:00] Speaker B: I agree, sir. This is the way. Yes, sir.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: You got deep pocket.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: We were. Yeah, I don't. I think they might beat us in a, in a race.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: I think they have. I think. I think they have. They have longevity when it comes to.
[00:09:14] Speaker B: A few more lawyers. A few more lawyers.
I think that's great. I think you guys will probably at least get through song.
We'll see. 2 hours. I think you might get through song. I'm. We'll see.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: Yeah. We'll see how we get.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Then you've got. It says ITP drills for x to excite your students. Everybody, what ITP is.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: Well, ITP, if you know your legacy manual is individual target partner drills. Okay, now, this particular event at worlds, we're going to be focusing on white, orange, and yellow belt curriculum specifically. So all the box kick strikes that make up a white, orange, and yellow belt curriculum. And we're going to be going through just some, some, some of them for some people that some of the drills might be somewhat basic, some maybe you've seen before. But what we're also going to try to do is say, okay, here's a. Let's go through this basic drill. Now, everybody, please share with us some ideas on how you could take this drill to the next level, how you could advance it. So I'm hoping there's a lot of note taking, but I also want to make it a sharing process as well, because for the last few years, you know, we've been on very heavily the color bell weapons curriculum that came out or black belt curriculum. So I really want to start getting back to our core foundational material, which is song on taekwondo, our forms, but also from a teaching standpoint. So we really want to kind of share that, but. And then at fall nationals, we'll kind of focus on that camo green purple curriculum. Spring nationals next year, it'll be that blue brown red belt curriculum. So we're going to try to make a series out of it, and it's just a great launching point. And then what I'd like to be able to do is just continue to add to that. If we got some great ideas that people present, I'm going to be making some notes as well, and then I'm going to shoot some videos and we'll create a library for our ATA martial arts website to where instructors need ideas and concepts on drills, on how to teach some things. I can go there and say, oh, okay, I need some fresh ideas or I need a new idea, or, hey, I have a new idea I'm going to share and either have them videotape it. If it's good enough, we'll throw their video online if it needs to. From a production standpoint, if it needs to be reshot retooled a little bit, we can do that, too. So this is kind of the start of a library of content that we feel would be beneficial to all instructors.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Yeah, and it's always great to hear what everybody else is doing.
You know, the imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I like to imitate a lot of people, so I think that's great.
[00:12:02] Speaker A: I mean, I'd have to say half or more than half of what I teach in the way I teach. It's because I saw somebody do it.
I mean, I'm pretty creative person. I've come up with my own things over the years, but it all started from an idea and a concept, from seeing somebody else do something. And I've been at the, we talked about the rat camps, or I go visit somebody's school and I go, I like that. I'm going to steal that. I'm going to start teaching that. So.
[00:12:28] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Well, speaking of teaching, we've got some atm act seminars as well there as part of the world conference. There's a how to create a form which I think is going to be an awesome one. And then there is, I think there was one more, but no, it's not judging.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: It's judging.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: Yes, that's the other one. And I heard some good things about that one at spring nationals.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Yeah, the surveys came back and the overwhelming, consistent response was, I took what I learned in that meeting and I felt better about my judging spring nationals the next day or two because they had a better idea of what they were looking for and what makes a good quality craven extreme form. And, you know, fortunately and unfortunately, I think a lot of people have a misconception that you know, senior master nominee Turner, senior master nominee Suwazi are, these are craven extreme guys, but Master Swazi has world titles in traditional forms and sparring and master Turner has world titles and he creates world champions in traditional forms and insparring.
These guys are traditional martial artists in their core. And when you, and when you take a training and, you know, at the, at the max gathering this weekend, I mean, they had me step in and teach traditional stances and how to do a proper middle stance and front stance and because in creative and extreme martial arts comes first. If you can't do a front stance, if you can't do a proper sidekick or your chop or your knife and strike is not on target, if your joint position's off, then, you know, they talked about hitting targets and why are you striking there? There's nobody over there. You're you, you know, so these guys are traditional martial artists. So getting an understanding and to be a better judge when they talk about those types of things and what to look for is why I think they got the response that they did.
[00:14:47] Speaker B: Yes, sir. I think that one's going to be awesome. And then creating your own extreme form, I know a lot of people, the ATM X program is, is been amazing in breaking down these segments and stuff, but there are still a lot of people who are like, how do I make my own thing? I want to start from scratch. How do I do it? It sounds like this seminar is going to be really great for that as well.
[00:15:08] Speaker A: Yeah. And, you know, and just like our traditional forms or, you know, you know this as a senior master, when we get to six degree master, we have a creative part of our form that we have to create, that we have to do. But they tell us it has to follow these lines. Right. They still give us a structure. So one of the things that they talk about in there is on a creative and extreme form, you know, there is somewhat of a, I don't want to say a standard structure, but there is a structure to the way you need to do your form. And I was over, I was overhearing master Swazi talk to the group. He's like, you know, when you, when you create a segment of your form, even when you're facing away from the judges, your strikes and your techniques need to go in a direction to where all of your judges can see what you're doing. So there is a format and a structure to the way a good quality, craven extreme form is created. So I think they'll take away from that. And again, yes, sir. The ATA max curriculum. That's another set of curriculum that is online and available to all ATA members. So if you're looking for ideas for combos, they have hand combos, they have level change combos, all the different weapons. And that can give you and your students a foundation of. To build from a creative and extreme form.
[00:16:35] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Yeah, that's awesome.
Now, one thing I almost missed in the schedule was the dynamic testing performance. Board breaking. We've got some new standards for board breaking coming at world championships and this seminar is going to get everybody ready for that.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. You know what we want to try to get people to start mentally thinking and visualizing when you're doing your board breaking is make it a little bit more closer to a realistic, you know, combative type situation to where the board stations are relatively close.
Even though, you know, at our level we have, you know, four station breaks that we have to do. But that doesn't mean they have to be one here, one here, one here and one over here as if you have, you know, four potential, you know, attackers coming at you. You know, we want to think about scenarios or maybe I do a punch and an elbow and it's against the same person. So those two, those two stations can be relatively close. Right. So there's rapid fire and there's. There's a quick transition from one to the other and how you lay them out so maybe the judges can see it, you know, a little bit better. So we. That's, again, another initiative from, from Grandmaster MK Lee is that the heightened skill level and performance of their boards, good control over your technique. Right. We just don't want you slamming into the board, losing your balance, you know, going into it, hitting your board holders, you know, the. From time to time that happens, but you should still have power, but yet control. Right. So I wanted, you know that the Joe Rogan meme from UFC, right. We want the judges to be like when they want your board break to go.
[00:18:21] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: That's what we're looking for, the judges. And not just like, okay, yeah, they broke.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:18:29] Speaker A: Okay, yes. They get their three. You know, that's what we're looking for, especially at the high rank level. And we've been doing this long enough to know you got to look spectacular.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: And that doesn't mean it needs to be a jump 360 crazy. It needs to be a great performance. The attacks, like, I'm like, it's a self defense. It's a fight scene in a movie that they're watching, so to speak.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Yes. But, but you know, again, we're throwing traditional technique, too, you know, so one of the things when that, when the new rules came out, I got questions. People going, well, you know, does that mean we can't do, you know, running jump psychics over an obstacle anymore? No, absolutely not. You can. You can still do that. Maybe the first three stations are bang, bang, bang, and then boom, you take off and. And you do something, because we. We don't want to take the athleticism out of it as well if somebody wants to do a jump 360 psychic. And, you know, you know, we've seen it back in the day, to jump 360 over an obstacle.
[00:19:30] Speaker B: Yes, sir.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: You know, real high kicks. You know, we're not. We're not expecting people to take those things out. We still want to see the athleticism that people could demonstrate during board breaking, but do it in such a way that it's just a more dynamic demonstration of board breaking. Instead of the walk over and, you know, that type of thing, we want to see it a little more dynamic.
[00:19:59] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Well, a world conference is always stacked with some amazing training.
Make sure you guys get out there and register right away. Now, before worlds comes up. There is one more event. There actually, there are two more events at world championships or, excuse me, at Ha headquarters. One's a business seminar, and then the other one is athlete development camp.
We want to make sure get people get registered for that. You got a big thing planned? There's.
[00:20:27] Speaker A: Yes, sir. Here in Little Rock. We go out to the four inch center, and we packed the camp there last year. We were like 140 or so campers. You were there. You was awesome and observed and took notes and absorbed. So you saw it firsthand. This year, we still have plenty of space available. It's not too late to register. I know. My. My parent rooms that we offer are, are close to being sold out. We all may only have, like, one or two of those left.
So if you're a parent and you're wanting to attend, I can give you a list of names. Maybe you can call up and say, hey, would you like a roommate and make a new friend? I don't know, but, yes, that's a phenomenal camp. All the food's included, that they get four shirts with the camp just training from morning to night. It's just an amazing thing.
[00:21:24] Speaker B: It is an excellent camp. I mean, it really is one of the. The only camps that I have seen that has the. The intensity level that makes you think of old school camps just in the amount of effort and work that they do definitely gives you that old school feel. And it is awesome.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: I mean, that's right after Master Isaac's morning workout. Before breakfast.
[00:21:51] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
[00:21:52] Speaker A: They're out there rolling around on the ground. They have breakfast, and they're. They put on a new shirt every day, and they sit down for breakfast and their shirts are already dirty and trash and sweaty just from the morning warm up.
[00:22:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Four. Four is not quite enough shirts.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: You're right. You're right.
[00:22:08] Speaker B: Last year you guys were selling extras, though, so maybe that'll happen again.
[00:22:12] Speaker A: I hope so.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: Yes, sir. Well, thank you for your time today, sir. I really appreciate it, especially not just your time today, but all the things that you're out there doing for Ata nation. Um, you are one of the hardest working guys out there for us, and we really appreciate it.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: Well, I appreciate it. I'm humbled when I hear that this is my passion. I'm Ata. I mean, back when I was a teenager, I did a demonstration at one of Grandmaster Caruso's tournaments where I wore like, this, this United States flag uniform and a mask. And I was. I was kid USA. So maybe kid at. I don't know. But yes. I mean, this. This is my passion. It's what I do. Anything I can do to help anybody, you got my emails, my phone call, whatever I'm here for. That's my job. It's what I do.
[00:23:00] Speaker B: We appreciate it, sir. Thank you very much. Have a great rest of your day.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: All right, thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Thanks, 18 nation. We'll see you.
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Listener feedback?
Well, there is so much going on with Ata nation right now that I actually don't have time for listener feedback. But I would love to do some more instructor shout outs. So send me a message. A DM on Instagram, on Facebook. Put it in our Facebook group. I want to do some instructor shout outs. Let me know about a great instructor out there. But that's going to wrap it up for today. Make sure that you hit all of those registrations for world championships, athlete development, all the things going on. Check out atamartialarts.com. And until next time, get out there and take action.
Thanks for listening to another episode of the ATA Nation podcast. Be sure to subscribe and share with your ATA family.
Oh, man, I could talk to chief Master skiles all day long about history, about things going on in the ATA, about how to train better. Very cool stuff. So hopefully you enjoyed this slightly longer episode today. Get some good knowledge from that, get signed up for these events going on. We've got districts coming up. We've got world championships, athlete development camp. If you are a licensee or an instructor looking to open a school, the ATA Business playbook seminar in Little Rock looks amazing. So definitely check that out as well. So, guys, lots of stuff going on. Send me a DM with someone you'd like to hear interviewed or a shout out to an instructor you want included on the show. Take care, guys.
