The attached lists of competitors for poomsae and kyorugi in the B & C Divisions are for coaches to ensure that their participants are in the correct categories and their participants’ names and the names of their schools are also correct. This is important because the lists will be used as the basis for the drawing of lots on the briefing day on 15 May 2009 at 2.00pm at the National Training Centre.
If the names or other information is not correct, team managers and coaches should bring it to the attention of the officials conducting the draws.
Coaches with participants who have not had their grades verified are requested to make sure that it is done before the briefing. Otherwise, the participants may be disqualified. There will be no refund of fees paid for disqualified participants.
Coaches involved with the competition are urged to give of their best co-operation so that the event can be run smoothly, fairly and successfully.
32 out of 61 participants successfully obtained the National Kyorugi Referee (Class 3P) certification. They took the theory and practical tests on 25 April 2009 after completing the course conducted on 18 and 19 April 2009.
The new referees may apply for promotion to Class 3 as soon as they chalked up 30 hours of officiating experience in tournaments organized or sanctioned by the Singapore Taekwondo Federation.
All new referees are invited to officiate in the Inter-School kyorugi events on 25 May 2009 (Secondary Schools) and 27 May 2009 (Primary Schools). The competition will commence at 9.00am on both days.
If you are able to accept the invitation, please call Ms Jolene Ang, Ms Theresa Lee or Ms Rosalind Ng at 63451491 for registration.
The results are attached.
Those who failed one component may apply for the retest by submitting the attached retest application form. The retest will be held on 24 May 2009 at 4.30pm. The fee is $20.
The Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) congratulates Jason Tan on winning the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) Meritorious Award (Individual Junior). The announcement was made on 5 May 2009 after the SNOC selection panel comprising top sports officials met.
Jason, who serves as an excellent role model to the other members of the national squad, certainly deserves the award which is in recognition of his taekwondo achievements.
He is a product of the STF youth development programme and has never failed to finish among the medalists in most of the local and international tournaments he participated.
As a 9-year old player, he won his first national championships in 1999 and went on to win the national crown every year. Last year, as an 17-year old player, he won his 10th national title – a record which is hard to emulate, let alone beat. On top of his sterling performance at every national championships, he captured many titles including the SPEX 21 Youth Taekwondo Championships.
On the international scene, Jason won a bronze medal in the 11th Asian Cities Gold Cup held in March 2007 in Hongkong carrying Singapore flag for the first time. In the competition, he lost to the eventual champion in a close fight. In April the same year, he won 1 silver and 3 bronze medals at the 8th Asean Taekwondo Championships in Vietnam.
In February 2008, Jason was back in Hongkong for the 12th Asian Cities Gold Cup. He clinched the coveted gold medal after putting by the wayside established players from China, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
Besides competing, Jason also contributed to the promotion of taekwondo by being a key member in the National Demonstration Team. The team gave an average of 12 performances a year.
Considering his discipline, development and passion, the STF sent him to Taiwan a two-month training stint with some of the best players in the World. He returned on 11 April 2009 richer in experience and better prepared for his next international assignment.
Said Jason: “I am delighted to receive the award. It is my good fortune that I have the support of my parents, the STF, my national coach and my club, ACME Taekwondo. I owe all of them a debt of gratitude.”
Lim Hyun, a taekwondo graduate from Kyung Hee University and Principal of Hyun Taekwondo Academy, wows almost 60 participants in the first ever Demonstration Workshop organized by the Singapore Taekwondo Federation. The workshop held on 26 April 2009 at the National Training Centre saw Hyun performing some of the most difficult taekwondo moves.
Of course, Hyun was not at the workshop to impress the participants. He was there to reveal the secrets of performing the skills. And he did an excellent job through his unique style of teaching which was easy to follow and fun to learn. It was no wonder that he started as a stranger to the participants and ended as a well-liked and respected instructor.
Most importantly, at the end of the sessions – one for the juniors and another for the seniors – all the participants were able to perform some of the challenging skills which they could not at the beginning. Many of the participants experienced how it felt like to do a jumping back flip.
For the junior participants, they tried out their newly acquired skills on demonstration planks. While some were more successful than others, all broke their planks.
STF President Milan Kwee who observed the training for the seniors was visibly glad that the participants showed a lot enthusiasm while the instructor demonstrated tremendous energy. He said: “It is great to see everyone including the instructor enjoying the workshop.”
When he asked the participants if they had benefited from the workshop, the unison response was: “Yes!”
The Annual Kyorugi Referee Refresher Seminar will be held on Saturday 16 May 2009from 5.00pm to 9.00pm at the National Training Centre.
This is an important seminar for all national referees to attend as the latest rules and procedures will be explained. Practice will include agility exercises, footwork and hand signals.
Coaches who are national referees are also encouraged to participate in the seminar. The knowledge will be invaluable to them if they wish to continue to be effective coaches.
Kyorugi referees with expired licences may attend the seminar. Their licences will be renewed if they pass the assessment which will be conducted at the end of the seminar for all participants.
The hours clocked for the seminar can be used as part of the NROC Coach Continuing Education requirements.
The dress code for the seminar is ‘dobok’
Registration for the seminar is free.
Please call Jolene, Theresa or Rosalind by Monday 11 May 2009 to register for the seminar. Notes will not be issued to those who register late or turn up without registration.
All affiliates are reminded to ensure that they have the support of sufficient national referees because the Management Committee is considering to making it compulsory for all participating clubs to provide referees as a pre-condition for participation.
Referees who successfully completed the course will have their officiating licence extended for another year.
The registration form is attached. Please submit the form on 16 May 2009 before the commencement of the seminar.
The next grading preparation workshop will be held as follows:
Date : Sunday 17 May 2009
Time : 2 pm to 5 pm
Place : National Training Centre
Dress Code : ‘Dobok’
Certification : Certificate of Participation
Fee : $30
Closing Date : Wednesday 13 May 2009
The workshop is open to red belts (senior and junior), poom belts and black belts. It is meant to, among other things, point out to the participants their performance flaws and the areas they should work on to give them a better chance of passing. This is from the examiners’ perspectives.
Coaches may use the information acquired by their students at the workshop as a basis to guide them for their grading.
Members who attended the workshop are reminded to submit a copy of the certificate of participation together with their grading applications. This is necessary so that they can be given special consideration, if required.
Coaches are urged to encourage their eligible members to attend.
The weight categories given in the registration form (F4c) for the National Inter-Primary School Taekwondo Championships (Junior Division) are incorrect. Please use the new form which is attached.
Division
The following will give a clearer picture of the various age groups for this year’s competition.
Junior Colleges and Secondary Schools
A Division : Born from 2nd January 1989 to 1st January 1992
B Division : Born from 2nd January 1992 to 1st January 1995
C Division : Born from 2nd January 1995 and younger
Primary Schools
Senior Division : Born from 1st January 1996 to 31 December 97
Junior Division : Born from 1st January 1998 and younger
Weigh-in
Weigh-in will be conducted on the competition day to make it convenient for players. In view of this, players are not required to be present on the registration day.
Players must make the weight for the weight categories they have been registered to compete. Any player who is over or under weight on the day of the competition will be disqualified. There will be no weight allowance.
Eligibility
The grades for ‘kyorugi’ competition shall be based on the results of the April 2009 grading instead of January 2009 grading. This is in response to numerous requests from coaches to give newly promoted red belts a chance to participate in the event.
Coaches are reminded to produce grading cards or certificates of participants for verification during registration. If the cards have to be submitted to the Singapore Taekwondo Federation, coaches are required to produce photocopies of the cards as proofs of the participants’ grades.
(Please note that the above guidelines on weigh-in and eligibility will supersede all rules pertaining to the matter.)
With effect from July 2009 grading, 1st to 2nd poom candidates will be graded with members of their clubs. They will no longer be required to take the grading on Saturday with the seniors.
This change is in response to numerous suggestions from coaches who felt that the young candidates were not able to perform well because they were intimidated by the grading environment.
Please note that the grading for 2nd to 3rd poom candidates will remain unchanged. They will continue to take their grading with the other senior candidates.
Medical Leave
Candidates with medical certificates are allowed to take their next grading without paying any fees. However, if they could not take their grading twice consecutively because of medical reasons, they would have to pay the required fees for their next grading.
Safety Equipment
Groin guard is compulsory for all male candidates who have to do sparring. Candidates without groin guard will not be allowed to spar. It is the responsibility of coaches to ensure that their candidates wear the guard. Examiners will perform random check. Any candidate found without the guard will be disqualified from the grading.
Accessories
It is common knowledge that students in ‘dobok’ should not have any accessories on them – for example, watches, necklaces, rings, earrings, hair ornaments, etc. Candidates with any accessory on them will automatically fail. Coaches are advised to have a check list to ensure that the candidates will not be penalized because of their students’ and their oversight.
Certificates
Coaches are reminded to attach a photocopy each of the following certificates if their candidates have them.
Grading Preparation Workshop Certificate
Unarmed Combat Workshop Certificate
The certificates are to be submitted with their grading applications and not during the grading.
Other Information
During the submission of grading applications for promotion to 1st poom or dan and higher to the Secretariat, coaches are encouraged to highlight important and relevant information – age, disability, medical conditions, etc – about the candidates so that the examiners can give them a fairer assessment.
Four international referees from Singapore – Steven Soh, Lee Thiam Poh, Lee Thiam Huat and Lim Teong Chin – attended the 63rd International Kyorugi Referee Refresher Course held from 8 to 10 April 2009 in Suzhou, China.
Among other things, the course covered the latest changes in the competition rules. There were also agility and footwork training relevant to referee performance, scoring simulation and DVD review and analysis.
At the end of the course, the four international referees discussed about the feasibility of implementing some of the new rules which could be further modified in the near future. After all, the course conductors were not too sure or had no answers to some of the questions raised by the participants.
It was generally felt that the WTF was rushing into implementing the new rules although they were not fully prepared to do so. A case in point is the new scoring criteria where 3 points are awarded for head kick, two for turning kick and one for direct kick or punch. There was no satisfactory answer as to how this could be implemented using the existing scoring system.
What’s more, the notes were not fully updated!
For a number of questions, the common answers were: “We are still considering it and will let you know by mail; we will discuss and let you know tomorrow (but tomorrow did not come) and we are suggesting to you to do this and that.” In short, there is no answer.
Nevertheless, it was decided by the STF Board of Referees to implement only those rules which had been assessed as ‘stable’.
Members will be informed of the changes through the various STF continuing education programmes.
For the Kyorugi Referee Course starting on 18 April 2009, the new rules will be incorporated. The Kyorugi Referee Refresher Course has been scheduled to be held on 10 May 2009.
