By Priscilla Osaje
Korean Cultural Center in Nigeria (KCCN) has promoted 25 students to different belt levels in the 2024 Korean Taekwondo training class in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques.
It has five tenets which includes; courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit.
The students, who comprised of children and teenagers were graded and promoted to their respective belt levels on Thursday in Abuja.
The levels included whites belt to yellow belt, yellow belt to blue belt, blue belt to brown belt, brown belt to red belt and red belt to black belt.
While some were promoted from junior to senior level as they retained the same colour of belts.
Speaking at the promotion ceremony, Coach Gbolohan Ogunmuyiwa, Head of Taekwondo training KCCN, said the event focused on promoting taekwondo students based on what they had learnt in 13 weeks.
Ogunmuyiwa, who is also the master instructor of taekwondo class, said it was a way of assessing the students capabilities on their termly programme that runs three times in a year including summer.
According to him, assessing the students will help the coaches to know their area of weakness and strength and such will enable them to know the area to concentrate in their next class.
He further said that taekwondo training class focused on grassroot and community development, adding that their attention was on grassroot because they want to develop it at the community level.
” Taekwondo has a lot of benefits for the children and number one benefit is to develop their character in the process of drilling them.
” No matter how good you are in spying, fighting, winning others, if you have a bad character you can not be promoted.
” Taekwondo helps the children to develop their self worth, morale and value, by making the children to stand shoulder high by commanding respect in their various environments,” he said.
He urged their parents to be patient but not to see the programme as a wasted effort or investment.
The head coach commended the parents of the children for fostering unity in their various families by coming to stay with the children through out their training class.
Also speaking, Mr Bunmi Olaniyan, KCCN Taekwondo coach, said students being able to showcase a bit of what they were taught facilitate their promotion to their next level.
Olaniyan said taekwondo has helped the children to overcome fear, because parents could not be everywhere to protect their children, rather they were left with training and opportunities given to them.
According to him, taekwondo is a social outlet for children from different backgrounds and religions, which teaches them on how to accommodate and respect themselves better.
” You improve your skills in taekwondo even when you feel you are hurting someone, reason why you see the children shaking and hugging themselves as a sign of mutual respect.
“I can say this is the right decision parents have taken to protect their children, what you give to them is what they will give back to you, because you will not be there to fight for them,” he said.
One of the students, Lawal Barkindo, said taekwondo is a great sport that has made him to be more confident of himself in school and outside the school.
Barkindo, who was promoted from red belt to black belt, said he could defend himself from those that were good at bullying him.
According to him, being a taekwondo student has scared many people away from him especially those that use to bully him in the past.
” When some of my classmates that use to bully me discovered that I am a taekwondo student they were afraid of me.
” Taekwondo has also helped me to upgrade myself by making me to be more attentive in my taekwondo class and in school inorder to comprehend effectively.
” You observed that I was given a belt with black and red colour instead of only black belt, this is because I am still a teenager.
Normally I graduated as a black belter because I have attained the highest level of taekwondo, but I will get the black belt when I clock 18 years, ” he said.
Barkindo, who is described as ‘a great fighter’ is set to represent KCCN at competition at the National stadium, in Lagos soon, commended KCCN for promoting and improving Taekwondo culture and skills in Nigeria.
Also, Ms Halima Aliyu, who was promoted from brown belt to red belt, said she was so excited for the promotion.
According to her, her father is a first black belter of taekwondo and has impacted a lot of taekwondo skills on them from childhood.
” I have spent two years in other belts , but I am so excited that I only spent one year on brown belt before acquiring the red belt.
” I want to appreciate our KCCN coaches especially coach Olaniyan, who has helped me through out the training since I joined the taekwondo class.
” Taekwondo has really helped me to overcome the fear of participating in school competition. It has also boost my self-esteem and lifted my spirit” she said.
The highpoint of the event was a Taekwondo demonstration staged fight by selected students, as well as performance of different kinds of techniques such as blocking, kicking among others.
NAN also reports that KCCN has been notable for remarkable contributions in the development of taekwondo in Nigeria over the years(NAN)