by Sentinel Times Team June 16, 2022 Taekwondo coach from Lucena City, Shiela Tarray with her students during their training sesion in Lucen...
June 16, 2022
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| Taekwondo coach from Lucena City, Shiela Tarray with her students during their training sesion in Lucena City. (Photo from her FB account) |
LUCENA CITY - A taekwondo coach from Lucena City, Shiela Tarray, 38, is helping many young people win medals at national and international competitions.
In an exclusive Sentinel Times interview, she said she has been offering free martial arts training to people of all ages. As a result of her efforts, many young people from various parts of Quezon Province and neighboring provinces have expressed an interest in learning Taekwondo.
Tarray is the instructor of the Taekwondo Summer Sports Clinic, Wildcats TKD Chapter in Lucban, Lucena City, and other parts of Quezon Province, which has approximately 40 students and a gym in the same locations.
Sparring, Poomsae, and speed kicking, according to her, are all part of Taekwondo. Fighting is another name for sparring. Poomsae is also known as patterns or forms. Poomsae is considered more of an artform in Taekwondo, where you learn many forms and make your movements precise and consistent, rather than focusing on power and speed.
In Taekwondo, speed kicking is achieved by increasing muscle strength, stretching correctly, practicing kicks with proper form and execution, and employing good kicking drills.
Her team won nine (9) gold medals at the “2021 Luzon Island Group Taekwondo Inter-School Championships” held on December 4 and 5, 2021.
Last February 5 to 6, 2022, they won 11 gold, 7 silver, and 12 bronze medals at the “2022 Region 4A Taekwondo Poomsae & Speed Kicking Championships.”
They won 10 Golds, 5 Silvers, and 4 Bronzes in the “Seoul National University-Dream Together Master Taekwondo Virtual International Championships 2022” last April 1-5, 2022.
While competing in the “SMART MVP Sports Foundation National Online Speed Kicking” from May 21 to 22, 2022, they won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 7 bronze medals.
According to her, her positive approach to teaching Taekwondo has been a secret formula for helping her students become the best versions of themselves in her 20 years of experience.
She believes that the only way to coach young people in any field is to be positive. You must always provide positive feedback to children and use positive body language. Children will always pick up on anything negative you do, affecting them.
The coach explained that her ultimate goal for her students is to achieve the same purpose as she did, and she is currently delighted with her students’ achievements because she has seen their tremendous improvement, which is all due to their hard work in training.
She said that they bond not only as a team but as a family, and whenever she sees her students’ enjoyment, she feels fulfilled. Furthermore, Tarray stated that they do not solely focus on winning.
As their coach, she always tells them that they should just go with it and do the right thing as long as they enjoy what they are doing. Take a break when they become exhausted and unhappy. Prioritizing her student’s recovery is crucial for her.
Aside from their regular strength training, the lady coach incorporates some fun activities for her team. One of the team’s favorite activities is hosting their own sports festival, where they temporarily abandon Taekwondo in favor of basketball, volleyball, and other sports.
Coach Shiela gladly shared that she also invites her students to swim and even go hiking in the mountains as part of their training. Because of these activities, they could bond as a family and train as a team.
Even though Shiela is their coach, she considers each of her students’ and parents’ suggestions on which method or program they prefer. More importantly, she always reminds them not to neglect their schoolwork and learn time management. She emphasized that the most important things for a martial artist are self-confidence, humility, fighting spirit, and discipline.
Tarray asked her students to take all of their gym learnings, attitudes, and discipline back to their homes and schools to have a strong mind, setting, and goals.
Coach Shiela believes that Taekwondo is an investment. Training, promotions, and competitions may be expensive for others, but once they reach senior high school or college and their school recognizes their potential, they may be eligible for scholarships.
Aside from that, she identified numerous advantages that her students can gain from Taekwondo. She said that children nowadays require physical activities because their bodies can become weak without them, so a small amount of exercise would be beneficial. It strengthens the mind and body and teaches respect and discipline.
Discipline in Taekwondo is the most important in Taekwondo. It may be challenging to practice at first, but after 2 to 3 days of training, her students had become accustomed to their routine, and she noticed a positive shift in their attitude.
When the global crisis caused by Covid-19 arrived, Coach Shiela and her team conducted online training for her students’ safety for two years. She admitted that it was difficult because she couldn’t thoroughly check the students.
However, online training became more convenient for their schedules. They could set up any time because they only stayed at home; it also encouraged students to engage in physical activities rather than focusing on their gadgets.
With the help of her active students and parents, they gradually adjusted and learned the new normal and began to participate in local, regional, national, and international competitions. She recognized the team’s efforts because they were winning. They started face-to-face training after embracing the new normal since the kids and parents are still interested in it.
She explained that their main gym is in Lucban, and their gym in Lucena is inside the Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation (MSEUF) compound. Still, students are not permitted to enter the school due to the pandemic. Fortunately, the Fullante family offered them a garden where they could temporarily train.
She thanked her students for working hard and their parents for their unwavering support, for adhering to her gym’s rules and policies, and for her students participating in every competition.
She also thanked the Local Government Unit of Lucban, Quezon, for helping them with their competition expenses.
Coach Tarray conducts free training in some public schools and even for children in the Department of Social Welfare and Development custody as retribution for all of their victories and blessings.
In her message to her students, she admitted that it takes a lot of practice and patience to improve and do well. She said they are always grateful to their parents for allowing them to attend this taekwondo camp. She also encourages other children and adults to try this sport.
Taekwondo is suitable for people of all ages. There is a different program for each individual based on their age and abilities, according to Tarray.
Her team is currently preparing for another online and face-to-face competition for national and international taekwondo events.
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