The Essence Of Taekwondo
Sport and art know no social, cultural, religious or political boundaries and should be practiced, played and enjoyed with due deference only to what links all human beings and kindles the human spirit. Together we can achieve much more than we expect.
In Australia there are many Taekwondo academies but the single factor that sets this academy apart from all the others is its Master Greg Wyllie and his unique approach to Taekwondo. Greg Wyllie values the contribution of the individual and the collaboration of colleagues.
Pioneering Taekwondo for school children
From his early days as a school teacher Master Wyllie initially introduced Taekwondo to Primary schools as an aid to teaching young children. This proved extremely effective.
He used the same teaching formula in Secondary schools with the same stunning results in the improvement of students’ academic and sporting abilities.
Soon the rapidly growing demand for his method of teaching Taekwondo to children allowed him to devote all his time to Taekwondo. Because children enjoyed the way they were taught Taekwondo, teachers were quick to notice in those children, a significant improvement in discipline across the whole range of school activities and enjoyed having students who were now more receptive to learning.
As a result, this created a high demand for Greg’s time by both public and private schools and he now devotes all his time solely to teaching Taekwondo primarily in schools.
Modified Rules Tournaments
Greg Wyllie was the first Taekwondo Master in Australia, if not the world, to introduce modified rules tournaments so that school aged children could enjoy the sport which boasts one of the highest safety records in the world. To make it even safer he prohibited any techniques to the head and allowed only techniques which hit the heavily padded chest guard.
Unique approach
Master Wyllie’s approach to Taekwondo is characterised by his dedication to children and his vast teaching experience. His ability to instil a sense of self control and thirst for learning in a very short space of time is legendary.
Teaching children is a very difficult task for any instructor to master, most of whom decline the challenge.
For Master Wyllie it is an art form in which he has no peer. As a result adult students benefit from the Wyllie system and find learning Taekwondo incredibly easy and enjoyable.
The Master’s message:
Life is learning and learning should be a joyous experience for a student who should develop an insatiable appetite for it. Developing a craving for learning in a student must be every educator’s aim and the educator’s measure of success.
My challenge is to develop the student’s ability to find interest and enjoyment in every task they are set and strive to complete each one. Once this ability is developed in a student, it will not just apply to Taekwondo but to everything the student seeks to learn.
Wyllie Taekwondo teaches the student from a very early age to understand that barriers to learning are usually self imposed. Through learning Taekwondo, students learn how to overcome these barriers and develop a skill that will be useful and applicable to all endeavours for the rest of their lives.
My system of teaching overcomes the typical obstacles to learning such as lack of ability to concentrate or maintain attention. I have seen students overcome, through their own will power, what were thought to be impossible barriers.
My brand of Taekwondo is dynamic because it is progressive. Every new functional innovation in martial arts is tested and adopted if it enhances our skills.
Wyllie Taekwondo, like its students, is constantly evolving as its’ parameters are widened to include techniques relevant to our time. To do this everyone is encouraged to be innovative as we are learning an art and to achieve this we need to be able to think beyond the horizon of current knowledge.
Anyone that has practiced a martial art for over 30 years should be able to teach it. However, I hope what I do is not just teach a martial art but create a sense of camaraderie and community which binds people in friendship and purpose. The purpose being the improvement of the quality of their lives.
The Role of the Master
Although the central concepts of Taekwondo are the same all over the world the method of teaching them varies from master to master, this is because of the knowledge they have developed over the many years of practice and because of the emphasis each master places on different techniques.
The result is that each master eventually produces a slightly different version of Taekwondo that he or she believes is the most effective. Although it is a slight variation of the same theme the result can be profound in a martial art that is still developing. This places an obligation on a master to stay abreast of developments and continually refine and build on to the central concept.
In addition, a master needs to continually improve the way the art is taught. This promotes easier learning by students by increasing enjoyment of training and the effectiveness of communication thereby raising the level of student development and all round ability.
Responsibility to students
In the Wyllie Academy there is an additional element in the role of the master and that is the responsibility of the master to his students, especially children.
Children are treated as the hope in our future that they are and special care is taken to nurture their creativity and confidence. Every child, as an individual, has access to the master who is always available for guidance. A rapport with the families of all children is considered very important, if not indispensable, and actively encouraged.
Adults and children become part of a group which cares about each other’s progress and inspire each other to gain higher achievement. This allows each student to be instrumental in each other’s success and share in everyone’s joy of achievement.
Student centred classes
Classes in the Wyllie Academy although administered by the master are student centred in that the drive to learn is created and heightened by each student’s contribution to each class.
The Academy’s aim is to see every student come alive in every class.
Inspiration
Taekwondo is an art. It is the responsibility of the master and each instructor to inspire self sufficiency within the framework of instruction thereby overpowering any self imposed limitations.
Learning through enjoyment
All learning can be made easier through having fun and enjoying the process. This is precicely what the Wyllie system offers.
The challenge to Wyllie instructors is to present everything they teach in a way that will interest and stimulate the student as Taekwondo does have a huge potential for enjoyment. Presented in the right way, nothing is mundane and nothing becomes boring.
Student inspired teaching
The less effective traditional views of teaching are discarded by this Academy. Instructors are only human, students who inspire them to produce an incredible lesson are playing a significant role in inspiring themselves. The responsibility of learning rests on everyone.