TAE KWON DO is a sport that requires the robust execution of movement in synchronised and spirited fashion where all force is exerted from within the body, mind and soul.
Here in Fiji, it’s a sport most take up from a young age where their minds are still in the state where they are able to grasp concepts easily like a sponge absorbing water.
For national tae kwon do coach Neelu Nand who also runs the Civic Tae kwon do Academy in Suva, it’s a path he has devoted himself to in the hopes of nurturing the biggest names in the sport for the future.
His introduction to the sport was through his mother in the 1980’s when he grew up in Nadi and had been encouraged by her to do so.
He would then enter taekwondo competitions when he reached high school in 1991 and remembered how new it was for him to take up the sport.
As he shared his thoughts on how the sport has evolved over the years, the journey he had in it and how it has been teaching students of it, he also reflected on the journey he had in running his own academy.
“Even opening up my own (academy) here in Suva was also an encouragement from my mum, to be really honest,” he said.
“I think she was the person behind Civic Tae kwon do Academy and we started off with just four kids and to be really honest, I didn’t think we would grow this big.”
“We’ve produced an Olympian, we’ve had one of our young athletes go to the Junior World Championships in Korea last year so I think we’ve been doing a really good job.”
When he opened the academy in 2020, a major challenge he faced and had to overcome was the transition of classes from face-to-face to online ones during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji.
“When we opened during COVID lockdown, we had a lot of parents get in touch with me, our manager got in touch with me as well so because everybody was in isolation, what we used to do was we used to have zoom taekwondo classes,” he explained.
“Everybody from home, I just used my phone. We’d have a video chat and everybody would still train, so some of those kids that have been training with me from that time are now gearing up to become new black belts this year as well.”
Meanwhile in the present, this newspaper was invited to a training session held at the Patel Samaj Hall in Toorak, Suva last Thursday and observed the enthusiasm present within the 50 to 60 youngsters that donned their doboks and engaged in a series of exercises before they took to sparring in pairs.
Nand was hard at work, assisting students and giving out instructions to conduct specific exercises.
Active in the spirit and propelled with a desire of inculcating progress for the students, he observed them yelling out commands and simultaneously performing routine movements.
For Nand, teaching students in this age group involves an enhanced level of devotion and utmost care.
“We have a really good system where we break the new kids slowly into the system; go through with them in the basics, ensure that the basics are taught well,” he explained.
“We have really good instructors, we have really good senior black belts who encourage, provide really good motivation to new kids and help them begin their taekwondo journey.”
It’s a commitment to detail that also stands out and the senior tae kwon do practitioners understand this, as he added they would simplify the advanced nature of the concepts so that the students would understand them easily.
This step is a vital one since it would induce a ripple effect of ensuring they would be well trained, prepared and even encouraged and groomed to handle the rigidity of competition as they grew older.
While the process is one where patience and time play important roles, he added this was also a challenge.
“It’s an interesting part of life, I think the more we teach, the more we learn ourselves as well,” he mentioned.
“Teaching the new ones at this age in this area is a little bit different from how we were taught so we try our best, we encourage the little ones.”
He said this was prevalent especially in the sessions that took place at the Patel Samaj Hall itself.
Looking ahead to the future, there was a tone of optimism he spoke with when asked how innovative the sport could develop itself to be later on.
“Definitely, being a part of the Olympics now and our recent success at the Pacific Games, at the Junior World Championships, I think a lot of kids want to try this now,” he said.
“They want a sport with national team colours, you know? So we give them that encouragement, we show them that pathway. You start here, you can end up with the national team one day.”
“And this really encourages and motivates them especially with our experienced senior athletes. These guys really step up to things and help the new ones go through the journey of just starting and training taekwondo and then slowly getting groomed to become a professional fighter.”
He also shared on the sport had also grown since.
“There are electronic scoring systems now, so we have also adapted to what is now required, being (that) tae kwon do now being one of the very professional sports in the Olympics,” he highlighted.
Meanwhile, on that Thursday afternoon, they were training in preparation of the Fiji Tae kwon do President’s Cup in July.
They were also preparing for another later in the year; the Oceania Taekwondo Union’s referees and coaches courses.
Nand highlighted what the training sessions were aimed towards achieving.
“That (referee and coaches course) is what we’re going to be having, this is very important because we not only have black belts taking part, we also have a few senior coloured belts,” Nand said.
“We not only upgrade ourselves but then the elite athletes get to understand what the new requirements and laws and regulations are when you go to international events.”
“This really helps them understand what is required of them.”
“The training has been really good, all the kids are responding to it very well and if you see the sparring session, you’ll see even the small ones going for it,” he added.
“It’s really exciting to watch them.”
Meanwhile, with the Fiji Tae kwon do President’s Cup coming up, he highlighted what was up for contention at the competition.
“There’s going to be various categories and weight divisions they’ll be vying for,” he explained.
“There are medals up for grabs, we’ve got national team selection up for grabs as well as for a few international events so everybody’s vying for a spot.”
“They understand what the requirements are as an athlete so we’re getting them to transition from just an everyday athlete to try and become an elite athlete so they can perform better as well.”
