In previous blogs I wrote about teaching methods, but in this blog I want to write about one of the most important aspects of our program, Life-Skill development. Any Taekwondo program is going to develop discipline, focus, etc. Beyond these intrinsic skills a martial arts program should layer intentional character development.
Every month at Apex Taekwondo we focus on a specific Life-Skill. The Life-Skills we teach include the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo.
Courtesy
Integrity
Perseverance
Self Control
Indomitable Spirit
For the rest of the months we discuss Life-Skills such as Gratitude, Generosity and Goal Setting. This month we are focused on Gratitude.
Each week we will talk about a different aspect of Gratitude:
The simplest way to show gratitude is to say thank you.
We should show gratitude when someone has given us a gift, whether that is an object, their time or effort.
Showing gratitude shows that we not only appreciate someone’s effort, but that also we appreciate them as a person.
Demonstrating gratitude helps us build relationships with others, by showing them we care.
We talk about aspects of our Life-Skill during and at the end of each class. When we discuss the Life-Skill at the beginning of the month, students receive a Life-Skill Reminder (like the image above) to reinforce the Life-Skill at home with their parents. This allows us to incorporate Life-Skill learning into all parts of our program.
