Hello Everyone!
My name is Sam Parrill, or Ms. Sam as most of you may know me! Starting along with the opening of the new dojang, I will be taking over all of the new sparring classes, in addition to creating a new class for the more advanced sparring students! I am so very excited to get to know each and every one of you better as we start this new journey together! I have been teaching, coaching, and sparring since I was around 15 years old. It is truly one of my biggest passions, and I am so excited to be able to pass along my joy for the sport to all of you!
Sparring is one of the most well known parts of Taekwondo, as it is the only part of our sport to appear on international television at the Olympics (Keep an eye out for it at this year's games!). But the well known publicity of sparring is not the reason we have decided to make it a requirement for green belts and up moving forward. Improvement in sparring improves so many other aspects of your taekwondo experience as well. Below I have listed the many different parts of taekwondo we learn in classes and how each of them relates to sparring:
Board Breaking: Sparring drills will help to improve accuracy, power, and speed, all of which are vital to strong and complex board breaking routines.
Poomsae: All poomsae have some form of footwork in them, whether it be a kick or your stances. While other parts of the sport may focus more strongly on upper body and balance, sparring focuses on kicks and the awareness of your lower body. Improvement in sparring will help to improve kicks, flexibility, and even cognitive awareness of your feet (meaning you do not have to look at your feet as much while practicing your poomsae).
Self Defense: Out of all of the areas of taekwondo, this is the one that improvement in sparring affects the most substantially. We can replicate self defense situations to the best of our abilities in class, however, it is impossible to really replicate the feeling of working under pressure as another person attacks you. Sparring puts individuals in a situation where they must learn to think fast and react with their instincts and knowledge. This is the most valuable part of sparring, and is a large reason why we have decided to make it a requirement.
I have also been asked by many students and parents why we would need to spar for a whole hour a week. Rest assured, we will not be sparring for all of class, or even every class for that matter. Each week we will have a different focus, similar to the current curriculum classes, such as footwork, strategy, techniques, etc. One week a month, we will also have a special focus, where we learn about different strategies and techniques needed for different forms of sparring, such as point sparring and team sparring, as well as things such as match analysis. We will full-contact spar approximately once a month, with other opportunities to learn techniques in a less stressful environment.
With this in mind, the sparring classes at the new dojang will not be required to wear full uniform to every class. Simply your dobok pants, belt, and either a GVT, taekwondo, or a black or white tshirt! My goal is for everyone to feel comfortable and find enjoyment in every class!
If you have any concerns about sparring, please let me know! I am always open to discussing the why behind my classes, as I hope that every class teaches you something new and fun! I will never put a student in a situation they are uncomfortable with, and my hope is to make each and every class enjoyable and fun for all ages, ranks, and skill levels!
Ms. Sam :)
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