Taekwondo will be one of three new disciplines being introduced at the forthcoming Andorra Games for European Small Nations.
Malta will also be having its own athletes in this discipline, although there will be none competing in beach volleyball and Mountain Biking, the other two newcomers to the programme.
This is an interview with Dr. Christopher Vella, President of the Malta Taekwondo Federation.
Taekwondo has featured as one of the Olympic Games in Athens. How is the sport played?
Taekwondo has also featured as an Olympic sport in the Sydney Olympic Games and it will be featuring as an Olympic sport in Beijing in 2008. As an Olympic discipline, Taekwondo is a combat sport involving full contact kicking and punching techniques. For safety purposes the competing athletes wear body and head protectors and punching techniques are only allowed to the body area. A score to the body is awarded one point whereas a score to the head area is awarded two points. Another extra point is given whenever an adversary is knocked down by a legitimate scoring technique. The winner is determined by points or by knock out. Since only the feet are used to the head area, the game is played at kicking distance. It involves a variety of high kicking techniques making it very spectacular to watch and very strategic to play.
Do the same rules apply to youths?
In the case of youths, competitions normally exclude head shots completely. Young competitors are only allowed to score with techniques directed towards the body area. Furthermore in the case of youths we emphasise more the technical form competitions rather than fight competitions. Technical form competitions involve the demonstration of standard combinations of defensive and offensive techniques, helping young athletes to develop correct basic technique, stances and posture.
As a combat sport how safe do you think Taekwondo is?
Well I would say that from all the full contact martial art sports, Taekwondo is probably the safest. Taekwondo has managed to strike a balance between the feeling of a real fight, spectacular technique and safety. Athletes compete with bare hands and bare feet making them feel at first hand the actual contact with their adversary. Their blows are delivered freely and with full power. On the other hand, most of the easier and dangerous martial art blows (such as hand strikes to the throat, neck or face) are not allowed and athletes wear protective apparel for further protection. The use of the feet to the head area makes the game a spectacular one to watch.
Last year you have visited Korea where the sport is said to have originated. How positive was your experience there?
Yes indeed Taekwondo originates from Korea. Of course my experience there was a very positive one. Towards the end of July of last year I attended for the 10th Foreign Instructors’ Course organised by the World Taekwondo Academy known as the Kukkiwon of Seoul, Korea. Mr. Neville Desira, a Malta national team player, has also attended this course. We were lucky enough to train with the Korean national team players just before they left Korea for the Olympic Games in Athens. We have both passed the Instructors’ course examination and the knowledge and experience we gained therefrom are invaluable. The course covered all aspects of Taekwondo including its martial art aspects. One must not forget that Taekwondo is not just a kick-punch game elevated to the realm of an Olympic sport. Taekwondo remains a martial art discipline promoting self-improvement from a holistic point of view. Taekwondo therefore remains a valid medium for the promotion of self-discipline and etiquette. Apart from the Olympic style game, Taekwondo involves the practice of effective self-defence skills and artistic performance of technique.
How popular is this martial art aspect of Taekwondo?
The martial art aspect of Taekwondo is practised by all Taekwondo practitioners even those who are mainly involved in competitive fighting. Indeed the fight game itself forms a part of Taekwondo as a martial art. Taekwondo as a martial art involves the practice of: 1. Basic Technique; 2. Traditional Patterns (combination of techniques); 3. Sparring (which includes the fight game itself); 4. Self-Defence Skills; 5. Breaking Techniques; and 6. Korean Etiquette which characterises its practice. To proceed from one grading level to the other you are required to practice and learn Taekwondo as a whole. All practitioners therefore have to be involved with the martial art aspect of Taekwondo as this is the only way one can proceed from one grading level to the other. To reach black belt level and beyond one would be required to train at least twice or three times per week. A competitive athlete, however, is required to train more than that. A fight competitor is expected to attend specialised training sessions geared to ensure proper preparation for fight contests. Athletes competing in the fight sport have to attend for at least four good training sessions per week. Athletes taking part in international competition are required to train every day. Of course not all practitioners are in a position to train for long hours daily. Most practitioners train twice or three times a week and are happy practicing the art without being involved in the top levels of competitive taekwondo.
Taekwondo is featuring as one of the disciplines in the Games of the Small States of Europe to be held in Andorra. How have the Maltese Taekwondo athletes prepared for these Games?
Yes, Taekwondo is now one of the Games of the Small States of Europe. It is the first time we will be forming part of the Malta Olympic Committee team participating in these Games. So this event has a historic significance to our federation and sport. Our athletes for these Games are Neville Desira (in the 68 kg category) and Stephen Formosa (in the 80 kg category). Brian Saliba is acting as national coach and is being guided by John Webster (an established international taekwondo coach and sport director) from Brunel University in London. To better prepare our athletes for these Games we were regularly taking part in international competitions. Last year we participated in three internationals in London, Ireland and Cyprus. We have managed to win two bronze medals through Neville Desira (London and Ireland). David Pulis has also managed a bronze in Cyprus. Incidentally our athletes were lucky enough to train with the US national team (including gold medallist Steve Lopez) in Malta immediately before the said team participated in last year’s Olympic Games in Greece. This year we took part in another British International at the end of February and two training camps in Holland and London respectively.
What are the prospects of winning medals in this event?
Well it’s difficult to say as this is the very first time Taekwondo is being played at these Games. With the help of the Malta Olympic Committee, our coach Brian Saliba and our technical director John Webster, we feel that our athletes are properly prepared for this event and we do stand a good chance of winning a medal or two.