Virtual Martial Arts: How taekwondo is adapting to the pandemic

Taekwondo is recognized as one of the oldest martial arts globally, having originated in Korea over 2000 years ago. Despite its long and complex history, though, the past year has forced the martial art to change and adapt more than ever. With the provincial government making frequent changes to COVID-19 regulations and many people opting to stay home, many taekwondo clubs around the province have taken a significant toll during the pandemic. Local taekwondo master and Vice President of the Alberta Taekwondo Association, Jim Rennie, says that most taekwondo clubs in Alberta have seen a 75% decline in enrolment since the beginning of the pandemic. Many non-profit clubs, which often practice in school gymnasiums or community centres, have lost access to their practice spaces; private taekwondo gyms face financial issues, and several clubs have had to abandon their leases or even close permanently as a result.

The Whitecourt Taekwondo Club had practiced out of Central School and Pat Hardy Elementary’s gyms for 40 years and would have been among the clubs left without a practice space during the pandemic. Fortunately, though, the club relocated to a private facility in September 2019;Rennie said that the timing “seemed like a blessing.” The club has continued practicing through a mix of socially-distanced classes and online sessions, consisting of lessons posted to the Whitecourt Taekwondo Youtube channel and one-on-one Zoom classes. Despite the challenges that most clubs face right now, Rennie says the Whitecourt Taekwondo Club has continued to attract new students throughout its transition to online learning. Although classes are smaller and shorter than pre-COVID, they are held more frequently than ever before; Rennie says that he’s taught over 250 virtual classes in three months, which is a personal record for him!

Typically, the Whitecourt Taekwondo Club would have just finished hosting its annual tournament, held on January’s last weekend. Of course, it wasn’t possible to hold a tournament this year due to COVID-19, so instead, the Whitecourt Taekwondo Club collaborated with masters across Alberta to host the 2021 Taekwondo Challenge. This free, virtual tournament was spearheaded by local instructor and 4th-degree blackbelt Cindy Richardson and was initially open to any taekwondo students in Alberta. After seeing interest from out-of-province clubs, though, the decision was made to open the tournament to any taekwondo students, regardless of age, belt level, or location. Students had to videotape their submission and share it with the judges via Youtube by the January 22 deadline, and the results were announced on January 30. Among the many local, provincial, and national participants, Rennie reports that taekwondo students from Malaysia competed, which officially made the 2021 Taekwondo Challenge an international taekwondo tournament.

Among the 230 competitors were Whitecourt students Jason (10) and Ryan (11) Steenhart, who recently earned their second-degree blackbelts. The boys report that the tournament was “very fun” and that they’ve been practicing more than usual during quarantine. Their efforts shone through in the tournament: Ryan placed 3rd in recreational poomsae, and Jason placed 2nd in sport poomsae. Jason admitted that virtual tournaments are “strange” since there is no sparring, which both boys had predominately trained before the pandemic. All in all, though, both enjoyed the experience and plan to keep training for more virtual tournaments.

As a close-contact martial art, taekwondo has changed drastically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport has adapted and relied on technology from Zoom classes to virtual tournaments like never before. As instructors of this new reality, though, they are quickly discovering that taekwondo can flourish in the most difficult of times. Master Rennie says the club is excited to return to in-person classes and continues to make plans for the future.