Magazine-Mar to April 2017

Lessons for life

His strong rapport with his students’ parents also plays an instrumental role in the success of his classes. As much as possible, Master Patrick involves parents in every stage of their child’s journey and progress in Taekwondo, from routine updates and feedback after classes, to presentation of belts after the passing of an exam. About Master Patrick Master Patrick has taught at The Club for 37 years, since 1980. He picked up Taekwondo when he was 11 years old, and has won numerous medals from National Taekwondo Championships. He was also crowned champion in the Master event for Poomsae at the National Poomsae Championship in 2011. (Titbit: He even set the Guiness World Record for the most number of vinyl records smashed in 30 seconds!)

As 5:30 p.m. rolled around, kids sporting Taekwondo gear bid farewell to their friends and parents and filed into the Zone Studio… save for a little 5-year-old boy. His loud and pitiful wails conveyed his reluctance to attend the Taekwondo lesson. As he entered the class gingerly, Master Patrick welcomed him – not with open arms, but with a stern expression and strict demeanour. Master Patrick assured his young student that his fears of getting hit during the free sparring segment of the class was valid, but not something he ought to be afraid of. Learning how to defend himself was part and parcel of the learning process. It is precisely Master Patrick’s no-nonsense approach and attention to his students’ different needs and personalities that set his classes apart from those taught at other institutions. The black-belt holder structures his lessons around 5 core values: Respect, Perseverance, Self-Control, Indomitable Spirit, and Modesty. At his classes, children learn more than just self-defence skills; they learn values that they carry for life.

Register your kids in Taekwondo classes for lessons beyond the classroom.

For more information or to register, please call 6739-4413 or email youth@amclub.org.sg.

47 THE AMERICAN CLUB MAR / APR 2017