Australian Taekwondo, in conjunction with Australian Taekwondo Western Australia, presented the second of a series of nationwide training sessions with National Performance Coach and three-time Olympian and gold medal winner, Dongmin Cha

The sessions, which are designed to assist and strengthen both state training programs and sections of the pathways programs, are proving very popular.

The Western Australia sessions, like South Australia earlier in the month, were well attended with over 100 attendees across the two training sessions. Additionally, a pathways Talent ID session was conducted for a limited number of athletes.

Day one saw an introductory session around basic technical foundations with 50 participants from blue belt and above. The session revolved around the basics of kicking and generating power through the correct technique. Dongmin again emphasised the importance of mastering the basics, showing the relevance for all age groups and levels.

The day two sessions focused on higher-level participants with a priority toward basics but also the utilisation of the techniques taught as strategic drills. The athletes were mainly black belts from cadets and above who received a two and a half hour workout and learning experience.

Australian Taekwondo West Australia President Anita Tippet said: "it was great to work with the national program in delivering what was a great seminar and very insightful in the future direction of Australian Taekwondo."

"The athletes enjoyed having Dongmin Cha deliver a training session that worked on the foundations of competition Taekwondo. Seeing so many happy faces at the end of the sessions and receiving lots of positive feedback was great. Dongmin was definitely an inspiration to the participants."

"Australian Taekwondo Western Australia looks forward to working cooperatively with Australian Taekwondo on more projects and opportunities for our members in the future," added Tippet.

National Performance Director Ross Hartnett told athletes attending the Talent ID session that the philosophy around Australian Taekwondo's approach was to build a culture that focused on building a nation of High-Performance athletes.

Hartnett stated that Dongmin Cha, along with other national staff, would be an important cog in this but that they themselves, their state coaches and, importantly, their club coaches all play an important role in their future success.

He said it was again great to see a good turnout and hoped future scheduled events in various states would be just as successful.

Coach Cha is in Australia as part of the Kukkiwon Dispatch Masters program and has been integrated into Australian Taekwondo national performance development as part of our long-term development strategies toward the 3032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

Coach Cha, as always, expressed his pleasure at being able to contribute toward the development of Australian Athletes in Western Australia and looked forward to contributing to athletes around the country.

Further training with Coach Cha has been scheduled in New South Wales on 10th September and Victoria is scheduled for 9th October.

A talent ID session will also be held in Canberra in the near future under the direction of Pathways lead Ali Khalil, along with Dongmin Cha and state coach John Masiello. These dates will be announced shortly.

Plans and scheduling around other states will follow in due course as this segment of Australian Taekwondo programs are rolled out across the country.