With many years today of experience as Poomsae Coach in Kyung Hee University, Master Min Woo Jeon, has taken many athletes to the National Team due to his professionalism and all national events that his athletes had won. Recently he co-authored two books that are part of the plan to standardized Poomsae all over the world, and this is what he said to us.
“I started as an athlete when the first Poomsae competition started in Korea. At that time, there were not as many Poomsae competitions as there are now. At that time, I was able to stand out at Kyung Hee University by winning prizes in competitions at Kyung Hee University and Yongin University. After entering Kyung Hee University, I was active while I was studying. I am one of the firsts been at Poomsae competitions”
You have many years in KHU, how was your beginning there as a coach?
I started coaching after graduating from Kyung Hee University. There weren’t many university coaches at the time. As a first-generation poomsae player at Kyunghee University, I started coaching for juniors with a sense of responsibility.
How do you become national poomsae coach of Korea?
The first time I had the chance to be national coach was at the 12th World University Taekwondo Championships. In Korea, the team that has produced many national players can be the head coach. So far, I have been a total of 7 times national head team coach.
What’s the selection process for an athlete to become national team member?
In Korea, national qualifications are held every year. It is mainly held in a tournament format. It is very difficult to be selected because there are so many quality players.
How important is GM Kang Shinchul in your career?
GM Shinchul Kang is my teacher. I learned from GM Kang Shin-chul from the white belt. He developed me as a player and later coached the Iranian national team, developing the skills I should have as a leader.
How did the World Taekwondo Professional Trainer Association start?
The World Taekwondo Professional Trainer Association started in 2018. We are working to research and disseminate professional training and guidance methods. WT Poomsae (World Class Poomsae Guidebook) and Taekwondo Freestyle Poomsae Guidebook have been recently published looking for that goal. We are spreading excellent teaching methods through overseas seminars.
What are your next goals?
We would like to share our experiences, knowledge, and research with Taekwondo family around the world through WTPTA. Taekwondo sparring has been standardized around the world, but breaking and poomsae are not; that is why we will strive for this.
