Introduction. I wish you every success in your competitive future! Yours in Taekwon- Do. Adrian Byrne V Dan. Head Coach Irish National Team

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1 Introduction On behalf of the coaching panel and management welcome to the ITF Irish National Team. In recent years, our teams have enjoyed unprecedented success at European and World Championships. Our competitor pool includes junior and senior European Champions, junior World Champions and Senior World Silver Medalists. In team events, we have been successful at junior and senior level in male and female competition. The team you are a part of, has very high standards. We have come to expect success and to demand the very best of ourselves. Being a part of this team is a very worthy challenge, and one I hope you will welcome. Our goal is to build on the success of the past number of years, increasing the total medal tally of the Irish National team, thus improving our European and World ranking. We will do this by continuously innovating in our training and preparation, building a culture of achievement and drawing upon the expertise available to us within and outside the squad. This document has been written for the benefit of new competitors, engaging with our squad for the first time (and their parents in the case of juniors) and for their coaches. It aims to clearly outline the culture we are building within the team, to introduce you to the coaches and management, to show you what you can expect of us and to explain what we expect from each of you. I wish you every success in your competitive future! Yours in Taekwon- Do Adrian Byrne V Dan Head Coach Irish National Team Coaches: Adrian Byrne V Dan, Niall Jones V Dan, Stephen Ryan V Dan Manager: Jack Sheehan II Dan, Asst. Manager: Laura Cullen IV Dan

2 Culture and Expectations The Irish national team is far more than the sum of its parts. Each team member, coach, manager, parent or supporter contributes to the team culture. The culture is the sum of the expectations, attitudes and beliefs of each person involved how those contribute to a performance. The following are some values we hold to be important: Fairness o In selection of competitors o In our effort to improve each individual o In how we play the game That effort brings reward o Train to succeed Honesty o We take the good with the bad o All feedback is welcome o You ll hear what we really think Personal responsibility and accountability o You are responsible for your own development o You are accountable to others for what you commit to o Coaches are accountable to the squad, the associations and each other We need to adopt a culture of continuous improvement. We will constantly seek ways to out train, out smart and out compete our competitors. We will draw on the experiences of coaches, competitors, club/personal coaches and external experts to ensure we are better each and every year. Each competitor, coach and manager will need to sign up to a code of conduct. There is an expectation that your conduct will be a credit to you, team Ireland, and Taekwon- Do generally.

3 Roles and Responsibilities Head Coach The head coach is Mr Adrian Byrne V Dan. In addition to the roles outlined below for the other national team coaches, the Head Coach will: Coordinate the overall training programme Oversee the work of coaches and managers Liaise between ITA/INTA and the team as necessary Be the final point of arbitration on all issues relating to the team Team Coach The team coaches are Mr Adrian Byrne V Dan, Mr Niall Jones V Dan, Mr Stephen Ryan V Dan and one other to be confirmed. They will: Agree training and competition goals with athletes Make the programme specific to each athlete Review athlete training diaries and nutritional logs Update athletes, personal coaches (and parents) on progress Manage injuries with athletes and medical personnel Liaise with personal coaches on how to bring about improvement in their athlete Travel to international championships Assistant Coach We will shortly be interviewing for a small number of assistant coaches, who will: Assist team coaches in the delivery of training sessions Carry out small group and 1 to 1 training Conduct training of developmental squad Manager / Assistant Manager The team manager is Mr Jack Sheehan II Dan and the assistant manager is Ms Laura Cullen IV Dan. They will: Deal with all financial matters concerning the national team Arrange national team tracksuits and doboks for all competitors Coordinate all travel arrangements for international championships Keep contact details and records for all athletes

4 Roles and Responsibilities You the Athlete As the athlete, you are responsible first and foremost for your own development. It s your job to achieve the results and to that end you will: Agree training and competition goals Contribute to the design of your training programme Maintain a training diary and a nutrition logbook Monitor your competition weight Completing the training you commit to Communicate with the coaching panel, management andyour own coach about your training and progress (also parents in the case of a junior) Report all injuries, illnesses or other factors that effect your training Review video of their own performances and competitors performances Share video and analysis with coaching panel Personal Coaches Your own coach will see you far more frequently than the national team coaches and has had an enormous influence on getting you to where you are today. Their role continues to be incredibly significant. They will: Keep aware of your training and competition goals Adapt training sessions to facilitate your programme Discuss progress in training with you and the national team coaches Manage injuries with you and our medical personnel Regularly read your progress reports from national team coaches Work with national team coaches on how to bring about improvement in your performance Parents/Guardians (Juniors) For the junior competitor, the parents/guardians are the most critical piece in the jigsaw. With their help you can reach your potential, without it, you will struggle. Try to remember that when you talk to them! Parents will: Arrange transport to training sessions More than likely fund training and travel Provide emotional support Help to maintain a good life balance Protect your best interests

5 Communication At the beginning of each Championships campaign the management will collect certain personal information from you. This includes: Name, Address, Contact Number, Black Belt Number, Passport Details Personal Coach name, telephone and For juniors we also take parents names, telephone numbers and addresses General squad announcements will go to you and your coach by (parents of junior competitors will be included as well). The ITA, INTA and Irish National Team Facebook pages and Websites will also carry important announcements. More personal mail will be sent to seniors directly, but for juniors all mail will be copied to parents. There will be a coach assigned to you who will be tasked with helping you profile your performance, set goals for training and competition, programme your training and talking with you and your coach about your performance and progress. We will be giving regular opportunities for squad members, their coaches and parents to give feedback and input into the training process. For matters that are more urgent and that need to be dealt with immediately, you should talk to the person in the squad you feel most comfortable with. This could be one of the coaches, assistant coaches, managers or team captains. Juniors may prefer for a parent or personal coach to do the talking. Please add the following sites to your favourites and visit them regularly for updates:

6 Education and Academics Athlete Education A wide range of educational inputs will be designed and delivered to ensure you are knowledgeable on: Anti doping policies and procedures There will also be an opportunity to declare any prescription medication that would require a Therapeutic Use Exemption Nutrition Nutritional demands of Taekwon- Do training and competition, food choices, hydration, competition meal plans and general nutrient balance. Lifestyle Time management, work/school pressure, finance, relationships and other commitments impact positively or negatively on training and performance. We will look at how to optimize lifestyle support to help our athletes perform. Strength and conditioning The general physical preparedness of all athletes is a definite area for targeted improvement. Academic Success We recognize the value of a good Leaving Certificate and/or third level qualification to our athletes and want to support them in achieving their academic goals. In many cases this can be achieved while balancing study with Taekwon- Do training and competition. This is only possible with planning and open discussion with the coaches, athlete, parents, personal coach and school authorities. We will, where requested, work with all parties to plan the athletes involvement with the national team during exam years. In this planning the following factors must be given due consideration: The academic expectations of the athlete and parents The effort that will be required to reach this outcome and time needed The competitive goals of the athlete The effort that will be required to reach this outcome and time needed The stress that balancing both will have on the athlete Potential support from home, and school Potential support from the National Team Timing of mock exams, oral exams and state exams Timing of the championships

7 Development Red Belts The National Team has a commitment to develop its current and future pool of athletes. Red belts from both ITA and INTA who will soon be eligible for selection to the National Team will be invited to attend designated squad training sessions and workshops. Developmental Pool Some athletes who wish to train with the squad may be classed as Developmental. This loosely includes new black belts, individuals who have potential but little competitive experience and red belts who hope to try out in subsequent campaigns. Such athletes who are not selected for European or World Championships will still be invited to attend certain training sessions with the intention of gaining valuable experience towards the next selection events. Athlete Coach Ratio We are working to reduce the athlete to coach ratio in training by redesigning the training sessions, adding assistant coaches and potentially requesting the assistance of other coaches or squad members. Grade Progression and Weight Categories National team coaches will take an active interest in grade progression. We are mostly concerned that we have quality competitors in all grades for pattern, and that we don t have an overabundance at one grade and no competitors at another. We will also make recommendations around weight category selection, particularly if a weight category is seen as unhealthy for the competitor. Health Management Athlete health management is a new focus area for us. We have enlisted the help of Dr Richard Aboud and Ms Anne Marie Kinsella (Physiotherapist) who will be working to ensure we can control as much as possible the treatment and prevention of injuries. Competition Experience To further the competition experience of our athletes we will be recommending participation in a number of International Open Competitions. These may include the ITF World Cup, AETF European Cup, Viking Cup, Masters Mazovia Cup, Dutch Open. A national team coach (or coaches) will attend the recommended championships, so that even if a your personal coach can t travel a coach will be on hand. We may also offer selection points for these tournaments.