|
Northern Ireland martial arts club receives coaching awards |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 |
 A martial arts club in Northern Ireland has become the first in the country to obtain quality award standards for its instructors.
The Sekkyoku Tai Jutsu Federation, which has clubs in Banbridge and Belfast, has confirmed that its instructors have achieved both a Martial Arts Standard Agency-approved Quality Club Award and Level One Coaching qualifications, reports the Banbridge Leader.
Both the awards were achieved following close work alongside Cobra Martial Arts Association, with the instructors tested on issues such as health and safety and child protection, together with their coaching abilities assessed.
Mark McGuigan, the instructor at the Banbridge club, told the newspaper that until recently "any person obtaining a black belt" could just "book a hall and teach".
"The awards and qualifications which we have worked hard to obtain over the past 18 months, evidence our commitment to our students to provide standards of coaching well in excess of the current minimum standards," he added.
Steve Farleigh, a karate champion, recently announced he was launching a new sports academy aimed at getting disabled people into sport, the Keighley News reported.
|
