Tae Kwon Do for the physically impaired/handicapped

[FearlessFreep]

We have a few low/mid level color belts in our school who have physical impairments or difficulties that keep them from doing a lot of the more flexibility-challenging motions of Tae Kwon Do.

I've been charged with coming up with a curriculum/set of requirements to allow these and similar students to achieve a Dan ranking taking into account what they are unable to do but still giving them a challenge and an accomplishment.

Does anyone have experience in working with people with back problems or leg problems or wheel-chairs in a Tae Kwon Do context? Any resources or approaches or experiences?

Note: I'm not the only one to be working on this... it's a semi-future project with my head instructor but I thought I could start collecting information

 

[Tryak]

In our club there is a woman that because of severe back injuries has limited mobility in her joints. She pushes herself to try and keep up with everyone else even though the instructor has made it clear she should listen to her body. For grading her kicks are usually lower and she is unable to roll her hips as much. She also can't do some of the conditioning activities we do like pushups and running or does modified versions.

As for curriculum I would think that the program should be tailored to the needs of the individual student because everyone has a very different set of needs and limitations and to try to norm a curriculum even for those with similar disabilities would be far less ideal imo.

 

[Kacey]

I have two students with developmental delays; one has cerebral palsy as well. I will attach a copy of my IV Dan thesis for you - I wrote it on teaching students with special needs, and it includes a discussion of a former student with back problems. I hope it helps - and do ask if you have any specific questions; I'm a special ed teacher too, and there's been a lot of overlap (in both directions). I got a lot of my ideas from GM Mel Steiner - he has a specific program for students with mental and/or physical challenges, and has given me a lot of ideas.

 

[ArmorOfGod]

http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/get_articles.php?cat=Martial Arts and the Disabled

There is a lot of reading on those and it is broken into 3 parts. The last part is broken in half. It is good reading though and it is sometimes hard to find info on that topic.

http://martialartistwithdisabilities.blogspot.com/
That has bios for 20 martial artists with disabilities and their contact info. You may be able to get in touch with someone that way who could help you.

That is an interview with J Shmidt who is over www.defenseability.com

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wheelchair+martial+arts&search_type=&aq=f
That is about 30 videos of martial artists in wheelchairs. Somewhere in that list is video of people tkd sparring while in wheelchairs.

AoG

 

[ArmorOfGod]

http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62280&highlight=wheelchair

That thread has a little bit of info that may help you including a thesis on teaching the disabled.

AoG

 

[IcemanSK]

A sister school in Fesno, CA is based on teaching folks with physical & mental disabilities along with folks without such issues.

I know that for his students with mental disabilities he has a markedly different rank system with a white stripe through the center of the belt. There is no hurry through the ranks (even moreso for these folks).

His info can be found here: http://breakthebarriers.org/programs/martialarts.htm

 

[Deaf Smith]

FearlessFreep,

The kicks can be low. Yes low kicking but all the same kicks.

Then hands. Fearless there is just a huge amount you can do with your hands. From such muldane as strait punch, reverse, backfist, overhead backfist, inside chop, outside chop, to more exoctic strikes like hammer fist, overhand punch, shovel, uppercut, ridgehand, to weird ones like wrist strikes and corkscrew.

All of those can be done in just a vast number of combinations. Then you can all lots of blocks from the convention downblock, inside and outside middle blocks, low block, then to boxing type blocks like inside and outside elbow, elbow front block (I call them that, heven knows what their 'offical' name is.

All these blocks and strikes have just thousands of variations if done incombination.

And then there is footwork. Slides and shuffles and lunges in many variations.

Yea you can do a real lot handicapped if allowed to break the mold.

Deaf

 

[bleedredstars]

This is really inspiring for me, having limited use of my right hand myself after a surgery gone wrong. After reading a lot of these cases it makes me feel foolish for feeling down about my condition.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Elbows and knees, bleedredstars, and learn to use the good hand very well!

It's nice to have every facility working perfect, but it's not what you've got... it's what you can do with what you've got!

Deaf

 

[Svart]

Here is a bit more to read from the MAP forums.

Discussion of a curriculum for a child with cerebral palsy.
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80736

The forum section for any poking around you want to do.
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=64