Training partners play a crucial role in the success of a team in major tournaments, often serving as unsung heroes in the world of sports. In the realm of Taekwondo, their significance is especially pronounced, according to Ryan Carneli, the Taekwondo National Performance Centre Program Coach. Carneli highlights the mental stress and physical demands faced by Taekwondo athletes in important competitions. The discipline to consistently attend training sessions with the right mindset is crucial, and training partners play a vital role in this regard.
“Taekwondo is hard, especially with the mental stress of an important competition. There are physical demands on your body, and you need the discipline to continue showing up to training, knowing that you’ll have to be in a certain mindset to get through the session,” Carneli says.
“While it is an individual sport, a good training partner is extremely important to your career. They help with motivation; they challenge you physically and they’re there for you when you need to talk things through.
“They may not realise it, but they’re extremely important to a successful team.”
Carneli emphasizes the importance of training partners in an individual sport like Taekwondo. They provide motivation, physical challenges, and a support system for athletes to discuss and work through their thoughts. Although these partners may not always realize it, they are instrumental to the success of a team. As evidence of the significance of training partners, the Combat Institute of Australia’s training center enlisted the help of 28 elite Taekwondo athletes to support their nine National Performance Centre athletes in preparation for the World Taekwondo Championships.
“A good environment is everything and to create a good environment, you need like-minded, positive people. So, with the support of their club coaches, we were able to secure a group of young, motivated athletes that were selfless in the way that they gave up their usual training, work, and Uni schedules, to come into the NPC every day to train and push our National Team members,” Carneli says.
Over the last two months, the following athletes gave their all in an intense training camp, where their talent and commitment gave the NPC athletes the best possible preparation for the World Championships.
Creating a positive environment is key, and Carneli expresses gratitude for the club coaches who supported the initiative. These dedicated training partners, sacrificing their usual training, work, and university schedules, committed to training at the National Performance Centre daily. The athletes’ commitment and talent during the intensive training camp over the last two months have provided the National Team with optimal preparation for the upcoming World Championships.
The diversity of fighting styles among the training partners has given the National Team a valuable advantage. Through sparring sessions and targeted invitations to athletes with specific fighting styles or physical attributes, the team has been able to simulate real fight scenarios and develop various tactics. Taekwondo NPC Head Coach, Seokhun Lee, draws parallels between the current preparations and those made by past successful Australian teams, fostering confidence in the team’s potential achievements in Azerbaijan.
“Australia was very strong [at the time] and trained extremely hard. Daniel Trenton, Paul Lyons, Carlo Massimino, Warren Hansen and Lauren Burns were very confident and successful on the international circuit,” Lee says.
“When I came to Australia as a training partner for Daniel Trenton, I was very impressed with how they dedicated themselves to their training and this current Australian Team reminds me of that generation.
“I don’t know what results we’re going to get in Azerbaijan, but I do know that everyone has trained remarkably hard in the lead up; and thanks to the training partners that have come in to help, like I did back in 1999, I’m sure we’ll find the same success as past Australians.”
Notably, Carneli observes that the training partners themselves have made significant strides in their skills and potential. By immersing themselves in the elite training environment, engaging in similar scenarios, receiving advice, and sparring against the best in Australia, these partners have experienced substantial improvement. The camp has fostered strong bonds and a sense of camaraderie between the training partners and the National Team, enabling a collaborative environment with no egos.
Carneli expresses deep gratitude to the training partners on behalf of the Australian Team, acknowledging their selflessness and the positive impact they had on motivating the athletes for the World Championships. These partners have challenged the team, contributed to a positive training environment throughout the five-week period, and formed a collective support network. Carneli and Seokhun envision a unified community and hope that all the training partners can watch and passionately support the Australian Team during the tournament, knowing that they played an integral part in each National Team member’s journey. In this way, the performances are no longer individual but shared by all.
“We just want to thank them on behalf of the whole Australian Team for their selflessness in helping us keep the athletes motivated for the World Championships. They’ve challenged the team and helped keep a positive environment that was needed for the five-week training block.
“Seokhun and I have a vision to bring everyone together, and by having so many athletes come through and help with this World Championships campaign, they can all now watch Australia on the livestream and support that little bit harder, knowing that they had something to do with each National Team member. The Australian performances are not individual, they’re now shared with everyone.”
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Photo Courtesy Australian Taekwondo
