The COVID-19 pandemic had a deviating effect on our club and our ability to deliver classes. However we didn’t just close down and batten down the hatches we realised that we needed to keep supporting our students as best as we could and come up with a plan to do this until we could return to normal. Over the lockdown we came up with the plan of delivering video classes and lesson plans that students can follow at their leisure and free Zoom 121 personal training sessions after surveying the members as to what was the best options for them. A few weeks ago the Government advice allowed us to undertake 121 personal training face to face outside in a park which many students jumped on straight away.
With the updated Government guidelines last week we are now allowed to deliver small group training classes with one instructor to five students as long as we are outside and social distancing measures are adhered to. Excitingly this week saw Warwick & Leamington TKD club back training face to face for the first time in nearly 4 months following the Government guidelines keeping our instructors, students and the wider public safe and well. However, we are also continuing with support our students delivering the video lesson plans and Zoom 121 personal training sessions free of charge for those that continue to need them due to the need to continue with social distancing and isolation.
Classes are being delivered in St Nicholas Park in Warwick where we take over an area of low foot fall away from the public with an area clearly marked out by cones. The training area is separated out in to a number of segmented spaces for each group of 5 students who then have a designated clearly marked personal area a minimum distance of 3 meters away from any of the other students or instructors. With a detailed and well thought out plan for returning in this format and strict distancing rules we have seen a great response from the students returning to class and fabulous, positive feedback from them.
The return to some sort of normality is important for so many people for both physical and mental wellbeing reasons. We have had students that have not been out of their house since the lockdown and have not had the chance of any meaningful social contact in this time which has been tough for them. These classes are a massive positive step change to many of their lives and are enabling our members to come back out into the world in a safe environment confident that every step has been taken to keep them safe and well.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our amazing students and parents of students for the phenomenal support that they have shown the club during the shut down period. There has been an amazing demonstration of the close knit community that we try to foster in the club and embodies the club from top to bottom.
Now we have been running these classes for a week are are now ready to start welcoming new members to the club who can also benefit from these classes which are great for improving fitness, learning a new skill, social, friendly, fun, good escapism and most importantly safe.