Meet the Staff:
Each instructor pursues an intensive course of training. Physical taekwondo skills must be mastered, and the techniques required to teach this material must be developed and refined. Every “instructor trainee” spends 2-3 years practicing educational strategies for all age groups. During that training time, the student must meet stringent training and instruction requirements. As each stage is accomplished, the collar of their uniform (symbolizing the yoke of responsibility they bear as instructors) changes from Red, to Red-Black, and to Black-Red-Black.
The instructor trainee must complete 300 hours of "student-teaching" under the supervision of a senior instructor. Certification in CPR and Youth Protection is required of every instructor trainee. Final training and certification must be earned at an ATA Instructor Training Camp; an intensive experience in which the instructor trainee attends workouts and training events 12 hours/day for several days. The trainees practice, refine and demonstrate techniques under the personal supervision of Songahm Taekwondo Masters. Only after passing a practical teaching examination and demonstrating instructional competence in all of the Songahm Taekwondo material is “Certified Instructor” ranking awarded. The Certified Instructor is designated by a "black collar", and has earned the title "Sah-Bum-Nim" (Instructor).
Recertification requirements must be met every three years through a program of continued advanced training in instructional methods, business operations, specialized martial arts skills and abilities, and demonstration of abilities at an ATA Instructor Training Camp (an intensive experience in which the instructor attends workouts and training events 12 hours/day for several days, culminating in demonstration of abilities in a formal testing. Only after passing a practical teaching examination and demonstrating instructional competence in all of the Songahm Taekwondo material is “Certified Instructor” ranking re-issued.