Hi everyone,

A big thank you to everyone who has done an online class this week!
A number of students have done multiple online classes already, keep up the good work!

In this edition:

1. Online classes week 1 learnings and changes starting from 5th April
   
2. Book your One on One review prior to grading
   
3. Grading
   
4. Covid19 watch update
   

Tuesday/Wednesday's classes only had a couple of students which was good.

It gave David and I time to practice and refine how we deliver the classes online.
By Thursday there were 10+ people in each of the 3 classes that we held that day.

Online classes are very different to in person!
Starting from April 5 we will run even more classes which will allow us to focus specifically on each belt. I've also rewritten the class plans from scratch and each belt now has an 11 week program designed with the online format in mind.

We've decided that recorded sessions will not be shared outside out club. Sometimes participants show up on the recordings and also we stop demonstrating to watch the participants and give tips/tell them not to slack off.

Instead of uploading the recorded sessions, we will film a home workout version of each belt level class. That's 10 videos per week plus the tutorials that are currently underway (sneak peaks of the tutorials will come out next week)

Take a look at the timetables below and our first class from Tuesday 24 March
The timetables are updating rapidly so members, it's best to view these via your app.
(If you're a member and you haven't got the link to the app let me know).

If you are planning to grade, or if you want a check on your progress make sure you book your one on one review. We are happy to give you some specific feedback on what to work on between now and grading submission date!
https://calendly.com/chungdotkd/15min

Everything is prepared for our first video grading. As there's no contact, grading criteria is only going to focus on:
Colour belts: your current pattern plus the previous pattern (e.g. Green tip/Taeguk 2, and yellow belt/Taeguk 1) and your kicks
White belts: Right hand, left hand, Chonji patterns and your kicks
Make sure you do it well!
If you're going to do grading please register and pay here
https://events.humanitix.com/march-april-2020-grading

This week has been full of half announced, flip flopped advice from the Government. A number of students have enquired about in person classes but honestly it's been hard to manage. We definitely can't train indoors but in theory we can run an outdoor class for less than 10 people but if we were 9 mates gathering in the park (or on the beach) we'd be crucified.

As a result of the unclear guidance and due to the rapidly changing goalposts we have not cemented any plans for in person classes.

Some disappointing news has been coming out of Hong Kong this week which supports my forecast that this is going to be a long battle. I was watching China but Hong Kong moved first so give us the first glimpse.

Hong Kong was in lockdown since 25th January. Lockdown ended after almost 7 weeks on March 2. Unfortunately their cases have started to climb rapidly.
It doesn't matter that the original source of transmission is blamed on people returning to Hong Kong.

The fact that Hong Kong is experiencing a "second wave" of infections supports the argument that our socially distant existence is going to be in place as long as Covid 19 exists somewhere in the world and until a vaccine is developed, tested and approved for widespread use. So, get online, do the online classes!

Today we're excited to launch our Chungdo@Home program!
Uploaded in SD to save precious bandwidth, transcript available below

Big week as Covid 19 events force us to re-evaluate our operations.

Perseverance and indomitable spirit are two key tenants of Taekwondo and we appreciate our students and their parents embodiment of this as everyone adjusts to what will be the "new normal" for the foreseeable future.

We have implemented significant changes to our in person classes.
No sparring, less target work, more techniques and poomsae to ensure we keep distance.

While there are some students still keen to attend in person, we know eventually this is not going to be possible and are executing our digital strategy.

Our digital program will be launched this weekend and is designed to help our students (and anyone who wants to join us) maintain some sense of routine and continuity with their taekwondo training.

A key consideration for us is how important regular exercise is.
The benefits are:

• Assisting to develop a strong immune system
  
• Release endorphins which helps combat stress and depression
  
• As the severity of Covid19 in Australia intensifies, people will remain at home more. Our sessions give the opportunity to have some level of outside interaction and whole body movement.
  

A few hours to go until our trial event!

Here are a few Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help you get started
(No one has actually asked these questions but I'm sure people are thinking of them)

1. How much space do I need?
If I (ZiChuan) lie down, that's about as long as a yoga mat.
So, find a patch of floor. Lie down.
If you can lie down straight then that's how much space you need.
Of course more space is better

2. What do I wear?
We can see you too so wear something.
TKD uniform (dobok) is a straight forward choice and will help you get into the right mindset. Gym/sports clothes are fine too.

3. How do I view the class?
We will be using a technology called Zoom.
A laptop plugged into/streaming to your TV might be a good idea.
The picture will be bigger and you'll be able to see more.
Otherwise a phone, tablet/iPad or laptop is fine.

4. Do I need to download anything before hand?
Often the first 15 minutes is spent trying to connect the tech.
To have a smooth start up, go to  Zoom
5-10 minutes early

Then if it asks you to install the Zoom app press yes/ok

Hi everyone,

An update on our Covid19 situation watch.
The medical advice is the same:

• Wash hands thoroughly, carry around sanitizer if you can find any
• Stay home if you have flu-like symptoms
• Cough/sneeze into your elbow
• Avoid touching your face (eyes and mouth)

At this stage, we will continue running classes at the scheduled times.

Regular exercise is important to build a healthy body and strong immune system.
We will review this position as new information comes to light.
If the NSW Public School system closes we will close as well.

Lindfield, Chatswood Zido Hub and NSG/NSB classes will change slightly to limit physical contact.

• No sparring. Classes will be fitness, strength, drills and poomsae only
• Limited use of kicking targets
• Chatswood dojang air conditioning is set to 19 degrees. It's an old school system so the building needs to call a technician out to change the temperature. Until this is done, jackets/jumpers can be worn during training. You're welcome to purchase a Chungdo TKD jacket.

Manly & Beacon Hill class plans to be confirmed. Steve has been away without reception and I haven't been able to confirm with him.

Grading is scheduled for 26 and 28th March @ Chatswood and 31 March/1st April at NSG, we will reassess this next week.

As it has been the start of the year with a lot of new students, we haven't had much opportunity to do sparring so far. Students may not notice much difference to class aside from limited use of kicking targets and more burpees.

We have created a fortnightly payment fee structure to help with the current uncertainty and in the long term to help everyone's cashflow.

This is available only on direct debit and discount applied is the same as the discount we've used for the 3 monthly fees.

If you have direct debit already and would like to change please email us to let us know (accounts@chungdotkd.com.au)
If you are not on direct debit yet but want to take advantage of this new structure please go to app.clubworx.com/websites/chungdo_taekwondo/waivers/direct-debit-request/signed_waivers/new
We'll work out when your next payment is due and we'll cut over after that. The start up fee will be manually removed during our verification for existing members.

Analysis of the WHO Situation Reports from 7 March to 13 March indicates the growth rate of reported cases of the virus is 16% per day Globally Outside China. It's a growth rate we wish our investments would have instead of a virus.

Australia is in line with that trend at 14.7% (alarming as that sounds keep in mind we have 140 cases so every 1 new case is 0.7% growth).
In comparison South Korea is at 2.8% new case growth rate per day.

It is going to be with us for a while

Those waiting "until it dies down" could be waiting a while.
As mentioned above we are heading into our cold and flu season, on top of this the highly contagious + relatively low mortality rate of COVID19 has doctors thinking it is unlikely to die off(3). A clinically tested vaccine is still a while away

I initially thought the calls to lock down were to "starve" the virus siege warfare style. But further research indicates the lock downs are to slow the infection rate so that our hospital system can cope and effectively treat the severe cases(4).

The total number of infected people could still be the same, just spread over a longer period of time(4).

Countries like South Korea are showing good rates of keeping the virus at bay. South Koreans aren't officially in lockdown but schools are closed and basically everyone has locked themselves down since Feb 24. They plan to reopen March 23, however the likelihood is cases will spike if they do (this is a personal, non medical, opinion).

Be alert but not alarmed

We are all concerned but it is important to keep a level head (keep calm).
Excessive stockpiling and overloading the health system harms the the poor, less mobile and elderly - the groups that are most at risk from COVID19 and many other health issues.

Analysis of the first 55,000 and later 72,000 cases from China indicates a number of key points(5)

1. 80% of cases recover
2. The elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk. If you are young and get sick you are not at high risk of complications but can pass it on to someone else which is a concern. Stay in isolation/treatment and reduce that risk.
3. What combination of symptoms you have helps give clues of what illness you have. e.g. If you have a runny nose/nasal congestion it's not likely to be COVID19. This is important as many symptoms of COVID19 overlap with the flu. CRITICALLY important is if you've been in contact with someone with Corona or travelled to an affected country (as per RACGP advice above), the health authorities will track you down even if you don't know you've been in contact.

Stay safe, exercise, sleep and wash those hands

Source: Sydney Morning Herald (5)

Sources:
(1)www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
(2)www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/chief-medical-officer-update-on-coronavirus-testin
(3)www.statnews.com/2020/02/04/two-scenarios-if-new-coronavirus-isnt-contained/
(4)ourworldindata.org/coronavirus
(5)www.smh.com.au/national/what-does-covid-19-do-to-the-body-and-what-s-it-like-to-have-the-illness-20200302-p5465a.html