Innovation Visual’s favourite athlete Phoenix continues to rise in the world of Taekwondo. 2020 has seen some unprecedented obstacles but she has refused to let these distract her from her goal of becoming Junior World Champion.
For background, Innovation Visual have sponsored local Taekwondo star Phoenix, for several years and we get almost as excited as she does every time there is a new trophy to celebrate! Phoenix regularly updates us on her progress, here’s her latest missive.
By Phoenix Goodman herself:
Training in Lockdown
Dummies don’t kick back!
Due to COVID-19, all competitions stopped from March and we are only just starting to regain some form of normality now. Training continued, however it was different because we were no longer allowed to train together in a hall due to COVID-19. It was unusual not being able to spar with my teammates and have physical contact training, but my home team, LMC Taekwondo , began hosting online zoom sessions two evenings a week. Five afternoons a week I was training with my northern team, Team Ultimate, where the different coaches would help us maintain and progress our movement skills, stamina, flexibility, time and reaction. I have a dummy (Bob!) who helps me with this - I am able to kick him, so I don’t lose any of these skills, and it is just like having a sparring partner except he can’t kick me back! This has been my routine from March all the way to August.
Coming together. Training apart
A huge positive I have taken from lockdown is that clubs from around the world have come together and I was able to participate in training sessions with clubs from Belgium and Ireland via Zoom. The coaches and athletes all worked together to help maintain the athletes’ drive and fitness. This really helped to improve my wellbeing and perception during lockdown, because we all pulled together to get the best out of the situation.
Maintaining Fitness
Recently, my local club LMC, has been hosting outdoor sessions, following strict guidelines. Outdoor sessions are better as my coach can watch our development in person rather than on a screen and we can maintain our fitness and be outside in the fresh air.
I have also been doing 3 mile runs around twice a week and I’m currently looking at increasing the distance soon to test my fitness. I have been sprinting to increase my fitness and agility as this is a very good advantage to have in the ring! Also, I have been completing a range of strength and conditioning training including resistance bands to build up muscles in my legs and other parts of the body which are used in my sport.
This variety of training has been vital during lockdown, because it is important that I don’t lose any aspect of my game plan and therefore I needed to work on different styles of training to maintain that.
Junior World Championships
In July I was selected by GB Taekwondo for the Junior World Championships which was fantastic news!
The World Championships are a high point of any junior athlete’s sporting career and eighteen 15-17 year olds were selected to represent Great Britain and go head-to-head with some of the world’s best talent at the prestigious event in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Unfortunately, the competition has since been cancelled due to the pandemic, but I was still able to attend some of the training sessions. This was hugely disappointing news but, having been selected for this amazing opportunity gives me the motivation to continue to train hard and push myself to be a champion.
Follow Phoenix Goodman
We’re so proud to be a small part of Phoenix’s journey. You can follow her progress on Facebook and Instagram too.
