A Teacher’s Passion in Volleyball and Life Coaching

How far would your passion take you?

For Mr Woo Kok Oon, his love for his job as a Physical Education (PE) teacher brought him on a 10-week journey to nine areas of Thailand in 2008, as Thailand is known to be one of the few top Asian nations in volleyball.  There, he observed the training routines of volleyball teams. This also meant roughing it out with the local students in the rural provinces, such as Watlaharn, Saraburi, Si Saket and even Ubon, which is 650km away from the city of Bangkok.

Though the circumstances were difficult, Mr Woo observed how the Thai students learnt important life lessons through sports training. Enriched by this experience, Mr Woo adapted and introduced some of the Thai practices to the girls’ volleyball team of Yuying Secondary School, where he teaches PE.

“Through sports, we can reach out to a person and develop character,” said Mr Woo, who continues to broaden his perspectives and improve his PE teaching methods , in spite of having more than 20 years of teaching and coaching experience under his belt.

Experiencing Volleyball Training in Thailand Schools

The role of a coach is not limited to training students. Mr Woo shared that travelling to school from home in various provinces was often a long journey for the Thai students. As such, most would stay in the school hostels, and had to learn to grow up fast. It was an eye-opener for Mr Woo as well, to see the way coaches would care for their teams, and set an example for their charges.

For example, the team coach at Saraburi would make a daily trip to a farm to buy chickens and vegetables for the team’s meals. After their volleyball training, the students would de-feather the chickens, cook and eat their meals together. Students would learn essential life skills from this, and also build teamwork and camaraderie. Mr Woo even met some teachers and coaches who would offer their homes as temporary shelters for students who were in need.

In turn, their students learnt the values of hard work and discipline. Before attending regular classes, students would train from 5.00am to 7.30am, and continue later in the afternoon as well.

“These students hope to have a bright future. So if they see an opportunity for a better life, they would greatly treasure it,” said Mr Woo.

If they excelled in the sport, there would be chances of playing for bigger teams and studying at schools in cities like Bangkok. Being talent spotted by national coaches would also pave the way for their future, as they would stand a chance to play for the Thai national team.

Adapting Practices to the Local Context

Many students joined Mr Woo’s volleyball team as their Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) without any prior experience in playing the game. Conscious of this, he hopes to build up their confidence and teach them lifelong values while coaching them on the game.

“Success is not always achieved by taking one giant leap. If you do not step forward, and overcome the fear of failing, you will find it very hard to succeed,” said Mr Woo.

Leading by example, Mr Woo reaches school at 6.30am every morning to prepare for the day. Such values of hard work, courage and resilience are also emphasised during each training debrief and Mr Woo would remind the team of these values even in the thick of competition.

“Mr Woo does not want us to give up easily,” said Ong Sin Min, captain of the Girls Volleyball Team at Yuying Secondary School.

Drawing from his overseas experience, Mr Woo uses the team funds to provide necessary items, such as sports tapes, cold sprays and ankle guards. He would also buy tins of biscuits so that his students would not go hungry during training sessions. The team has also learnt to study together as a way to build camaraderie and support each other.

As a teacher and a coach, Mr Woo knows that his role is to prepare his students for the future. To him, it is about helping students to experience “one step toward success” and to keep pressing on towards their goals.