Martial Artists

Reprinted from 3.21: Canada’s Down Syndrome Magazine (Issue #22: The Recreation Issue). Click here to download the full magazine.

This article is adapted from Season 9, Episode 9 of The LowDOWN: A Down Syndrome Podcast. Click here to listen to the full conversation.

Darius Andaya is an International Instructor of Taekwondo with 6^th Dan certification. He is a Pan American and North American and Caribbean Champion, and a longtime advocate for the Adapted/Special Needs/Inclusive Taekwondo program. His son Darryl, who has Down syndrome, is a 2^nd degree black belt, Special Needs Taekwondo World Champion, and an assistant instructor for the Adapted Taekwondo program at the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation.

3.21: Darius, can you tell us a little bit about how you got started in Taekwondo?

Darius: I started when I was 12, so it’s been over 40 years now. My dad brought me to the Taekwondo school in the Philippines, which was a two-hour drive from where we lived. Every time I trained, it involved a four-hour round trip – not a small commitment!

The training over there is very serious – old school teaching. I got up to second degree black belt in the Philippines. Then we moved to Canada and I stopped for about 10 years. But once I was a father, my kids asked me if I could start teaching them. So I restarted training myself, and began teaching the kids in the backyard. Then some of their classmates came and it grew from there. In 2008 we became a proper school; today, DSA Taekwondo has about 70 students.

3.21: One of your children is Darryl, who we know very well at the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation. Like you, Darryl is also an international Taekwondo champion. When did you realize that Darryl could not only participate in Taekwondo, but could excel at a world level?

Darius: When he was a lot younger, while we were teaching classes, Darryl would be in the back doing all the moves. He would just mimic what everyone else was doing. At around nine-years-old, he started formal training. By that point, we had three other black belts in the family, and we all helped him out every day. He takes everything in. Darryl doesn’t quit. Each time we critique him, he just processes it and practices more.

3.21: For as long as we can remember, Darryl has practiced his moves here at DSRF, while waiting for his therapy appointments to start. In the parking lot, in the lobby – wherever. Darryl, you were really committed to it even as quite a young child. What do you like about Taekwondo?

Darryl: I actually enjoy working. And I like breaking a board in half, and traveling to places like New Zealand.

3.21: So you like the physical part of it where you can really use your strength, right? And you went to New Zealand for the world championships. Can you tell us about your medals?

Darryl: I have two gold medals, silver, and several bronzes. Me and my dad fought on the stage.

Darius: It’s part of the competition. We pair up, one person with a disability and one person without a disability. And Darryl really leveled up the standards!

3.21: You do a lot of demonstrations, like at the annual Run Up for Down Syndrome. And every time you’re doing a demonstration, we can see little kids watching with stars in their eyes, wishing they could do that. Darryl, do you like doing those demonstrations for other people?

Darryl: It is exciting to do it. I’m not nervous.

3.21: Darius, you run an adapted Taekwondo for Beginners class here at DSRF. How did that begin, and what is your philosophy around martial arts for people with disabilities?

Darius: Several years ago, we were invited to do a one-week camp as part of DSRF’s summer program. Coming out of that, a number of people were interested in taking it further, so we decided to make it a regular thing and turned it into a weekly class.

Right now, there’s no formal adapted program within our federation, so I’ve developed it on my own and I’ve encouraged other schools to use my program. It’s helpful to have a standard approach that’s the same for everyone, so that when we meet at competition, everybody knows the same things and is at the same level.

It’s all about adapting the typical program to the abilities of your students. Taekwondo includes both intellectual and physical practices, so the specific adaptations depend upon the nature of the disabilities, whether they are intellectual or physical. We don’t focus on what they can’t do; we adapt it to showcase what they can do. If you have a student in a wheelchair, they can’t do the jumps, so we focus on the arm movements instead.

The main thing for me is that everyone gets to try it. Some parents have fears about their kids getting hurt, but I encourage everyone to just give it a try. It’s good for them physically, and it also gives them self-confidence when they achieve something. Taekwondo has lots of competitions that allow them to show off what they can do. So many parents who were hesitant at first come back later and say, “You were right!”

3.21: And Darryl, you help lead this program too. What’s your role in the class?

Darryl: It is my job to help the students. I show them how to stretch. And I set up the mats.

3.21: It must feel really good to have younger students looking up to you and learning from you. You’re a role model!

Darryl: Yeah. It feels good.

3.21: In 2023, you led several students to participate in the Canadian Taekwondo Championships in Vernon, BC. The level of excitement around here was off the charts! What was it like to take so many students to that event?

Darius: That was very exciting, because it was the first time our students had the opportunity to participate in a national event. The masters and grandmasters were there, and everyone who watched our students perform was very inspired. I had a lot of parents come to me and say they didn’t know that people with disabilities can do Taekwondo. And now we are actually talking about having an adapted committee, so we can further develop it in Canada. That’s a great long-term goal.

3.21: What is your big dream for this program?

Darius: I want to go international. There’s already an international committee, but so far it hasn’t come to Canada yet; they’re mainly focusing on Europe. When Darryl competed in New Zealand, that competition wasn’t part of our federation, but they made an exception for him because he’s the only second-degree black belt in Canada and there was nowhere else he could compete. We want this opportunity to be available for all our students.

3.21: Do you have any advice for parents who are thinking about putting their child in martial arts but don’t have any experience themselves? What should they look for in a program?

Darius: The first thing they have to do is find an instructor who has empathy for their students; someone who understands the challenges they face. Patience is a big factor. You have to let them go through it on their own time, at their own pace. You can’t force them to follow your timetable.

3.21: Darryl, what would you say to kids who want to do Taekwondo?

Darryl: Start with the little dragon (the small kids). Start young.

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World Champion

Darryl Andaya is no stranger to extraordinary accomplishments. Through nine years of intense dedication and hard work at his family’s studio in Burnaby, he earned his black belt in Taekwondo – a lofty achievement made even more impressive by the fact that Darryl has Down syndrome.

Darryl’s excellence in the martial arts propelled him all the way to New Zealand, where he represented Canada in 2019 at the inaugural International Special Needs Taekwon-do Games. There, he made history by becoming one of the first ever Special Needs Taekwon-do World Champions, winning two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. As the one-man Canadian team, Darryl placed fourth among all nations and quickly became a fan favourite.

“Canada was well-loved and other countries chanted ‘Canada!’ every time Darryl went on the mats,” says his father Darius. “Darryl made lots of new friends from other countries.”

Darryl, a longtime student of the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation, has completed years of speech therapy at DSRF, and has participated in many of DSRF’s adult education programs. Through his hard work, Darryl began to speak more and became better able to vocalize his thoughts. He has become more confident and increasingly independent, making his own decisions and learning how to use the transit system.

Darryl’s growing communication abilities, social skills, decision making, and athleticism have helped him in his transition to adulthood and in his development as a martial artist. From an early age, his perseverance and strong spirit have been clear, and have enabled him to achieve things that other people never thought he could do. The sky is the limit for this world champion.