#NotInMySport – Recognizing and Preventing Grooming Toolkit 

USA Taekwondo kicked off the #NOTINMYSPORT Campaign this month. It will be focusing on increasing awareness of Grooming. The goal will be to educate the sports community on what behaviors and signs to look for to help prevent grooming from happening to any athlete.

Grooming is a behavior that is often mistaken for “being nice” but in reality it has played a big role in many unacceptable behaviors, especially with sexual misconduct in sports. It is time to put an end to it. Help educate our athletes on what signs to look for so that they do not fall victim to this unacceptable behavior. Don’t stop there! Let’s teach and reeducate the coaches, parents, and any adult figure and get them familiarized with the signs they need to look for to help prevent grooming from happening to any young athlete. Let’s protect our athletes. Let’s make a difference. You may feel like you are over reacting, especially as it can seem like the adult is just ‘being nice’ to a child, but it is always better to be safe than sorry, and it is always better to STOP abuse before it happens.