Taekwondo Training Tips

[Superman859]

I was wondering if any of you who study Korean martial arts could help me out with Taekwondo training tips. I am thinking about beginning to study taekwondo myself. I have studied Shaolin Kung Fu and Brazilian Jujitsu so far. What are some general (or not so general) training tips for taekwondo? Thanks!

[White_Tiger]

You have studied some martial arts already so that definitely helps. My advice would be to losen up the hips, quads, ham strings and hip flexors. Not that all you will be doing is kicking, but probably a lot more than you are used to. Good luck in your training!

[aefibird]

Practice stretching and loosening up your leg muscles. If you've never done high kicking before (sorry, I dont know what the kicks are like in Shaolin Kung Fu) then start out low and gradually build up higher. Keep on trying to get a little bit higher each time your practice. Don't rush to kick high straight away if you can't, as that may result in injury.

Try and do some stretching and other leg work every day. Kicking isn't the be-all and end-all of TKD, but it will most likely feature a lot more heavily than it has done in your previous MA training.

Also, if you have decided on a club to go to then find out what patterns/forms you will be learning (e.g. Taeguek set, Palgue set, Songahm set etc) and try and find a site with video clips on it. Watching the clips through a few times, especially of the first pattern in the set will help you to get a better idea of what you have to learn. It's no substitute for a club instructor, though, as I'm sure you know from your previous MA training.

This site has video clips with most of the major TKD and TSD patterns on it, such as the Taeguek series and the Pyung Ahn series.

Oh, and welcome to the forums! Good to have you aboard.

[Drivr]

Warm up and stretch. Because you have martial arts experience already this should be a given for you.

When you start doing the kicks at first dont worry about height, worry about form. If you practice the kick at your highest but with bad form then when the height comes easily the form will still be bad from muscle memory. If you dont have the height yet dont worry. A low kick executed properly is much more efective than a high kick done poorly.

I still can not kick to the head with anything other than a front snap kick but all my kicks are effective at the height I can kick at.

[Dont call me Sir]

Superman859, have you decided which style of TKD that you are interested in, ie, WTF (Olympic Style) or ITF style?

DCMS.

[AceKing]

You have studied some martial arts already so that definitely helps. My advice would be to losen up the hips, quads, ham strings and hip flexors. Not that all you will be doing is kicking, but probably a lot more than you are used to. Good luck in your training!

I agree with white tiger, flexibility is very important. Not only in tkd but in every martial arts you do.

[Belasko]

Probably the #1 recomendation I have for anyone trying any MA, yet I rarely hear, regardless of experience... Keep an open mind. You are moving into a different style of fighting. As you probably know this will mean different movements, stances and even execution of what otherwise is a similar technique. I wouldn't forget what you have learned, just add to it what you are going to learn. If you go in with the idea that you have experience and know what the instructor wants and expects of you chances are good that you will be dissapointed. Stay open to constructive criticisms and advice and you will probably find it more interesting than you thought.

[shogeri]

I am heavy into the mental aspects and the philosophy of the arts, and the direction that they are going.

So I agree with belasko, and yet with the others as well.

Keep an open mind, do not limit your self, nor allow others to place limits upon you.

Take yourself to a given expected level, and then climb above it.

Do this time and time again.

Good luck!

[Aodhan]

I was wondering if any of you who study Korean martial arts could help me out with Taekwondo training tips. I am thinking about beginning to study taekwondo myself. I have studied Shaolin Kung Fu and Brazilian Jujitsu so far. What are some general (or not so general) training tips for taekwondo? Thanks!

TKD has more kicks than you are probably used to, so you will need to work on leg flexibility and hip flexibility. Also, the stances in TKD are wider than most kung fu styles, so you will need to work on the strength in your legs as well.

Aodhan