Newbie tryingto read between the lines

[BigEb]

I'm new to the world of Tae Kwon Do. My son has been doing it for several months and I've been roped into it as well. I have a few questions based upon what I've experienced and read.

1. There's a lot of discussion about the types of TKD (sport vs traditional, etc.) and training practise methods. The discussions usually focus on which is better but there is no explanation as to why? As a newbie, I don't have the experience or knowledge to understand underlying reasons behind posted statements.

2. Since I'm middle-aged and overweight, it doesn't matter to me what kind of TKD I'm learning so long as I get in shape. With this being said and assuming the soreness goes away (someday), what kind of training can I do on my own to further refine what I'm learning?

[terryl965]

First off welcome to our group here. We do have a meet and greet section so you can introduce yourself to everyone.

On to your question, it does not matter which style as long as you are happy. Try to do some additional cardio and strecthing, this always helps everytime. Also try to expand on outside traing like wieght lifting or Basketball, something to help on those day you are not training. Just remember pain is going to be your worst enemy. Best of luck

[KELLYG]

Sport Taekwando is more training to prepare for tournaments. Lots of sparing. Traditional taekwando concentrates on pomse, kicking, blocking, and self defenses as well as sparing. There are probably more differences that I've missed.

Good luck.

[BigEb]

What's pomse and how do you know if your school is focused on traditional TKD vs sport?

[terryl965]

What's pomse and how do you know if your school is focused on traditional TKD vs sport?

Simple really just ask. Poomsae are your forms - patterns-Kata. All school spr, just some only does Olympic with hogu's on and hands down and no hands to your opponet head.

[KELLYG]

BigEb

You have been training for a couple of months?? What does your training time consist of??

[igillman]

Speaking as someone who is middle-aged, overweight and does TKD to keep fit I have to say that as long as you get a good run-around session it doesn't matter what style you do.

I usually start by stretching then I do forms (white belt up to my current belt) and then I do step sparring (white belt up to current belt, this needs imagination as I do not have anyone helping me). That gets me warmed up for kicking the bag. I have a list of kicks (front, side, roundhouse etc...) and I go down the list doing 8 of each type of kick with each leg on the bag. After that I do free-time which is anything I want to do. Sometimes I practice a higher level kick, sometimes I practice my next board breaking kick and sometimes I just bounce around the bag kicking it and trying out kicking combinations. I do the forms again for a "run-down" at the end of the session.

[jks9199]

I'm new to the world of Tae Kwon Do. My son has been doing it for several months and I've been roped into it as well. I have a few questions based upon what I've experienced and read.

1. There's a lot of discussion about the types of TKD (sport vs traditional, etc.) and training practise methods. The discussions usually focus on which is better but there is no explanation as to why? As a newbie, I don't have the experience or knowledge to understand underlying reasons behind posted statements.


It simply depends on what you're after. If you're after a reliable self-defense system, and the school you go to is doing nothing but Olympic-style sparring... You're probably not going to get what you want. But if you're looking for an Olympic sport, and you go to a school that's focused on self-defense and doesn't participate and play the necessary political games -- you're not going to be happy there, either.

In my area, the TKD schools taken as an amorphous whole have done a fantastic job of marketing martial arts as a kids and family activity, with before and after school programs that amount to thinly disguised daycare, Power Ranger/Ninja Turtle/Fad-of-the-moment programs, black belts in 18 months by contract (in one notorious case) and so on. No problem; they're in business, after all! But those programs aren't teaching the TKD self-defense system that MT members like Exile participate in, either.

It's really just a case of making sure that what you're paying for is what you want.



2. Since I'm middle-aged and overweight, it doesn't matter to me what kind of TKD I'm learning so long as I get in shape. With this being said and assuming the soreness goes away (someday), what kind of training can I do on my own to further refine what I'm learning?

Practice the lessons from class. Do your forms, do your class exercises, and do basic fitness/calisthenics type exercises. Move, and you'll get in better shape.

[terryl965]

It simply depends on what you're after. If you're after a reliable self-defense system, and the school you go to is doing nothing but Olympic-style sparring... You're probably not going to get what you want. But if you're looking for an Olympic sport, and you go to a school that's focused on self-defense and doesn't participate and play the necessary political games -- you're not going to be happy there, either.

In my area, the TKD schools taken as an amorphous whole have done a fantastic job of marketing martial arts as a kids and family activity, with before and after school programs that amount to thinly disguised daycare, Power Ranger/Ninja Turtle/Fad-of-the-moment programs, black belts in 18 months by contract (in one notorious case) and so on. No problem; they're in business, after all! But those programs aren't teaching the TKD self-defense system that MT members like Exile participate in, either.

It's really just a case of making sure that what you're paying for is what you want.




Practice the lessons from class. Do your forms, do your class exercises, and do basic fitness/calisthenics type exercises. Move, and you'll get in better shape.

You do know some of beside exile does real TKD http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Twin Fist]

YEAH,what HE said.........

[exile]

As Terry says, there are plenty of people whose TKD is SD oriented: he himself teaches this at his school in Arlington; one of our other member, foot2face, trains with an instructor whose own training was with the ROK military, and those guys do lethal CQ TKD; TwinFist, SageGhost, Stuart A (who's written a whole book about SD applications of ITF TKD forms) and a bunch of our other members are also part of the 'combat TKD' posse. MT is very practical and street-oriented as a forum, in that respect.

[jks9199]

You do know some of beside exile does real TKD http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif
No offense intended to anyone... Exile was just the one who sprang to mind. As Exile himself has said now -- there are plenty of folks who train more seriously... which will probably start a whole new issue as some sports-minded focus argue that they train seriously, too!

Anyone familiar with techniques for extracting a size 10 1/2 shoe from the mouth?

[Twin Fist]

"if do wrong, no can defense.................."

[britcanbulldogtkd]

I got into taekwondo thru my son doing Power Ranger impressions jumping off the couch at home when he was 7 years old (he is nearly 18)
I decided that if he was going to do those tricks he was to learn properly.
The deal was if he trained I was to train he quit after a year I carried on the club i was at in the UK practiced both elements of the Art both sport and traditional All children had to compete at least once (this helped in finding out if a technique actually worked in a controlled enviroment) and adults had a choice of yes or no to compete. Because of my personality I chose to fight and I must say I really enjoyed it I was retired by a 2nd dan national team fighter who was 23 yrs old and I was the wrong side of 30 and wearing a red tag. It was then I came to realise that the art i was practising was more than just the fight. and that the tennants were there for everyday life and not just the dojang It was then that i could actually call myself a martial artist. I think the art should be a equal combination of both sport and tradition. One cant really function without the other.
I find that the club that goes too far over to the sport side become too ambitious and have been known to develop the "win at all cost attitude" and with this the "ettiquette modesty" tennants go out of the window
I think the sport side works well for children cos it teaches them that the skills they learn at the school do work but also to respect the art for what it is and the artists who practise it

I think if a club offers both the sport and the tradition equally you should get the full benefit of the martial art and there would be no need "to read between the lines"
Good luck in yr trainning and stick with it

[terryl965]

No offense intended to anyone... Exile was just the one who sprang to mind. As Exile himself has said now -- there are plenty of folks who train more seriously... which will probably start a whole new issue as some sports-minded focus argue that they train seriously, too!

Anyone familiar with techniques for extracting a size 10 1/2 shoe from the mouth?

No I am still trying to get mine out from all those years past.