Tae Kwon Do beginner

[-Pete-]

Hi there. I've recently started TKD and I was wondering if you guys could let me know a little about what's in store for me. I'm studying Traditional Tae Kwon do which is WTF affiliated.

So far I've been to about 6-8 sessions and we are slowly learning new stuff... So far we've done punching, middle and low wrist blocks, front kick, side kick and knife edge kick. We've also done the first punch/turn/block/punch/turn etc. pattern

We've been doing a lot of fitness/flexibility stuff recently and haven't done anywhere near as much pad work as at the beginning - is this fairly normal? When do you usually get to start sparring and doing some form of contact?

For example, the last two sessions we did 1hr of running/shuttles and then about 1hr of technique, whereas last night it was nearly all running, a tiny bit of patterns and then stretching...

Thanks to anyone who can advise me as to when we'll get onto the juicy stuff!

Pete

 

[exile]

Hi there. I've recently started TKD and I was wondering if you guys could let me know a little about what's in store for me. I'm studying Traditional Tae Kwon do which is WTF affiliated.

So far I've been to about 6-8 sessions and we are slowly learning new stuff... So far we've done punching, middle and low wrist blocks, front kick, side kick and knife edge kick. We've also done the first punch/turn/block/punch/turn etc. pattern

We've been doing a lot of fitness/flexibility stuff recently and haven't done anywhere near as much pad work as at the beginning - is this fairly normal? When do you usually get to start sparring and doing some form of contact?

For example, the last two sessions we did 1hr of running/shuttles and then about 1hr of technique, whereas last night it was nearly all running, a tiny bit of patterns and then stretching...

Thanks to anyone who can advise me as to when we'll get onto the juicy stuff!

Pete

Hi Pete---

It sounds to me as though you're getting just what you should be getting at this point: a good mix of stretching and conditioning (which you have got to have to do the techniques safely and correctly), introduction to the main defensive and offense techniques (`blocks', which are really disguised strikes; basic kicks, which are important combat weapons but have to be trained harder than hand techniques becauses their use is much less instinctive and because legs way a lot more than arms and require a lot more strength to apply even at low to mid levels; and intro to patterns, which are where the real fighting components of the art live---but concealed.

Your instructors will probably have you do the kinds of things you describe for a while and break you in to sparring gradually. What you think of as `juicy' may change over time; but if you like sparring, think of it this way---you'll get nowhere doing it if your kicks are sloppy or ineffective because of bad form. My experience is, the single most important skill you can learn in TKD, that's critical to your success, is perfect balance (or as near as you can possibly get) under rapidly changing conditions. To go from a front-leg side kick to a real leg side kick with the other leg to a back kick to a hand technique with a smoothly flowing motion requires really good balance skills, and the ability to flow from technique to technique that way without pause is at the heart of successful combat. My experience is that of all the skills you need to get for advanced technique---flexibility, speed, strength, the ability to generate power in your strikes, and balance---the last of these is the one that comes slowest and needs the most work.

Let your instructors determine the pace of your training and trust them to show you the good stuff---sparring and, especially, the self-defence scenarios hidden underneath the choreographed moves of the poomsae---when they figure you've got enough of the basics to build on. It will happens sooner than you think---if you do a lot of training on your own as well. That's crucial. You won't get it all in the dojang. Three to five hours minimum a week of `homework' will really advance your training. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes!

 

[kik]

Don't worry about the contact sparring. You'll have plenty of time for that. With only 6 to 8 lessons I wouldn't worry about pad work either. You have to be able to do your move correctly, so practice your punches blocks and kicks in the air without resistance to get the hang of them.
As far a sparring goes you will have to learn the basic 1 step, 2 step, 3 step sparring before you can move on to actually mixing it up with someone.
Learning TKD is not an overnight thing. It takes years of practice to become proficient at it. I can't speak for all but a good instructor wouldn't let you have your 1st Dan for at least the first 3 1/2 to 5 years, unless your one of the exceptions to the rule and you excell in the art.
Don't be in a hurry and soak up all the info and training you can. Just my experience but once you become a BB you recieve less training and are expected to teach more.
So train hard, long and make your punches and kicks as accurate as you can and you'll do just fine.

Kik

 

[The Kidd]

Hey Pete,

I cant say it any better than Exile (good explanation Exile!) I would just really emphasize the last part of Exiles response is train outside of the studio as well. I can tell when I am teaching who only works in class and who studies at home and those people are the ones who achieve at a faster pace and enjoy it more because they can see their progress better. Good luck and let us now how the journey goes.

 

[exile]

Hey Pete,

I cant say it any better than Exile (good explanation Exile!) I would just really emphasize the last part of Exiles response is train outside of the studio as well. I can tell when I am teaching who only works in class and who studies at home and those people are the ones who achieve at a faster pace and enjoy it more because they can see their progress better. Good luck and let us now how the journey goes.

Thanks, Kidd---and your point about instructors knowing who is putting in the extra time and who's not is a good and important one too---it really does show, doesn't it! My instructor can tell three moves into a poomsae whether the student has really been training that form diligently on their own...

 

[Kacey]

I can't really add much to what has already been said, although I would point out that many classes run in a cycle, related to events coming up - such as testings, tournaments, and seminars - as well as making sure that students have a good grounding in the techniques they need at each rank. When we are nearing a testing, class tends to be about testing requirements, and fairly narrowly focused on that. Close to tournaments, the amount of time spent on sparring goes up. Close to seminars, we will preview the seminar. And sometimes I just teach stuff because everyone enjoys doing it.

 

[Miles]

Welcome to MT and TKD Pete!

You've been given a lot of good information already. Train hard and enjoy the journey. There will be signposts and markers along the way(new techniques, learning to spar, break boards, terminology, testing, demonstrations, seminars) so give your guide/instructor the chance to show you the art which is TKD.

Good Luck!

Miles

 

[Touch Of Death]

Get used to limping around. LOL
Sean

 

[matt.m]

Hi there. I've recently started TKD and I was wondering if you guys could let me know a little about what's in store for me. I'm studying Traditional Tae Kwon do which is WTF affiliated.

So far I've been to about 6-8 sessions and we are slowly learning new stuff... So far we've done punching, middle and low wrist blocks, front kick, side kick and knife edge kick. We've also done the first punch/turn/block/punch/turn etc. pattern

We've been doing a lot of fitness/flexibility stuff recently and haven't done anywhere near as much pad work as at the beginning - is this fairly normal? When do you usually get to start sparring and doing some form of contact?

For example, the last two sessions we did 1hr of running/shuttles and then about 1hr of technique, whereas last night it was nearly all running, a tiny bit of patterns and then stretching...

Thanks to anyone who can advise me as to when we'll get onto the juicy stuff!

Pete

Welcome to the world of Tae Kwon Do my man. Each class will and should be a bit different. That keeps burnout from occuring. Also, it seems like Exile pointed out - you are receiving a nice and diverse cirriculum.

However, and this is a big one. Don't be in a rush to go smashing into people. Yeah it is fun, but you have to watch coordination and control.

The juicy stuff will come my friend. I promise. I once asked my dad when I could learn to do a jump spinning cresent kick. He answered me with "When you can do a turning back side kick. Then we will talk about it."

The moral is to crawl, walk, then run. You are on the path to learn a great art that as you grow in belt ranking you will gain a greater understanding and enjoy the basics more and more. The reason for the basics being considered the basics is easy....they are the building blocks of absolutely all other techniques.

Good journey my friend.

Matt

 

[ajs1976]

For example, the last two sessions we did 1hr of running/shuttles and then about 1hr of technique, whereas last night it was nearly all running, a tiny bit of patterns and then stretching...

That seems like a lot of running. Especially since the second class you mentioned was almost all running.

 

[zDom]

Great advice already given.

If you don't work hard on what you have on your plate to train now, you won't be READY for the "juicy stuff."

So keep that in mind and put maximum effort into every kick (doesn't mean "kick hard" - yet - it just means try your hardest to do it correctly even though it will make your legs and hips hurt!), every block, every punch.

When your legs are burning with pain from stances, remind yourself that you want to be GOOD at TKD and push just a little harder -- bend those knees!

In a couple of years, you are going to have SO much to work on, you won't have nearly as much time to dedicate to the basics you are learning now -- so USE this time to TRAIN those basics!

Practice those foot positions for kicks that feel so un-natural now so that they eventually feel natural!

Just because you are a white or yellow belt doesn't mean you can't make your punch or kick look like a black belt's -- so do your best to train each block, kick, punch and stance. They say it takes 1,000 repetitions until you get a basic understanding of a technique and 10,000 repetitions to master that same technique -- so start getting those reps in!

It has already been said, but just in case you glossed over it and don't understand how important it really is: PRACTICE at HOME!!



Have fun and enjoy the journey of studying and training martial arts!

 

[terryl965]

I can only add that conditioning is one of the area's you'll be doing forever and don't worry to much about learning new stuff, it takes time and all we really have is time so why hurry

 

[matt.m]

I can only add that conditioning is one of the area's you'll be doing forever and don't worry to much about learning new stuff, it takes time and all we really have is time so why hurry

Very well said Terry. Our GM has said countless times that too often people only want to get to blue belt, upper rank / half way to dan. They do not realize that once you hit the upper ranks you don't have the time to catch up on what is missed. When this happens they quickly learn they were not as good as they thought. The student then gets depressed once finding this knowledge out and either works around it or quits. More often than not it will be choice B, the quitting that comes into play.

 

[exile]

Important thoughts expressed very well, zDom, Terry and Matt! Pete, listen to these guys---they have between them a very long lifetime of experience in MA.

zDom makes one point here which I think really bears repetition:

Practice those foot positions for kicks that feel so un-natural now so that they eventually feel natural!

This is something that I think does more to disorient people new to the MAs---especially those which take kicks very serioiusly as offensive weapons---than anything else. To deliver an effective side kick, for example, the foot of your balancing leg should be pointing in the opposite direction from the direction of the kick itself. This feels so strange for a lot of beginners when they first get started that they just can't bring themselves to pivot around that far. But for stability, it's crucial! And this is one of those things you can and should practice at home, lots and lots. Because that particular skill, and pivoting skills in general, take a long time to develop. And to do them right, you need to practice them on a variety of surfaces. I have to say, I'm not crazy about working on mats---they make popup and jump kicks a bit easier on the joints, but I find that they really fight you as far as pivoting smoothly is concerned. Coordinating the pivot with the kick itself is another important aspect of a first-rate side kick... and there are dozens of these small refinements that add up to the difference between so-so performance vs. terrific performance (including performance in sparring).

So don't skimp on the small details---they're the stuff of which the `juicy' bit, whatever that turns out to be for you, is made.

 

[Marginal]

We've been doing a lot of fitness/flexibility stuff recently and haven't done anywhere near as much pad work as at the beginning - is this fairly normal? When do you usually get to start sparring and doing some form of contact?

There's no style worth doing that doesn't involve a lot of conditioning.

 

[axal_the_wise]

Today i joined the Eastern star academy tae kwon do. we did side kicks and round kicks and jab punches, well i cant remember what the other things are called hehe. but it was the best excersise i ever had. well i was wrong about my trip being 2 hours. it was actually 1 hour 20 minutes drove about 75 hehe

 

[Touch Of Death]

There's no style worth doing that doesn't involve a lot of conditioning.

How do you figure that?

 

[Marginal]

How do you figure that?

Mainly due to a style featuring no conditioning being a style that's completely ineffective.

 

[TraditionalTKD]

Between the time of white belt and 1st Dan should be given to basics, basic kicking (which is exactly what the name suggests), form, one step, and basic free sparring. You shouldn't even be doing any sparring other than very light contact until green belt. In other words, don't worry about fancier technique until after black belt. Stick with the basics and practice them over and over until they are automatic. Then practice them some more.
Nothing I hate worse than some yellow belt talking about how he was practicing a jumping back side kick the other night. Why in the world is a yellow belt practicing jumping kicks? Stay with basics and you can't go wrong.

 

[terryl965]

I'm confused you would you have only light contact until green belt, what is the purpose of that. I have been training people for ove rthirty years and we start them fighting after yellow stripe or yellow if they are adults.

As far as conditioning this is a must at any Art, you must be condition to be effective in your expected Art.