Considering Tae Kwon Do

[Kalashnikov]

Hello, i am considering starting TKD. I am 21 years old and not very flexible because i played football (soccer). I want to start TKd because i like the lifestyle and i find it a very nice sport. Also i want to step into my father footsteps he was a 1st dan nearly a 2nd but he broke his knee in a TKD fight. Any advice?

Thanks

 

[SacredCoconut]

Take a look what schools are available near you, contact them and take couple free classes/watch. Most important thing is to find school/teacher you enjoy. If there is other styles you may be interested, take a look at those too.

Not being flexible is not realy problem, and with stretching you can get much more flexible. If you alredy have been active this should be easier even, far as i know being active help you keep flexibility.

Edit. if your looking for sport then WTF ones are geared toward that.

 

[Kalashnikov]

I just want the traditional one, don't know what WTF is ,only thing i know is thatit's another form of TKD if i'm not mistaken. And yes i'm going next week toa TKD school,i'll probably enjoy it i guess my only fears are that it's something i didn't ever try only considered and for the belt exams lol me and exams i fear them but i give 100 % .

 

[Dirty Dog]

Go to a few different schools and check them out. The style or organization the school is affiliated with doesn't really matter. What matters is the instructors. Try to get a feel for them. Ask who they trained with. If your primary interest is in the sport of TKD, as opposed to the Art, then you're likely to prefer a school that is tournament oriented. But as a neophyte, you may be suprised at how much fun a school that emphasises non-sporting aspects can be.
Incidentially, the WTF is not a style of TKD, it's just a group that promotes the sport side of TKD as it's done in Olympic sparring. You'd be pretty close if you considered them to be an advertising agency with only one client.

 

[SacredCoconut]

There is two groups which are WTF=word taekwondo federation and ITF=international taekwondo federation. WTF are mostly more geared toward sports and its rules are used in olympics, while ITF is usuly more traditional. As Dirty Dog sayd these depend lot on instructor, but id say WTF competion rules are more sporty than ITF. The school i trained in was not sport oriented even thought it was WTF.

 

[Dirty Dog]

There is two groups which are WTF=word taekwondo federation and ITF=international taekwondo federation. WTF are mostly more geared toward sports and its rules are used in olympics, while ITF is usuly more traditional. As Dirty Dog sayd these depend lot on instructor, but id say WTF competion rules are more sporty than ITF. The school i trained in was not sport oriented even thought it was WTF.

Incorrect. There are MANY styles or orgs for taekwondo. The WTF is not one of them. The WTF promotes olympic sparring. That is all. It has no curriculum. It does no testing. It awards no rank. The WTF is the scorekeepers for tournaments using one set of Kukkiwon sparring rules. You cannot attend a WTF school simply because there ARE none. You can attend an ITF school (any of at least three different groups which all claim to be "the" ITF). You can attend a kukkiwon school. ATA, ATF, USTF... the list goes on, but the WTF isn't on it.

 

[Kalashnikov]

i just hope that i can do it,and i will take your advice guys. Like i said before my father was a black belt in the day and i want to follow his footsteps so thats my motivation i just hope i won't slow down the class because i'm not flexible enough.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Flexibility comes from training. Beginners are RARELY flexible.

 

[SacredCoconut]

Hmm i have been corrected.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Hmm i have been corrected.

As have we all, at various points in out lives. Some of us MANY times, about MANY things. That's how we learn and grow. Something I hope never to stop doing.

 

[sfs982000]

I would definietly shop around before deciding on a school and take advantage of any introductory classes.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I would definietly shop around before deciding on a school and take advantage of any introductory classes.

Intro classes are your friend. I wouldn't even consider a school that wouldn't let you at least sit in and observe classes before signing up.

 

[Kaygee]

I took Tang Soo Do (A distant relative of Tae Kwon Do) for 2 1/2 years and just started taking Tae Kwon Do this past week. I love it!

But the thing is, you have to find a school that teaches it the way YOU want to learn it! I know many people have already stated this in this post, but I feel that it cannot be stressed enough!

There are A LOT of Tae Kwon Do schools out there and some teach it as a "sport", while others teach it in the traditional way as an "art" and some schools balance out the two.
Some school's focus more on sparring, others on forms, some on both.

Take everyone's advice and sit in on some classes and take up any trial classes made available. Take your time in choosing your school becuase it is a life journey and you don't want to make the same mistake I did by attending a school that, down the line, will no longer fit your needs or agree with your expectations!

 

[Kurohyou]

I began martial arts in tae kwon do and got to yellow belt. I am now a brown belt in shorei goju ryu karate and personally, I prefer my current style. But, it is up to the practitioner. I didn't like how most tae kwon do schools focus on the sport part of the art. I suggest looking at other styles and other dojos and seeing what works best for you.

 

[Kaygee]

I began martial arts in tae kwon do and got to yellow belt. I am now a brown belt in shorei goju ryu karate and personally, I prefer my current style. But, it is up to the practitioner. I didn't like how most tae kwon do schools focus on the sport part of the art. I suggest looking at other styles and other dojos and seeing what works best for you.

But keep in mind, that there ARE Tae Kwon Do schools that train in the actual pure martial art that was taught in Korea. My Grandmaster learned it in Korea when he was posted over there in the army and has kept it pure during, which is now, the 46th year of his school being in existence.

No tournaments, unless we want to. No sparring, unless we want to. It is completely based around the self defense and art methods. It is based around the mental and physical aspects of the art than the sport.

So, I am just saying, keep your mind open with Tae Kwon Do. While the above is true and most have gone down the "sport" road, there are still some legit schools out there. Whether or not they are in your area, is another thing. That is why I suggested to keep going to schools and take as many trial classes as you can and take your time while choosing a school. Find the one right for you!

 

[SacredCoconut]

I think people here are meaby over pointing the school, when you find school that feels most fun, stay there. When your starting that should be the biggest indicator which school is good for you, if after doing it for while you feel like somthing is missing, you can try to find new school. In the beggining it realy hard to judge schools, unless you ask some one experienced to help with it (meaby your father).

 

[Kalashnikov]

I will follow your advice guys,thank you very much. i will keep you all updated.

 

[Kalashnikov]

hey guys, yesterday i went to watch a TKD training talked a little with the teachers, they are really awesome teachers and they were happy that i wanted to join because they don't really have 20'ers.It's a good school,the son of one teacher was on the national team and did his test for the olimpics unfortunately he wasn't good enough

 

[SacredCoconut]

They sound nice peole, so you could ask, if you can take couple free leasons. Then again i just started after watching one leason as it was close and looked good.

 

[Kalashnikov]

yea, i get 3 free lessons!