Tae Kwon Do

Who out there loves TKD?
If you are a fan of, or are in Tae Kwon Do, please share your thoughts and battle stories here :)

Tae Kwon Do is a South Korean martial art that combines self defense technique with combat skills.
The primary focus is on kicking. The reason being (as explained by my master) is that your leg is by far, the strongest limb you have. A solid kick is far more effective than a punch, and is harder to block or detect coming. So, by focusing on powerful kicks, you can increase your chances of taking an aggressor out asap, there by decreasing the risk of further injury.
This can be seen if you watch people spar. ANY strike with the foot to the body or head constitutes a point. Where as, only a solid, far hand strike to the torso counts as a point. (a kick to the head is worth 2 points)

I attend "Lees TKD" in Willmar Mn,
I train under Master John, a 7th? degree
we follow the WTF and the Kukkiwon

I was in as a small child, and made it to the purple belt.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, but my mother wouldnt let me continue.. so i rejoined this year now that im an adult :)
I have been going again since September, and am now an Orange belt.
I was given the option to jump to purple, but didnt feel like i was ready.. so i chose to start over, but at an accelerated rate

TKD is one heck of a workout, especially sparring. I have lost quite a bit of weight since starting back up. But it has taken work on my part as well, because 2 days a week is just not enough for a weight loss plan.

Well, other then when i was a 2nd grader, my first tournament is today ! :D
in only 10 hours!
Pumped up, but also nervous. I will be competing in Forms, Breaking, and Sparring.
my demographic groups break is a 5 board thick knife strike.. im kinda nervous, as i have never before attempted a knife strike.
Wish me luck :)

Just for fun, im going to put up the belt progression before bed
(takes 3 months to go up 1 belt untill red)
White
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Purple Trim
Brown
Red
Black 1st dan
2nd dan, and so on

3rd dan 2nd gup ITF and WTF. Trained for years. Also !st degree Shotokan, 2nd dan Hapkido and Mui Tai. Alas, my age and decreasing knee cartilage has made me give them up. Fought full contact for 3 years also which probably did not help me but the life lessons are priceless and would not trade them for a second.
Good luck and Pil Seung!!

Im proud to report that the tourney went well :D
I took 2nd in forms and breaking
4th in sparring

Good stuff, congrats:)

I have enjoyed practicing Tae Kwon Do for many years.
I gave it up a few years back, and when trying to return I found it difficult as most of my long-time mates had kept moving along.
I reached 4th Dan in ITF before I quit, and in honesty I miss the workouts and the camaraderie.

My father was an instructor 2nd degree and fought full body contact in the late 60's early 70's. Grew up at an early age working out with him. Took it more seriously myself in high school and progressed to 1st degree. I miss those good times and have recently come to fully appreciate having him as an instructor. He was especially hard on us, his boys, but it was worth every minute. Bruce Lee was the man in those days and watching Enter the Dragon with the class brings back great memories. :)

Best Regards Ken

I trained TKD for close to three years, though my focus slowly transitioned to more full contact kickboxing the last couple years. I did a few tournaments competing in kata and sparring and did alright. Had two K1 fights. I won both of them, but my nose took a few good shots in the second. Not having health insurance at the time, I decided it might not be the wisest thing to compete in. I continued training and helping others train for fights. Learned a lot in those years. I gained a lot of confidence in myself as well as respect for others. It's pretty humbling when a 15 year old kid weighing 30 pounds less than you almost knocks you out with a well placed round kick to the head. It's been about a year since I've trained, and I do miss it.

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Originally Posted by DualNature

Just for fun, im going to put up the belt progression before bed
(takes 3 months to go up 1 belt untill red)

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I have heard TKD guys say this before and I have always wondered what that means ??? and since I have a few TKD guys all here at the same time :)

Does that mean that you cannot test for a belt until 3 months have gone by, that you must test for a belt at that time ??? or is it just a guide ????
Also is this a TKD thing or does each Sub-System have their own rules???

Why I am asking,,,

We have NO set time limits, in fact the Instructor (Sensei) of that Dojo decides when each individual student is ready to attempt a grade (Kyu) test, often times a few students test at the same time for different grade levels, but all that is still determined by the Instructor... There is of course no guarantee that they will pass, but in general a good Instructor knows when each student is ready for the attempt.

For Degree (Dan) tests a Ranked Senior Instructor (Renshi) or a Master Instructor (Shihan) also has to be consulted before that Brown Belt can test for 1st Degree... (Brown is of course our highest Kyu)


TIA

Most non-TKD people I know generally regard its emphasis on kicking as a weakness; a kick leaves you wide open when it fails to connect. My own background is...mixed. My most recent training was a solid year of Jeet Kune Do. That's fun stuff, right there.
Whether kicking is good in a balls-out fight or not, TKD kicks are certainly impressive and definitely a heck of a work out. To really master them takes training, focus and determination. Good on ya!

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

I have heard TKD guys say this before and I have always wondered what that means ???

Does that mean that you cannot test for a belt until 3 months have gone by, that you must test for a belt at that time ??? or is it just a guide ????
Also is this a TKD thing or does each Sub-System have their own rules???

Why I am asking,,,

We have NO set time limits, in fact the Instructor (Sensei) of that Dojo decides when each individual student is ready to attempt a grade (Kyu) test, often times a few students test at the same time for different grade levels, but all that is still determined by the Instructor... There is of course no guarantee that they will pass, but in general a good Instructor knows when each student is ready for the attempt.

For Degree (Dan) tests a Ranked Senior Instructor (Renshi) or a Master Instructor (Shihan) also has to be consulted before that Brown Belt can test for 1st Degree... (Brown is of course our highest Kyu)


TIA

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I'm certainly no expert on those things, but from my own experience it does vary from club to club.

In my club, we had to wait at least six months between graduation on the gup levels.
After six months our master was the one who decided when you were redy for the next level.
For the Dan grades, there were a one year miimum on the last belt before black, another year minimum for 2nd.Dan 3 years for the 3rd Dan, and 5 years in adiition to having done a number of classes for the Gup classes before 4th Dan could be had.
And so on and so on:)
But we always needed approval from the master/council of the club before doing graduations, regardless of time frame.

We have certain requirements for Dan levels also "B" more tied to achievements, rather then actual time limits, but everyone knows there are "Unwritten" time limits in there too :)

We separate Personal ability from Teaching ability at the 1st degree level, not all high level belts make good teachers, nor do they have to, the only "Requirement" is that each new 1st degree must help train lower belts for at least 6 months, but really that is to see how they do as an Instructor and to determine if they have that mindset..

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

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We separate Personal ability from Teaching ability at the 1st degree level, not all high level belts make good teachers, nor do they have to, the only "Requirement" is that each new 1st degree must help train lower belts for at least 6 months, but really that is to see how they do as an Instructor and to determine if they have that mindset..

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Sounds like a sensible way of doing things to me.
I've trained under both 5th and 7th dan instructors that really didn't do all that well as instructors.
No question about their skillset, I got the memories on my body to remind me of that, but as instructors I've certainly seen better.
And with lower belt grades at that 😄

Where I trained, you had a checklist of techniques and forms or katas you had to be proficient in to be eligible to test. There were also minimum time requirements for the more advanced ranks. As for kicking being a weakness in a fight, I would have to disagree. Any attack that fails to connect will leave you open for a counter. If I felt that I was in serious danger, my go-to attack would probably be a front snap kick to the groin.

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Originally Posted by MCSheets

Any attack that fails to connect will leave you open for a counter. If I felt that I was in serious danger, my go-to attack would probably be a front snap kick to the groin.

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Even an attack that connects will leave you open for a counter if the attacker can take a few hits. What if the attacker was wearing a groin protector.
If I was in serious danger I would try to escape it but I think I'm hijacking the thread so will shut up know. :)

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Even an attack that connects will leave you open for a counter if the attacker can take a few hits. What if the attacker was wearing a groin protector.
If I was in serious danger I would try to escape it but I think I'm hijacking the thread so will shut up know. :)

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For you CCW guys, just pull out your .40mm Glock, shoot the guy betwixed the eyes,problem solved:) no need for all all the body Girations.

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

For you CCW guys, just pull out your .40mm Glock, shoot the guy betwixed the eyes,problem solved:) no need for all all the body Girations.

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So you never miss ? :p

Many years ago studied pretty intensely Shotokan Karate with a Japanese Sensei, a Yondan, trained in Japan, who now lived in Toronto. We were affiliated with the Japanese Karate Association(JKA), Sensei Tanaka, head of the JKA in Japan, came to our Dojo several times a year, used to stay at my house occasionally. Back then, after three or four years, you could test for your Shodan, once a year, when Sensei Tanaka came with many of his Japanese students to do the testing.

Karate-Do: the way of the empty hand.

As Gichin Funakoshi said, Karate-do is like hot water, if you do not constantly apply heat, it becomes cold water again. So for me, I'm now one cold, out of practice Ni-Dan...learned more about the mind, lessons that were very valuable in business and life, that I've retained about the physical training...

"Just as it is the clear mirror that reflects without distortion, or the quiet valley that echoes a sound, so must one who would study Karate-Do purge himself of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can he understand that which he receives." Gichin Funakoshi

Forgot to add - we used to enjoy training with other students from other disciplines and always enjoyed the TKD guys and gals...you could see many similarities in some of the kata(forms) and other techniques...I've always believed it doesn't matter what you study, as long as you enjoy what you do and learn the ultimately peaceful meaning behind the traditional martial arts...IMO.

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

So you never miss ? :p

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Never>>>>>>>>

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Never>>>>>>>>

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I was taught a method to overcome someone with a hand-gun....never tried it though...I was told if that ever happened to burst into tears, curl up in the fetal position and beg for mercy....

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Originally Posted by Phrank

I was taught a method to overcome someone with a hand-gun....never tried it though...I was told if that ever happened to burst into tears, curl up in the fetal position and beg for mercy....

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I think that is for a bear attack. not people

I was sent this by my master recently. I'm a newb first degree, but have teaching experience from my day job. Although I'm finding teaching using words only helps so far, so I'm learning all the time how to improve which is a good thing.


I'm a late comer to MA, but love it nevertheless. The control and discipline of both mind and body, the respect and humility, and the non aggressive ethos really gel with me. First thing they told me was to never act or speak out of anger and that hooked me. :)

Anyway, this is kinda funny but fairly close to the truth, at least for me:

Attachment 154087

James.

And on the belt thing, ours is pretty much like Birn described - I think there are 10 belts and then black. There's a minimum time between lower belt gradings (3 months or so), but the instructor decides if at that time you are ready to grade, so you might not go through them at every scheduled grading day, and it does happen.

My school also has what's called a "leadership" group. Basically the master and instructors watch out for people who display particular attributes in mental attitude and so on, and invite them to become a member. Leadership students get extra lessons and do more advanced stuff, and in return you are expected to lead by example in class and be someone the other students can look up to and model themselves off. Leadership students get the option, if they are capable and the master agrees, to multiple-grade especially at lower and intermediate belts.

Anyway, once you get to 3 belts away from your black, we do what is called panel grading. These are a big step up from a normal grade and only occur every 6 months or so (again that's the minimum and the master has final say on whether you can grade or not). Your first panel grade lasts about 3 hours or so. The next one about 4 hours, and your black belt grading can go on for up to 6 hours. I think mine started at 11am and I finished my final sparring round at about 4:30pm according to my wife - I wasn't paying much attention to time. :)

But wait, there's more. Since we have a lot of junior members (<14 years old) we've recently introduced junior belts up to a junior black belt. The black belt is the same (a black belt), but the other belts have a white stripe up the middle of the normal adult belt colour to differentiate them. A junior black belt who transitions across to adult classes has to start a belt or two below the black to get their adult black belt, since the physical criteria differ between junior and senior 1st degree gradings.

So there you go - way too much info I'm sure. But that's how we do it. Oh, and for our school each dan takes the corresponding number of years (minimum) - 2nd dan takes two years after your 1st dan, 3rd dan 3 years after your 2nd and so on. I've been doing the numbers and I could go for my 4th dan (master) when I'm 52. I'm not ruling it out but by then I'm not sure I'd be able to do the physical criteria (eg 1000 continuous push ups - seems ridiculous to me. I'm flat out trying to do the 150 I need for my next grading...)

James.

Well, did my first completely on my own set of lessons the other day. There were three - the tiny ones (from 3 - 8 years old, 45 minutes), the juniors (8-14 year olds, 1.25 hours), and adults (14+, though most were 25+, 1.50 hours).

My biggest headache, despite the fact I've been through it all myself, was trying to remember which techniques went with which belt! lol!

I wouldn't call the tiny kids a nightmare, but wow! Herding cats comes to mind. Generally we do things in a circle on the mats, but I lined them up in front of me for some line work at one point and had one little one who just wanted to stand pretty much on my toes - I moved back, she moved forward. I got her in line, she'd come straight back out and stand toe to toe...Then there was the "budding romance" between two of them - if he wasn't pulling her hair, she was planting kisses on his cheek (much to his disgust, I should add).

And then (of course) they all wanted to know what happened to my hair. And then, during the talk on stranger danger one of them asked to go to the toilet and as soon as they'd gone the rest followed like dominos... Man, those little kids made me feel like a complete newb! Give me uni students any day.

But, we played a few games - they enjoyed one I made up: ninja pirate treasure hunt lol! I hid an Eiffel Tower snow dome under some cones, called it my pirate treasure and we followed the treasure map in my head to find it - 3 squat jumps left, 5 pushups over there etc. A workout disguised as a game is definitely the way to go.

Juniors and adults were a lot better in terms of focus.

Anyway, it was fun. I'm glad I don't do it for a living, especially the little ones - that 45 minutes felt like 2 hours. But there was good feedback, we all had some fun and learned stuff. Off to do the same again with a different group on Monday, with some valuable lessons learned (like sending them to the toilet before class....:))

James.

That thing with the bathrooms, yep. No one has to go until one of them does, then they all do.

Sounds great! Congratulations. The few hours each week I teach TKD are as big a part of my life as the lessons I take myself.

Thanks Deepweeds - and I'm very glad to know that the bathroom issue is a common thing. Kinda freaked me out when it happened :) I guess it's better than accidents on the mats.

I think I'm going to enjoy it. Just that one experience on my own (I help my master out in class, but it really is different) really made me focus on technique and how to show it properly. So apart from the fun of teaching I know it will help me improve myself as well (and there is much improvement to be had, let me tell you! :))

James.

I haven't trained in MA for years. I did a few different styles and TKD was one. I started when I was 8 years old in Judo, and from there I went to Renbukan karate a very formal style, Shorin Ryu which was a dirty street fighting style that suited me to a tee, Oh Do Kwan a military style of TKD and in this I trained 2 hours a day 7 days a week for some years but it just wasn't a 'hard' enough style for my taste, and so I changed style completely and went on to an Okinawan style called Uechi Ryu, which suited me better, until I moved interstate for a while and found a similar,albeit, softer version called Wado Ryu. By that time I was in my early 20's. I've trained with friends who studied various other styles, Hapkido, Chow Gar Tong Long Kung Fu and Aikido and learned much from them as they did from me. These days my focus is on the Western MA. If I was to go back to an Eastern style I think I would gravitate towards Kung Fu or Aikido. I'm too far gone for attempting the nimble high kicking stuff in TKD. The lower kicks used in Kung Fu and Aikido, along with the circular flow would do me more good these days.


Mick