Thread: 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 !
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
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.

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)

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!

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

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..