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Types of
training
Your Taekwon-do training will comprise many different aspects of Martial
Arts. It is important that you focus equal attention on all your
training. We are all guilty of preferring a particular aspect of
training but to allow one aspect to suffer in preference for another
will detract from your abilities as a well rounded student.
Training will generally consist of the following;
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Fitness Training including muscle toning, endurance development,
stretching exercises, breath control and general coordination skills.
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Floor Work and Basic techniques - Floor work involves the student
moving backwards and forwards performing a range of blocking and
attacking techniques. This develops the skills for the student to
then move on to more complex sequences, exercises and patterns.
Unless a student perfects the basics they cannot hope to progress on
to more complex and demanding Taekwon-do skills. A Black Belt is
expected to regularly check and improve upon their basic technique.
All to often the basics become neglected in favour of the more
'exciting' techniques.
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Exercise Sequences and Patterns - Exercise Sequences and Patterns
are designed to mimic encounters with an attacker and involve the
use of both defence and attacking techniques set in a logical
sequence. It is extremely important that the student performs the
techniques within each exercise or pattern as accurately as
possible. Along with Floor Work these are the foundations which are
essential for the effective performance of Taekwon-do.
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Pad work - Taekwon-do involves a great deal of pad work including
set routines developed for grading purposes. Pad work enables a
student to deliver strong and accurate kicking and punching
techniques to a target without the risk of injury to their partner.
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Three Step, Two Step and One Step Sparring - These
techniques are the basis for the development of good self-defence skills.
One step sparring in particular helps develop fast
reflexes and helps the student to interpret an attackers body
movement with a view to blocking and or countering an attacking
technique. These exercises should not be rushed. Students at White
Belt up to and including Blue Tag perform pre-arranged examples of
Three Step and Two Step. Blue Belt and above perform these exercises
by drawing on their own knowledge of Taekwon-do techniques using
appropriate blocks and counters attacks.
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Free Sparring - This is conducted wearing full protective equipment.
Students practice kicking and punching to legitimate targets. This
is the sport side of the art and bears no resemblance to
self-defence. Sparring during class is for practice and development
of skills. It is not about winning medals. You should work with a
partner and not completely overwhelm them which will probably
intimidate them and could lead to them not wishing to spar. Higher
grades are always expected to coach and assist with the lower
grades.
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Power Testing – Destruction - this is practiced against pads, kick
shields and or plastic reformable boards showing the maximum power
that the individual can generate. It should be remembered that power
is generated by speed and good technique and not by brute force and
ignorance. Big muscles do not necessarily mean that an individual
will be successful at destruction. All students are required
to undertake power testing when they reach Yellow Belt. They do however
have the choice of whether to break a board or perform their tests
against a pad or kick shield. Juniors are not allowed to break
boards by punching and they will only be allowed to break Junior
boards using appropriate techniques as approved by the Instructor
and or / the Grading Examiner.
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Self-Defence - this follows on from the pre-arranged sparring and
will involve a range of skills from joint locks, takedowns,
strangles and restraints.
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Special Techniques - This is the more acrobatic aspect of Taekwon-do
for which it is renowned involving high and long kicking techniques. This is
not a requirement for all students but more of an optional extra.
Something else to consider when you are training is who gains the
benefit from your activities? Your Instructor will give you a range of
techniques and exercises to practice which may be technical aspects of
the art, or fitness and health based. You should always try to perform
techniques and exercises to the best of your ability. Many students pay
for lessons and are then either half-hearted or apathetic in their
performance. Who will lose out in the long run? Certainly not your
Instructor.
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