Greetings all! I'm new to this whole forum thing as well as to this site, so I may need some guidance in future... The name's Stef, I'm 23 (nearly 24 - sob), and I'm from Liverpool in England. I'm a student of ITF style Tae Kwon-Do, which I've been studying for just over a year. It all began when I met my lovely man Chris :love: , who is a 2nd Dan Black Belt. I currently have a yellow belt and I've just won my first competitive trophy - hopefully the first of many! I love training and competing and I would definitely be interested in any competitive sparring tips..... Glad to make your acquaintance
Jeez, don't get depressed about being 24! There are plenty of us that are older than that!!!! Congratulations on the trophy - that's very impressive (I'm assuming yellow belt is one of the earlier belts in TKD, if so that's very impressive indeed!). Welcome to MAP!
Welcome to map ! Welcome to map. Hope you enjoy your time here. And eventually can tell us of reaching your own black belt in the future. For any help please don't hesitate to contact me. Christian
Hi Stef, welcome to MAP Congrats on the trophy too, and as Christian says hopefully you will be posting to say you got your 1st dan sometime in the future
Aaaaah, thanks guys! Unfortunately the trophy was only for 3rd place, and it was only a small competition! But hey, it's a start.... And as for black belt, I've got quite a ways to go yet......
Does that make her your sidekick? Robin to your Batman, Mutley to your **** Dastardly, um.... (d'oh, can't think of any female ones...) :bang:
Greetings Stef, Welcome to MAP. Congratulations on your trophy. TKD is fun. Sounds like you will be well taken care of in your studio. My favorite TKD kick as a kid was the flying sidekick. I never knock anyone off a horse, but I did knock down my sister's bedroom door after she bugged me (ah the joys of childhood, heh). (Always ask your instructor first about these techniques and take these tips with a grain of salt) As for sparring tips: If you use a mouth guard, learn to breath out with the side of your mouth when you execute a technique or get hit (may take awhile to get used to). Learn to kick elbow distance away from your opponent. Learn to jammed your opponent's kick so he can't execute his techniques/combos. Try this exercise with a friendly partner: SET 1 Stand one arm length apart and face each other (so you can touch his shoulders). Look at each other's eyes and take turns hitting the shoulders of the other person with an open hand (looks like a roundhouse slap to the shoulders). Now try to do an outside block against the same side as the attack on the shoulder (if your right shoulder is about to get slapped, use a right outside block) NOTE: The attacks are difficult to block so please do not hit hard. SET 2 Stand two arm lengths apart (your outreached hands/fist will touch your partner's outreached hands/fist) and face each other. Look at each other's eyes and take turns slapping the shoulders from the side and blocking each hit with an outside block. NOTE: The attacks are very simple to block. This is a nice distance to be to draw your opponent in so you can set up your combo. SET 3 Do the same thing, but do not look at your opponent's eyes. Look below his chin with a soft focus. Let your peripheral vision see the movement. NOTE: You may notice that the movements are easier to see. SET 4 Now focus somewhere else (side of your opponent's head, above his shoulders, etc) so you are no longer looking at your opponent. NOTE: Find your preference for your soft gaze. Some prefer looking at the eyes because inexperience fighters may telegraph their hits (experience fighters may use this to set you up by looking at your groin then hitting your eye) Some prefer the soft gaze below the chin because they believe they can see their opponent's movements better. Others prefer not to look directly at their opponents, using their peripheral vision to catch the movements. Hope this helps. The advice/tips were given in the spirit of friendship, but please take this with a grain of salt and ask your instructor. Formal Salute.
