starting TKD in 2 weeks

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by luciobrazil007, Jul 30, 2012.

  1. luciobrazil007

    luciobrazil007 Valued Member

    hi , i am starting a one month trial of tae kwon do and will take it further if i enjoy it.
    what can i expect from a TKD class?
     
  2. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    A whole new life and you'll love it.

    Expect the following:

    • Increased flexibility.
    • Better cardio.
    • Lack of sleep caused by a massive buzz.
    • New friends.

    Forget about self defence, the ability to break boards and being able to kick at head height. That all comes with time served.
    For now just do your best not to miss a class, keep hydrated through the day (rather than loads of water on the way to class), eat well and ket some decent sleep.

    The rest will take care of itself.
     
  3. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Expect to be sore for a while to come and to feel a bit out of place for a month or so. Don't worry about doing everything perfect....and get used to do things poorly. This will be especially important when you see younger kids who have trained longer doing things better than you. After a very short time you will begin to understand your individual "learning curve". Everyone has a different curve and knowing yours will help you stick with it when you find something particularly challenging.
    Keep us posted how things are going.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  4. luciobrazil007

    luciobrazil007 Valued Member

    thanks for the responses :)
    im thinking of putting up a punchbag in my garage. to work on in between classes to hone my skills.

    [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/RDX-Professional-Boxing-Filled-Bracket/dp/B004XVJP1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332068606&sr=8-1"]RDX 13PC Professional Boxing Set Punch Bag 4FT/5FT,Gloves,Bracket MMA AB: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]
     
  5. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    One of my students bought this from Amazon. Pretty good for the price.
     
  6. Marcy Shoberg

    Marcy Shoberg Valued Member

    Before I read the other people's answers, I was going to say that you can't tell what to expect with Taekwondo because there are many different kinds of it and every different instructor has different things they emphasize. But, the other posters are right, expect to work hard and have a great time just as, if you ever compete, you must expect to try your very best and become the eventual winner of the match.
     
  7. luciobrazil007

    luciobrazil007 Valued Member

    i had a trial class today. i was the oldest in the class by miles. i am 16 and 6ft4 and i'd guess some of the kids were about 5-10. i dont think i can learn like this. is it possible to join an adult class as a complete beginner at the age of 16?
     
  8. Razgriz

    Razgriz Valued Member

    o_O

    Couple of Questions,

    What organisation is this? E.g WTF,ITF
    Also did you notice the affiliation, TAGB,UKTA etc

    This will help people here help you.
    What area of what country are you in? This might lead us to recommend an instructor for you.

    Raz
     
  9. Waldgeist

    Waldgeist Men who beg aren't heroes

    It should be, or at least, it would be in any of the schools I've trained with. Ask the instructor. Worst case scenario is there are no adults. Then, you should probably go elsewhere for training. You're really too big to get anything useful out of training with small children (and most likely the class would bore you as well, as kids need to be taught in a different manner to adults), and if it is nothing more than a glorified day care centre you'd probably be wasting your money.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2012
  10. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Unfortunately, I have found that what you are describing is the face of typical TKD schools. Far too many MA schools are being supported by "daycare" or "After School Care" approaches. This may be fine for the school's bottom line but it does not do much for the art. Nor is it all that different in Korea or Japan where there is a steady fall in the number of adults who will make a long-term commitment to their training.

    Used to be that folks held that "bad" schools would fail as people voted with their feet. Unfortunately, it seems that MA schools, overall, have developed a rep as "Kiddy Care" and that there just are not enough committed practitioners to keep a reputable MA school going. IMHO it takes a special sort of person who is willing to make a committment of, say, 5 years to a school, but I think thats what it takes minimally. FWIW.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  11. luciobrazil007

    luciobrazil007 Valued Member

    it was an ITF class. i am in england. i have already found another local club where i think i can train with 16-18 year olds or with adults. i have asked what ages the classes are in my email.
     
  12. Counter Assault

    Counter Assault Valued Member

    Uugh! TKD is ridiculously bad.

    Have you seen the olympic level taekwondo? they keep falling over every time they kick.

    Yes! thats right with years of training you too may be able to suck as much.

    If your training more for fun at a more hanging out and relaxed attitude then judo or BJJ is great for having fun and making friends.

    The thing is TKD only practices forms most are not usefull in sparring and a bit pointless to be honest. and after a while become like watching paint dry.

    Judo has free practice called randori so its always different your always learning something else like how to pass the guard on someone you couldnt before or beat someone.

    I have a chipped tooth and a sore ear and im pretty sure my back isnt supposed to hurt this much but i have not been happier!
     
  13. Razgriz

    Razgriz Valued Member


    o_O

    Different opinions I guess, should be noted that Olympic TKD is not the same as the majority of TKD in the UK.
     
  14. Kishi

    Kishi Valued Member

    It's different at the Olympics. Everything is at stake, your whole country is counting on you to win. Most people would look for the easy way to get points. In the Olympics, Taekwondo is a sport. As long as you score your points and win, it's okay, how you executed your kick wouldn't matter then.
     
  15. Counter Assault

    Counter Assault Valued Member

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCHoIFHiq1o&playnext=1&list=PL22A50A6BEBE7C8F2&feature=results_video"]Judo throw on concrete! (Te-Guruma) - YouTube[/ame]

    Look how fast the guy goes over. Ippon!
     
  16. Razgriz

    Razgriz Valued Member

    We can all go find cool videos of people doing stuff lol
     
  17. Bruce W Sims

    Bruce W Sims Banned Banned

    Dear C-A:

    Lets pull-lease not turn this into yet one more "this-practice-rocks-and-that-practice-sux" thread. The guy asked about TKD so actually your opinion does not really help much and is even less germane. Speaking for myself, the goal I see is to get the T S to make some sort of committment to a particular art and school long enough to give the training a fair shot. What we don't need---IMHO--- is one more guy bouncing among MA schools like a pinball. FWIW.

    Best Wishes,

    Bruce
     
  18. Counter Assault

    Counter Assault Valued Member

    Hey, look i am just mentioning there are a LOT of martial arts clubs, plenty in your city and probably a few VERY good ones in your city regardless of style.

    So travel around a bit, try things out "bouncing among MA schools like a pinball." is no big deal when your starting out.
     
  19. Rand86

    Rand86 likes to butt heads

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