Tae Kwon Do Associations Dublin

TheBigRedDog

Hey I want to take up Tae Kwon Do again this year. I'm 17 and was wondering if theres a club with a similar age group? I'm based around Dublin 4 but an travel a fare bit no problem.

I was in a club in Sandymount but was used as a punchbag for all the small kids i had to teach. Thats why i quit and I'm not interested in that again! I was on my green belt (5th cup?) but that was a few years ago and I don't mind starting from scratch!

Could you pm me with the details?

yomchi

Hi there, I'm way over in Cabra if thats any use to you. PLenty of teenagers too,we train for sport and tournaments predominantly so we do lots of pad work, technical foot work, boxing and the like. Self defence is delt with on seperate classes.

Magic Eight Ball

you could also try the Tae Kwon-Do centre in the city centre
http://www.taekwondocentre.ie/

or maybe find a INTA club closer to you.
http://www.inta.ie/

kenpo_dave

Theres also TKD in Stillorgan. No idea what they are like though.

www.tkdstillorgan.com/

Black Swan

Recommend that you shop around. Many dojangs offer free or discounted rate introductory member incentives so you can try them out. In any case, the teaching quality of the instructor(s) is key, so practice and/or observe before you commit.

entropi

I trained in the INTA hq building in Exchequer St, near Grafton St. for about 4 months { stopped for injury reasons } but found the club to be very professional, instructors are excellent { Masters Brendan O'Toole, Gerry Martin and Val Douglas teach most nights }.

Fully padded floors, shower and changing facilities, separate gym for member use anytime and training is properly done, 5-6 evenings a week training is scheduled still i think for different grades and has alot of nice people training there.

I'd check it out to be honest as it's a great club, shame i had to stop training myself really as i'd love to be able to go back. I know this looks like an advertisement instead of a recommendation but i feel it's worth the praise.

Their website is www.inta.ie .

TheBigRedDog

Cheers guys

nij

INTA Exchequer Street - one of the very best clubs around!

Nothingcompares

Isn't that one of the places where the Metro guy went to for the paper? His review didn't make me want to train there.

Magic Eight Ball

Nothingcompares wrote:

Isn't that one of the places where the Metro guy went to for the paper? His review didn't make me want to train there.

I think that had a lot to do with the particular instructor he had that day.

If he had of done a class with Master O'Toole or Mr Martin I think he would have had a different perspective.

Again, this is the same guy who said Tae Kwon-Do should leave patterns behind and focus more on sparring.
Go figure.

Nothingcompares

I agree, everyone is looking for different things out of martial arts and martial art training. I'm not telling the original poster not to train there, it just isn't my cup of tea.

If I was going to train in TKD again I'd train with Jon or someone will a similar programme.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Nothingcompares wrote:

If I was going to train in TKD again I'd train with Jon or someone will a similar programme.

I'd have to say the same, the distrusting kinda ba$tard I am made me ask a few mates about Jon (Jon knows the lads) and all came back with nothing but sh*t.... Kidding, nothing but good things to say.


If I was interested in TKD (And I'm not) and could make Jon's club I'd jump at the chance.

DITTKD

RE: Exchequer st.
While all the things said by death sentence are true, it is on the pricey side as far as TKD trainings go (though you are paying for convenience/facilities etc.) I would say that if you're going to be using the gym equipment properly and take advantage of the TKD knowledge they have there then you'll get bang for your buck.
Secondly, there's lots of different instructors there, some of whom you'll like to train with more than others. The variety of instructors kinda throws me off kilter in that club. As someone else said, the instructors should be the key factor in your final decision.
It was John Ng mentioned in the Metro article. I agree he didn't come across too well in it, but sure that's just the way the article is written. He's actually one of the better instructors there IMO. Been a while since I trained under him (he used to instruct in DIT), but as I remember he makes you work.

Anyway, I would recommend the DIT club if you were a DIT student, or the Terenure club.

Good luck.

Dr Lektroluv

hi DITTKD, I am going into my final year in a course in Kevin St but haven't trained in Taekwondo for about 2-3 years. I was a yellow belt in ITF and green belt WTF before that. Just wondering would I have to start at the bottom again and do those gradings or how do you treat people in these situations.. Also are you an instructor in the club - wondering what nights/times you guys train at. Thanks

DITTKD

Dr Lektroluv wrote:

hi DITTKD, I am going into my final year in a course in Kevin St but haven't trained in Taekwondo for about 2-3 years. I was a yellow belt in ITF and green belt WTF before that. Just wondering would I have to start at the bottom again and do those gradings or how do you treat people in these situations.. Also are you an instructor in the club - wondering what nights/times you guys train at. Thanks

I'll be PMing you later on boss, just got into work there. The term is just about to kick off, so we're about to finalise the training times etc.

No, I'm not an instructor btw.

TKD SC

2 good inta clubs are terenure and templeogue imo. Both just back to training after an Aug hol so good time to start. Instructors are Jonathan Dargan (Terenure) and Val Douglas (Templeogue), both excellent.

www.templeogue-tkd.com
www.inta.ie/terenure/

adonis

i never heard about that metro article and i train in exchequer street...
in fairness john is only there on wednesday at 7 for beginners and if you like you can avoid him..
There are lots of different instructors, pretty much all of them have international experience...including Jonathan Dargan, Kevin Hannigan and then Gerry Martin and Brendan O'Toole. All have different plusses and are all great at what they do...id like to see this article! anyone still got it?

TKD SC

adonis wrote:

i never heard about that metro article and i train in exchequer street...
in fairness john is only there on wednesday at 7 for beginners and if you like you can avoid him..
There are lots of different instructors, pretty much all of them have international experience...including Jonathan Dargan, Kevin Hannigan and then Gerry Martin and Brendan O'Toole. All have different plusses and are all great at what they do...id like to see this article! anyone still got it?

Go to 2nd page of self defence forum, and there's a thread called Met Eireann articles, look in there and you'll see all the links.

Magic Eight Ball

adonis wrote:

including Jonathan Dargan, Kevin Hannigan and then Gerry Martin and Brendan O'Toole. All have different plusses and are all great at what they do

Mr Hannigan is a excellent instructor, always loved his classes.
Mr Ng is also a great Instructor, I think that metro article didn’t do him justice.

adonis

yeah i just got a look at the article..
they both have their bad points, i dont think the reporter makes much sense either wanting to spar in his first ever class with an instructor...
and the thing about breaking someones leg with their hands...***sigh*** it doesnt really do the art any justice.

http://www.metroeireann.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=360&Itemid=26

is the article by the way

yomchi

John Ng, one of the instructors at Dublin’s Taekwon-Do Centre, had some strange ideas. First, he tried to tell the eight or so students gathered for the beginners’ class that if you crash into a wall at 40mph, then the force of the wall hitting the car combines with the force of the car hitting the wall to produce an impact of 80mph. More implausible still was his suggestion – which I think came as a response to my wearing a Muay Thai t-shirt – that a Taekwon-Do expert could break the leg of someone who tried to shin-kick them (shin-kicks being the staple of Muay Thai fighters) by snapping out their arm in the direction from which the blow was coming and taking the impact on their wrist

O dear..
In reality, he should pop down to Bridgestone and put that theory to the test.

It has its strengths, but Taekwon-Do really needs to leave a lot of baggage aside. For a start, katas (which are also found in Karate and Kung Fu) don’t help you to improve your fighting skills – and let’s face it, that’s what martial arts are about.

Another thing that needs to go are the weird, groundless myths around concentrating body strength and suchlike that are associated with Taekwon-Do and some other Asian forms. That stuff just gives martial arts a bad name. You cannot imbue parts of your body with mystical, physics-defying qualities. There is nothing impressive about splitting a sliver of timber with your foot, you cannot damage someone’s internal organs by hitting them with a ‘one inch punch’ and the only way you’re going to hurt someone with a Shaolin death finger, or whatever, is if you poke them in the eye

Summed up nicely I think!

If I was interested in TKD (And I'm not) and could make Jon's club I'd jump at the chance.

I wouldn't let you train in my club Mairt, you'd scare everyone away

yomchi

Jebus, who is that guy? I've never heard of him until this article

adonis

id agree dittkd...i have never heard anything about him and healing hands from any of the guys/girls in the class and it certainly wouldnt be tolerated by anyone at the club

i never really thought his classes were bad, some i even enjoyed!

nij

Ok, maybe not a good idea to say that publicly. Sometimes I find myself turning M.A. threads into circuses, but hey, there's no shortage of CLOWNS out there.

If you want any more of my opinions, PM me.

Mainstay

nij wrote:

Post Deleted

Mainstay - deleted this comment since it was part of a personal attack and OT - sorry you got caught in the fray. Colm

nij

I trained there some years ago. Maybe he has changed his ways. I'll send PM's.

Colm_OReilly

O'Leprosy/Nij

There's a report function for this type of thing. You're comments have been deleted as a result.

Colm
-Mod

Tim_Murphy

that a Taekwon-Do expert could break the leg of someone who tried to shin-kick them (shin-kicks being the staple of Muay Thai fighters) by snapping out their arm in the direction from which the blow was coming and taking the impact on their wrist

LOL :rolleyes: That must only be taught after 3rd Dan because unfortunately I've never seen that myself.

yomchi

I'll show it to you Tim when I see you, but don't show anyone else...its a secret