Taekwondo

monosharp

Hey guys, Just started taekwondo last monday and I'm just wondering how often people generally train each week ?

Where I am at the moment (I'm in Korea) our teacher/instructor told my mate (someone i brought along to translate) I have to come 5 nights a week. I assumed this might be a translation problem and he actually meant that I'd paid for 5 nights a week, i.e > I had to pay for 5 nights a week (paying monthly) whether I come or not.

Turns out thats not the case, I have to go 5 nights a week and If i'm not showing up tomorrow night I need to tell him tonight and have a bloody good reason.

First of all, what's that about ? What does it matter to him if i come or not ? Hes getting paid regardless ?My mate hasn't the best english either so when I asked him it wasn't exactly made clear.

Basically he said it was "rude" to not come. And no, I don't mean rude to not tell him you won't be there, its rude to not come 5 nights a week because that's the "tradition".

Tonight'll be the 5th night in a row and I guess its not too bad, It keeps me away from the beer but honestly is this the norm ? It seems to be at this Do-Jon because the korean people in the class turn up every night too.

I did some kind of karate for a month at home and it was relaxation city in comparison. This taekwondo is like being in the army, its really really strict and I'm finding it fairly exhausting.

Btw Call me ignorant but I always thought Taekwondo was unarmed ? Why are there little kids running round my do-jon with 6 foot sticks and nun-chuck type things ?

DITTKD

I dunno, at first glance that doesn't seem so great, but more info is needed.
Is the training varied from night to night? Is there a minimum time between gradings? How physically intense are the classes.


Round these parts twice a week is what’s expected, of course lots of people do 3 or 4 or 5, or mix it with various other things. At the start you’ve to do 3 months between each grading. Maybe your club is doing some sort of fast track thing? I don’t know how things work over there.

5 a week is quite doable (physically I mean, not so great socially), but it depends on what you’re doing in each class, both in terms of the content of the class and how much effort you personally put into it. It might be very beneficial, or it might be a waste of time, you've to decide that yourself.

I do 3 nights a week TKD and a few other things.

Go and look at what happens in other clubs. Always on this board people recommend trying out a few clubs before you settle in to somewhere you like.
I assume there's more than one TKD club in Korea

monosharp

DITTKD wrote: »

I dunno, at first glance that doesn't seem so great, but more info is needed.
Is the training varied from night to night? Is there a minimum time between gradings? How physically intense are the classes.


Round these parts twice a week is what’s expected, of course lots of people do 3 or 4 or 5, or mix it with various other things. At the start you’ve to do 3 months between each grading. Maybe your club is doing some sort of fast track thing? I don’t know how things work over there.

5 a week is quite doable (physically I mean, not so great socially), but it depends on what you’re doing in each class, both in terms of the content of the class and how much effort you personally put into it. It might be very beneficial, or it might be a waste of time, you've to decide that yourself.

I do 3 nights a week TKD and a few other things.

Go and look at what happens in other clubs. Always on this board people recommend trying out a few clubs before you settle in to somewhere you like.
I assume there's more than one TKD club in Korea

Cheers man, might stay with this place for a while yet before I decide to go looking for others.

I suppose its good for me because the class is very small, basically the master guy is the only instructor that speaks any amount of english so he takes me and this other foreigner every night while the other instructor takes the other two people (korean teenagers). Theres only 4 in the class but I think thats because of the time (its the last class at night). I think theres 2-3 more but they have University/High school exams or some such for the next month.

I'm enjoying the classes so far, theres crap loads of stretching and we seem to be changing the type of stretches every night. (i.e we don't do one or two we did last night but we do 2 new ones). I don't know about varied though, we keep getting introduced to new stuff but as well as that we go over everything we learnt already but then again its only being 4 days (5 tonight).

by the way, was I just ignorant about the weapons thing or does taekwondo involve them ? Cause the korean teenagers seem to spend most of their time swinging sticks, nun-chuck (type things) and kicking the **** out of boards in really cool bruce lee looking ways.

pearsquasher

I've never heard of such strictness at a martial arts club but seeing as you're in Korea and it's a different culture and Taekwondo's history comes form a military background as far as I know, I'm no so suprised really.

At the end of the day you either accept the rules of the club you wish to join or you walk away. Martial Arts clubs shouldn't be democracies but its important to find out whats expected before joining. If it's too much committment then find a more relaxed club. It wouldn't be my cup of chai but I do understand teachers having a base level of commitment form their students. Perhaps this particular instructor came from an army background and the intensity for training follows from that? I'd find a college club maybe?

DITTKD

monosharp wrote: »

Cheers man, might stay with this place for a while yet before I decide to go looking for others.

I suppose its good for me because the class is very small, basically the master guy is the only instructor that speaks any amount of english so he takes me and this other foreigner every night while the other instructor takes the other two people (korean teenagers). Theres only 4 in the class but I think thats because of the time (its the last class at night). I think theres 2-3 more but they have University/High school exams or some such for the next month.

I'm enjoying the classes so far, theres crap loads of stretching and we seem to be changing the type of stretches every night. (i.e we don't do one or two we did last night but we do 2 new ones). I don't know about varied though, we keep getting introduced to new stuff but as well as that we go over everything we learnt already but then again its only being 4 days (5 tonight).

by the way, was I just ignorant about the weapons thing or does taekwondo involve them ? Cause the korean teenagers seem to spend most of their time swinging sticks, nun-chuck (type things) and kicking the **** out of boards in really cool bruce lee looking ways.

No there’s no weapons in TKD, but that doesn’t necessarily preclude them from being in the dojang. I assume the kids are messing with nunchucks because they’re kids and that’s what kids do. Really you’ll have to ask your instructor about it, it sounds like good craic.

It’s good to be doing different things every night, keeps it interesting and gives various parts of your body a chance to recover. Also, you're only learning this stuff, so I'm guessing the instructor's trying to show you loads of stretches, and that's why he's doing loads of stretches.

cowzerp

sounds cool, i love the cultural things you cant get here!

mark.leonard

AFAIK its the norm for Korea. A lot of folks have come back form there and trained with me in the NUIG TKD school and your experience is exactly what they described.

There is a Korean sword art called Hailan Gum Do (sp?) maybe there were practice weaopns for that?

yomchi

Different forms of TKD use weapons including the Chungdokwan, and other variations like Kong So and Tang so Do

pma-ire

from the sound of it, the weapons are included more to keep the kids interested.

monosharp

pma-ire wrote: »

from the sound of it, the weapons are included more to keep the kids interested.

I really don't think so, one of the masters is doing some serious bruce lee stuff with the sticks and nun-chuck things every night.

Ah what do I know anyways. Thanks for the advice, I think I'll stay where I am. I'm enjoying it.

pma-ire

monosharp wrote: »

I really don't think so, one of the masters is doing some serious bruce lee stuff with the sticks and nun-chuck things every night.

Ah what do I know anyways. Thanks for the advice, I think I'll stay where I am. I'm enjoying it.

it's not that hard to pick up the nunchuku and then do a bit hit sticks!

maybe the instructor has trained in a style to learn these ellements and is now putting it into his own classes?

anyway! kids love sticks and kids love chucks!!

challengemaster

pearsquasher wrote: »

Taekwondo's history comes form a military background as far as I know, I'm no so suprised really.

Indeed, quite strict in every aspect, especially respect.

yomchi

challengemaster wrote: »

Indeed, quite strict in every aspect, especially respect.

Which is a complete paradox

monosharp

Jon wrote: »

Which is a complete paradox

Why ?

yomchi

Simple, real respect for a human being doesn't come from military type discipline. Thats false respect, disguised by fear mostly. I respect my friends, family and Taekwo-Do colleagues on their own personal merit, not on whether they roar and shout have me stand in straight lines and make me bow to them.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Jon wrote: »

Which is a complete paradox

STD?.

challengemaster

Jon wrote: »

Simple, real respect for a human being doesn't come from military type discipline. Thats false respect, disguised by fear mostly. I respect my friends, family and Taekwo-Do colleagues on their own personal merit, not on whether they roar and shout have me stand in straight lines and make me bow to them.

While that's true, like it has been said, it was founded on a military background.. so the type of 'respect' is the one you'd find in an army/naval base.. not 100% real, atleast in the way it's shown, but you do respect them none the less, no?

arybvtcw0eolkf

challengemaster wrote: »

While that's true, like it has been said, it was founded on a military background.. so the type of 'respect' is the one you'd find in an army/naval base.. not 100% real, atleast in the way it's shown, but you do respect them none the less, no?

Your talking about respect for rank and not the person.

In work I'll salute any officer, I'm saluting the rank and not the cocksucker.

challengemaster

Mairt wrote: »

Your talking about respect for rank and not the person.

In work I'll salute any officer, I'm saluting the rank and not the cocksucker.

well, yes, it is respect for rank - but that said, if said person isn't a cocksucker, then you do respect them too!

Mint Sauce

used to do tae kwon do my self, done it in the UK twice a week, and yes it was strict, the streches were also a big part of it, for 2 1/2 hour class, the stretches took up 45 minutes to an hour, but then with some of the moves your doing in paterns, sparing and breaking you were glad for it

we were also lucky to have the highest rank in the uk as our instructor , so when it came to gradings or competition, you knew exactly what was expected of you

pma-ire

irish-stew wrote: »

we were also lucky to have the highest rank in the uk as our instructor , so when it came to gradings or competition, you knew exactly what was expected of you

get out the grease and put on the knee pads

sorry only kidding ;)