Like learning any new skill, taekwondo training requires effort. Learning the proper techniques and practicing taekwondo discipline should be your foremost goals. To achieve that, you will need patience and perseverance. These tips will help make your training more effective and turn you into a dedicated taekwondo student.
Stretching is Important
Always remember to do some basic stretching before and after your workout to prevent injuries and ensure a good session. Sports scientists have found significant improvements in flexibility among participants who followed a consistent stretching routine.
Whether stretching can reduce the risk of injury is a little unclear, but it will benefit your joints and potentially improve your technique. Harvard Health Publishing says stretching improves flexibility, improves balance, and warms up muscles.
Practicing Sparring During Taekwondo Training
When practicing one step sparring, ensure you’re performing it correctly. Incorrect practice can lead to ingrained bad habits, making the correct technique feel awkward. For effective practice, perform each one step sparring technique up to your current rank four times. Then, repeat these techniques using your opposite hand.
Have someone call out random numbers corresponding to your one step techniques and execute the called technique. Continue until you’ve practiced all of them.
Focus on the purpose behind each move. Visualize your attacker and understand the intent of every movement. If you’re unsure about any technique, ask your instructor for clarification.
Maintain a Positive Attitude
Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial. Everyone makes mistakes while learning, and that’s perfectly okay. Keep striving to improve. Remember, practice makes perfect.
While practicing, focus on maintaining good technique and applying power to your moves. This approach helps you learn the techniques more effectively and efficiently.
Always aim to learn the techniques correctly from the start. It’s harder to unlearn incorrect habits than to learn the correct steps initially. But constant focus on learning the skills correctly makes you an expert.
Join Taekwondo Near You for Improved Target Training
One common challenge for students early in their training is mastering breaking techniques and consistently hitting kicking targets during classes.
There are three fundamentals often overlooked in achieving successful breaks or hitting targets:
- Concentrate and focus on the center of the board or target.
- Visualize the target by acquiring it with your eyes before executing your technique.
- Follow through with your technique, ensuring your hand or foot moves past the target.
There are two effective training exercises that can greatly improve your ability to hit targets or break boards. First, practice with a partner outside of class. Invest in a kicking paddle and work on your techniques at home. Next, hang a kicking paddle from a screw in the ceiling using a bungee cord. This setup allows you to adjust the target height and practice on your own.
Remember, focus on the target, acquire it with your eyes, and follow through completely with your technique. Your hands and feet will follow your eyes.
Working with Experienced Instructors at Taekwondo Classes Near You
The instructor-student relationship is vitally important in taekwondo training. As they teach you taekwondo, you must trust them to guide you through your learning journey. At 5 Rings Taekwondo, we support students at all stages of learning, whether they are young learners aged three or seasoned athletes.
Click here to learn about our programs, and discover how we can help you achieve your full potential in taekwondo.