The Connecticut Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Commission recently announced that the Connecticut State Tournament will be held June 7, 2008, at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. The event will be a Junior Olympics and Nationals qualifier, so it promises to be a great event.
More postings will appear once applications and other details are posted.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Connecticut Tae Kwon Do MAC Formed
Under a mandate from the USAT, the Connecticut Tae Kwon Do "MAC" (Marital Arts Commission) was recently formed. Grand Master Seijin Park is serving as the MAC's first President.
This is pretty exciting news, because MACs are being formed around the country to help increase awareness of tae kwon do as a sport, and improve support for schools and athletes.
I'll be serving as the Public Relations Director for the group pro-bono to help it get started, so you can expect to see more posts about Tae Kwon Do in Connecticut and in the Northeast.
This is pretty exciting news, because MACs are being formed around the country to help increase awareness of tae kwon do as a sport, and improve support for schools and athletes.
I'll be serving as the Public Relations Director for the group pro-bono to help it get started, so you can expect to see more posts about Tae Kwon Do in Connecticut and in the Northeast.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tae Kwon Do Injuries
Generally speaking, WTF Tae Kwon Do seems a little less "injury causing" than other martial arts. If you're curious, here's a question posted on Yahoo Answers.
Personally, the injuries I've seen are related to few things - misstepping or coming down wrong on your feet, doing a technique your body can't handle, hitting something wrong or too hard (like attempting to break a brick), and being hit off target (in the knee, for example).
How can I avoid injury? First and foremost, stretching and conditioning/practicing footwork is important. The better your body functions, the less likely you are to be injured.
Knowing your limitations is also important - a basic technique done well is far more effective than a complex technique done poorly. That goes for sparring and for practice. In practice, you can take complex techniques slower until you've mastered them. In sparring, you can rely on your basic arsenal.
Finally, before you are really experienced at sparring, you need to take some care. Really experienced players can avoid throwing a kick that will cause them and their opponent to crush knees, for example.
At the end of the day, however, Tae Kwon Do is a combat sport - it is unlikely you will avoid all risk if you're really learning. So do you best, and if you're injured, give yourself time to heal.
Personally, the injuries I've seen are related to few things - misstepping or coming down wrong on your feet, doing a technique your body can't handle, hitting something wrong or too hard (like attempting to break a brick), and being hit off target (in the knee, for example).
How can I avoid injury? First and foremost, stretching and conditioning/practicing footwork is important. The better your body functions, the less likely you are to be injured.
Knowing your limitations is also important - a basic technique done well is far more effective than a complex technique done poorly. That goes for sparring and for practice. In practice, you can take complex techniques slower until you've mastered them. In sparring, you can rely on your basic arsenal.
Finally, before you are really experienced at sparring, you need to take some care. Really experienced players can avoid throwing a kick that will cause them and their opponent to crush knees, for example.
At the end of the day, however, Tae Kwon Do is a combat sport - it is unlikely you will avoid all risk if you're really learning. So do you best, and if you're injured, give yourself time to heal.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Should I Wear Tae Kwon Do Shoes?
No.
Just kidding - you can wear them if you want. But there are reasons not to - maybe the most important of which is that you can't wear them for competition.
The link above has a few more reasons. This is a good one for those who don't compete:
The reason for this is that not wearing Tae Kwon Do shoes allows you to flex your feet easier. When you don’t have on Tae Kwon Do shoes you can see your feet and be able to learn to control your toes and be able to practice the fine motor control needed of the toes to be successful at this form of martial arts.
Just kidding - you can wear them if you want. But there are reasons not to - maybe the most important of which is that you can't wear them for competition.
The link above has a few more reasons. This is a good one for those who don't compete:
The reason for this is that not wearing Tae Kwon Do shoes allows you to flex your feet easier. When you don’t have on Tae Kwon Do shoes you can see your feet and be able to learn to control your toes and be able to practice the fine motor control needed of the toes to be successful at this form of martial arts.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
TKD Kicking Tips (Tae Kwon Do Times)
Link
The article may be of interest - it discusses the importance of perfecting front, round-house, and side kicks, and provides some training tips.
The article may be of interest - it discusses the importance of perfecting front, round-house, and side kicks, and provides some training tips.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Junior Olympics Qualifier in York, PA
In addition to learning the sport of tae kwon do, there's a pretty vast organization, set of tournaments, etc., behind the scenes.
A group of students from my school recently qualified for Junior Nationals in July in Detroit. Qualifiers are held regionally for a national competition each year....see USA Tae Kwon Do for more details.
A group of students from my school recently qualified for Junior Nationals in July in Detroit. Qualifiers are held regionally for a national competition each year....see USA Tae Kwon Do for more details.
Monday, May 5, 2008
New York State Tournament Results (May 3, 2008 - Queens College)
The New York State Tournament was fairly well attended in general this year, but the adult competition was little lighter. The tournament organizers ran a typical schedule, morning was set aside for children, after noon juniors competed and at about 2pm or so, adult competitions began. (The tournament ran 6 competition areas, and used judge scoring with an electronic scoreboard)
This Tae Kwon Do blogger competed and won gold in breaking, poomsae, and sparring (non-black belt heavyweight) competitions. Overall, the tournament was well run and enjoyable.
Please add your comments if you competed as well.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Leno and Tae Kwon Do - Olympics Feature
Tae Kwon Do on Leno?
That's right - Olympic Family Lopez appeared on the April 29th show (click the slider to time 33:39). They talk about their family's history with Tae Kwon Do - a nice group.
That's right - Olympic Family Lopez appeared on the April 29th show (click the slider to time 33:39). They talk about their family's history with Tae Kwon Do - a nice group.
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