Cold Weather Warm Gym
Despite the cold, dedicated students worked hard this week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights keeping the gym warm. Unfortunately the first black belt class of the year was canceled, but class will be held this Sunday at 8am as usual. This week in class several students found out how they did at testing and received rank. Congratulations to all of the students who passed their test! We also welcomed several new students to both the beginner class and the adult/advanced class this week.
This past week the beginner class did pattern work, front kick drills, and reviewed how to fall using a forward roll. The adult/advanced class primarily focused on kicking but also did some pattern work and practiced rolls/break falls. The class went over the striking tool of each kick as well as striking targets. Be sure to practice your kicks, not just throwing kicks, but also reviewing what is special about the kick and when to use it. Also, there is more than one way to throw a kick, so be sure to practice rear, lead, jump lead, jump rear, skip, one-step, one-step jump, casting, thrusting, retracting, and advancing kicks when applicable.
Beginner Class
Suggested areas of focus at home this week for the beginner class is front kicks and vocabulary. A front snap kick is categorized as a "smashing " kick which means the purpose and method of throwing a front kick is comparable to that of a striking technique with the hand. The striking tool of a front kick is the ball of the foot; therefore it is important to pull back the toes when striking. Common targets of this kick include the face, abdomen, and floating ribs. The front kick should be executed and retracted in a straight line. Watch yourself in a mirror while performing a front snap kick or take a video to review and be sure your pivoting foot's toes are facing your target and stays stationary throughout the kick. Vocabulary to be reviewed may be found in the student hand book on page 7. If you do not have a copy of the student handbook one may be found under the documents section of this site. Students should record the number of minutes practiced at home on their practice log, this includes time spent reading class material. Don't forget to bring in your practiced logs every week to be signed by an instructor.
Advanced/Adult Class
Suggested areas of focus at home this week for the adult/advanced class is kicking and history. Students should practice rank appropriate "smashing" kicks. A kick categorized as a "smashing" kick means the purpose and method of throwing these kicks is comparable to that of a striking technique with the hand. Front snap kick, back kick, turning kick, twist kick, reverse turning kick, hooking kick, vertical kick, downward kick, pick-shape kick, straight kick, pressing kick, and stamping kick all are categorized as "smashing" kicks. Review the striking tools and common targets for each kick that is rank appropriate for the student. Also, break down the mechanics of the kick, which make each kick unique, and imagine scenarios in which the kick would be appropriate. When studying history, students can review not only the history of TaeKwon-Do, but also the history of patterns. This information may be found on page 3 (history of TaeKwon-Do) student handbook and in the "Student Materials" section (patterns) of this site.
Prior to training always warm up to prevent injuries and after training be sure to always stretch and drink plenty of water to keep your body healthy. Happy training!