In the 2000 Sydney Australia Olympic Games, taekwondo became an official Olympic sport.
Since then it has steadily grown in popularity, with new students around the world signing up for classes every day.
But what is taekwondo and why is it so popular?
In this article, we will provide you with everything you need to know about taekwondo before signing up.
Though we love taekwondo, this will be a truthful and straightforward article that some taekwondo masters would prefer you didn't read--because it's so honest!
Are you ready? Let's dive in!
What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art developed during the 1940s, with roots dating back 2000 years ago, that focuses on kicking and striking techniques for efficient combat.
Tae Kwon Do, when translated, means the art of the feet and hands or the art of kicking and punching.
The beautiful, fancy, fast and powerful spinning kicks you see in martial arts movies is called taekwondo.
While punches and hand strikes are necessary to learn, taekwondo focuses more on kicking techniques, adhering to the belief that your legs are your strongest limbs with the most range.
Because your legs are so strong, they are the most practical striking vehicle on your body.
The above video is a demonstration by the WTF team on America's Got Talent 2021. This will give you an idea of some of the style and technique that taekwondo experts deliver.
Is Taekwondo Effective?
Utilized by MMA fighters and militaries around the world, taekwondo is considered one of the most efficient and powerful martial arts on the planet.
Developed and refined by grandmasters of the art, taekwondo is a deadly combination of bone-shattering kicks and aggressive hand strikes.
While many martial arts disciplines focus more on defense, taekwondo prioritizes offensive tactics, strategies and techniques.
You will still learn blocking, counterattacks, and practical self-defense in taekwondo, but there is an emphasis on attack.
Is Taekwondo Hard to Learn?
Whether you're training to earn your black belt, win a tournament or survive a street fight, practicing taekwondo requires mental and physical discipline to master.
In a professional ITF (International Taekwondo Federation) or WTF (World Taekwondo) dojang, taekwondo training is vigorous and often painful, requiring high levels of physical stamina and mental endurance.
So, is taekwondo hard to learn? Yes, the proper Korean martial art of taekwondo is very difficult to learn and will take years to master.
As a Kukkiwon certified black belt in taekwondo who has spent years in the dojang, I can tell you that most students who walk through the door and sign up for classes drop out before they earn their black belts.
They couldn't handle what awaited them. Which brings us to our next section.
What to Expect During Taekwondo Class
If your taekwondo school is worthy of being called a true dojang, some serious challenges await you. Be prepared. It will not be easy.
In this section, we'll briefly go over what to expect in taekwondo class. If you read through these and they sound like something you can't handle, our advice would be to stay off the mats...
...Or challenge yourself and understand that you have the potential to be far greater than you think. Because that's the point of martial arts; to torture the weakness out of your body and become a warrior.
You have what it takes. All you need is the belief that it's possible.
Taekwondo Class: High-Intensity Cardio, Punching, Kicking Drills
Before you get into form and technique, you'll need to warm up your body with some intense cardiovascular exercise and training drills. These drills usually encompass some of the kicks or strikes you have learned.
The warmup portion of the taekwondo class is often the worst part. It is like "boot camp on steroids", one of my classmates who was in the army once said.
Yes, taekwondo training is often more intense than U.S. military boot camp.
If you love cardio and high-intensity drills, then you'll love taekwondo, because there's plenty of it.
Taekwondo Class: Stretching More Than You Ever Stretched Before
If you're anything like me when I first started taekwondo, you're about as flexible as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz after a 28-day rain storm.
The hardest part of taekwondo for me wasn't the high-intensity cardio drills that almost killed me several times, but the stretching.
If your taekwondo master or grandmaster is a good, efficient teacher, then prepare to be tortured with stretching deeper than you ever have in your life.
Flexibility is critically important for taekwondo. Without flexibility, you will not be able to perform the kicks, stances and Poomsae techniques properly.
You will be doing lots of stretching in taekwondo class.
Taekwondo Class: Terminology
One of the coolest things about taekwondo (other than becoming a badass warrior) is learning some of the Korean language.
At each belt test, you will be required to recite Korean words. These are typically numbers and words that are associated with taekwondo.
Taekwondo Class: Poomsae
In taekwondo, during your journey through the colored belts on your way to the black belt, you will be required to learn at least 8 basic TKD forms, Taegeuk 1-8.
Learning a form is fun, but it requires focus, repetition, good memory, and graceful execution.
Each form will feature kicks, stances, strikes and techniques that you have recently learned. You must practice these kicks and strikes routinely to be able to showcase and exhibit good poomsae.
You will have to perform these forms in front of your family, friends and classmates during belt testing.
Taekwondo Class: Board Breaking.
During each belt test, you will be required to demonstrate confidence and control via board breaking.
White belts usually start with an easy hammer fist break. Students under 13 are given a thinner board to break whereas teens and adults usually break a 1-inch thick pine board.
As you move up in rank, the board breaking becomes much harder. Sometimes, adults will be required to break multiple 1" thick boards at a time with a punch, elbow strike or specialty kick (like the 360 jumping spinning hook kick.)
For your black belt test, you will be breaking a concrete block, about 1-inch thick, with your bare hand. This seems terrifying now, but it won't be once you've trained for years to do it.
With every belt test your board breaking will become more complex and difficult. If you want to break boards like a master, see our guide on board breaking.
Taekwondo Class: Sparring
Many people who practice martial arts are pacifists and subscribe to an ethos of non-violence, training in taekwondo and other styles for spiritual beliefs or meditation purpose only.
However, in taekwondo class, you will be required to spar.
What is sparring?
Sparring is friendly combat between you and a classmate. In WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) taekwondo, you may wear protective gear, but some ITF schools do not require it.
Sparring is a competitive combat sport that imitates a real fight, with each opponent giving and receiving strikes, kicks and punches.
In other words, you will be fighting other people when you take taekwondo. It's mandatory, and you will get hurt.
Which brings us to our last point.
Taekwondo Class: Pain & Perseverance
If the thought of pain or injury upsets you, then taekwondo might not be for you. Throughout our years of training, very few (if any) martial artists graduate to black belt without ever being injured.
You're going to break your toes, get a bloody nose, black eye, broken rib, or something. Nobody escapes taekwondo completely unblemished.
Prepare to take some damage and allow it to help you build character, wisdom and tenacity. We learn more from pain than we do from pleasure.
As the old saying goes, 'cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield.'
Taekwondo will condition your body to withstand attacks and greater levels of pain.
The Five Tenets of Taekwondo
Courtesy (Yei Ui)
Be respectful to your parents, masters, dojang and classmates.
Integrity (Yom Chi)
Be honest and of good character.
Perseverance (In Nae)
Fight through the pain, even when you feel like giving up.
Self Control (Guk Gi)
When you're angry and feel like killing someone, smile, breathe deeply and maintain good martial arts composure.
Indomitable Spirit (Baekjul Boolgool)
Through every obstacle, have the mentality that defeat is not an option.
Why Do Students Quit Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a beast. From white belt up to 1st-degree black belt is an epic journey requiring years of brutal training. It's a commitment that most students fail to live up to.
People think that taekwondo classes end after you earn your black belt. That is false. There is no end to taekwondo training. Grandmasters have been training for 45+ years and will continue until they die or are completely unable to keep practicing.
After you progress to each colored belt, your training will become harder and harder. The Poomsae (forms), sparring, demos and board-breaking requirements are more complex and difficult with every belt.
Students quit taekwondo because they fail to practice at home or take their training seriously, and they cannot handle the training required of them at higher levels.
To become proficient in taekwondo, you must take your training seriously and be ready for increasingly difficult challenges. Taekwondo is not for the weak. Taekwondo requires steadfast perseverance and determination.
Most people on the planet are too weak and lazy to earn a black belt in taekwondo. Even children have fallen into bad patterns where they cannot dig themselves out of the rut of sloth and stagnation.
People sign up for taekwondo not fully understanding what they're signing up for and the vigorous training exceeds their expectations and limitations.
Hopefully, this article has given you some insight on what to expect when you sign up for taekwondo.
Words of Encouragement: Yes, You Should Sign Up For Taekwondo
Do not limit yourself with doubt. Disbelief is a brick wall that you build in front of yourself.
Whether it's martial arts or any goal you have in life, you must believe that you can do it, otherwise it will become impossible.
There may be some seemingly discouraging things written in this article, but they are not meant to turn you away from taekwondo, only to prepare you for what is to come.
The reward for triumphing over your fears and doing something you thought you couldn't do is priceless. You will thank yourself for being courageous when you get your black belt. You will be proud of your accomplishments, as you should be.
When fear comes into play, you must FIGHT it off and win against it. Never let fear stand in your way.
The Bottom Line
Though it was not officially an Olympic sport until the year 2000, taekwondo is a Korean martial art with strong roots dating back over two thousand years.
With fast and powerful kicking and striking techniques, taekwondo is considered one of the strongest and most deadly martial arts, used by MMA fighters and military installations around the world.
If you are highly skilled at taekwondo, then your chances of surviving a street fight greatly improve.
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