Taekwondo

[Bubbs]

Went to my first ever martial arts lesson last night, and I've got to say, my legs a done in. If any of you want to get fit then go to one of those lessons. Been walking like John Wayne this morning with the pain.

Anyone else with martial arts experience? What's best to do at home to get myself ready for the next lesson?
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[G]

I go to various 'class' things at the gym - I find any time I go to a new one, I'm generally a bit stiff the day (or two) after the first few times - however your body fairly soon adapts to that set of exercises.
I try and rotate the stuff I'm doing so I'm varying the way muscles are used etc.

[mistergixer]

Which of the (many) forms of TKD was it, and whereabouts in the country?
Obviously TKD places emphasis on use of the legs (theory is it originated from the traditional Korean art of Taek'yon which is pretty much purely leg based), so some gentle leg stretches won't go amiss.
Nothing too vigorous, maybe instead of sitting on the sofa sit on the floor and do a little bit of stretching - if it hurts, you're doing it wrong.

Equally, a little bit of cardio (jogging, cycling) won't hurt, neither will a few bodyweight exercises such as press-ups etc.

I wouldn't bother too much with the dallyon (conditioning) at the moment(unless heavily calloused knuckles are your thing), and as a word of advice aim for good execution of technique rather than trying to kick high - height will come with time, good technique is more important.

What made you try TKD? There are a million MA classes out there, have you considered taking some 'taster' lessons at other clubs to find a style/art that suits you?
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[GhostRider]

What are you doing it for? Self defence purposes or just to keep fit?

I did taekwondo for about 5 years, entered a few national competitions, won a few medals, I was one below black belt. Then it clicked that it was a sport more than a self defence system. Fitness wise it's great, especially if you go to squad training, but otherwise it's rather poor.

GhostRider
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[Bubbs]

To be honest mate I have no clue what type of TKD it is. I've never been to a MA lesson before last night. It's a class that comes free with membership to my gym so I thought I'd give it a go and quite enjoyed it too. The teacher dude is 5 dan black belt and said he was going for his 6th dan shortly. Thanks for the tips too, will take those on board.

Taster lessons at other clubs sounds good but these are free so I will probably stick with TKD for a while. Maybe when I get this flexibility sorted and some sort of technique then I'll give something else a try.

What is it you do mrgixer?
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[Bubbs]

[GhostRider]

[mistergixer]

[Stelmer]

I went to a TKD/MMA based Kickboxing class for 4 years till work got in the way and 2 none fault car accidents did my back in again. I was almost ready to grade for the last before black belt. By now I would have a black belt with my name on it, had work hours not interfered.


Before I joined that club, I went to a Wado-ryu Karate based ''Kickboxersise class in Middleton, Leeds for around 18 months before members dropped off and it just stopped. This club was fantastic for getting a then out of shape 25 year old back into shape.

It was that intense I lost 2 inches from my waste in 2 months, going from a 34 to 30.

[NickD]

[numark1]

Been doing ITF since I was 4. Won blackbelt heavyweight championship last year in scotland for sparring and special technique.

[N.C]

[Clanger]

It's going to sound really bizarre...but lean against a wall, and squat until you look like you are sitting on a chair (perfect right angles). Do that for several minutes, maybe three times a day, building up the amount of time.

And lots of free squats, knees together / knees apart. Should help build up the strength in your leg muscles. These exercise are also very good for those doing skiing and snowboarding.
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[jaxx]

I've been training in Lau Gar Kung Fu for about 6yrs now, and love it.

It provides a good mix of basic self defence and body conditioning, right through to more traditional techniques.

Basically thou, find a MA you enjoy, and your gains will be doubled. No point slogging away at something you dont enjoy...

Also, find an instructor you can get along with. My sifu is a very down to earth kinda guy, but lots of MA instructors are jumped up idiots with very little practical training behind them.

Hope this helps, and that you carry on with some kind of training.
Best thing I ever did

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

[lllN30lll]

Been doing Kickboxing for about 6 month now and I'm ready to do my orange belt grading next week.

Love it, plenty of styles of situps/pressups to work the areas that you use the most when boxing.
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[5v3d3b0]

I did TKD for a few years, and it's great for fitness and flexibility, also gets your balance pretty good, but as a self defence system you have to train for a damn long time to be able to use it in a fight, and even then I wouldn't say a spinning kick is gonna do you much good after 5 pints in a bar...
I've tried Kickboxing which I found to be a lot better and I could feel a lot more "gains" in a shorter time, but the classes were wank as they were in a gym. If you want good MA classes go to a dojo which does only one thing.
Now at uni I'm doing MMA which I think is the fastest and most physical way of learning cause it covers ground work too, but most importantly you actually take hits. You can be 6th dan whatever but if you've never been punched in the face, that brawler is gonna take you by surprise and you're gonna be crying like a girl
Self defense wise krav maga is supposed to be very very good

[mistergixer]