Pacific International Taekwondo Blog

FREE-SPARRING

2012-01-24T21:50:00.001-08:00

Tips on free-sparring

Of all thedifferent facets of training in Taekwondo, free sparring isprobably the most exciting for the majority of students.

Testingyourself against an opponent is a quick way to learn about your faults, and howto correct them; but only if you spar correctly.

We usenon-contact free sparring. However that doesn’t mean no contact at all, itmeans being at the correct distance to be able to contact, and holding thepower delivery at the last moment. Sparring this way gives the correct distancefeel to the attacker, whilst teaching the defender to move out of range.

The worstfree sparring is when the defender doesn’t have to move because theattacker is completing their kick so far away it isn’t necessary for them tomove. When sparring is performed like that it becomes - your turn /my turn andturns from sparring to 'dancing'.

Whenattacking, the point is to cover distance to your opponent as fast as possiblethen deliver a maximum power kick, punch or strike on target, holding at thepoint of contact. Do the same with follow-up techniques to form combinations. Whencountering an attack the same principles apply.

Coveringdistance fast in both attack and defence is crucial to good free sparring.

Regardlessof anything else practice moving backwards, forwards and dodging to the side,with speed.

Practicefast body shifting and countering.

When usingcombination kicks, after each kick get the kicking foot back on the floor asfast as possible, you don’t want to be caught with a counter while standing onone leg.

Take yourfree sparring seriously, the last thing we want is time off training because ofinjury.

Train hard and enjoy it.

(Pictured - Jnr BB Sarah Kelly sparring with Instructor Brandt Williamson).

Perseverance

2011-11-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

Have younoticed how many things are available ‘instantly’ now?

The fast pace of livingaffects so many things – from a fast take away meal from the drive through toanything we want to download from the internet or buy on a credit card. Very fewpeople want to wait for the things they want.

In many ways it’s great – so convenient tohave what we want when we want it – but in some ways we’re missing out too asit’s cutting down people’s willpower to work towards and achieve a result.

When you finally accomplish something that youhave worked hard for over time, the feeling of pride and accomplishment issomething money just can’t buy. It’s a fantastic feeling of self worth. Justask any of our Black Belts!

You may haveheard the term “nothing worthwhile is gained easily” and it’s true. That’s whythe instructors at Pacific International won’t let you get away with secondbest. They want you to have that feeling of self worth and the knowledge thatyou can achieve your goal if you just work at it long enough.

Not onestudent in the world ever went from white belt to black belt in one grading. Weare successful in our training when we progressively reach each new belt grade,that’s ten goal achievements to gain black belt. You will have perseveredthrough thoughts of “I’ll never do this’, tiredness, work and family commitments and dozens ofother bumps and potholes on your road to black belt.

Is it worthit? Well at the next black belt grading, take a good look at the faces of thenew black belts, you will see joy and pride and that satisfied look ofachievement that only ever comes from persevering through adversity to gainyour goal.

Perseveranceis one of the major cornerstones of success and achievement in any endeavour.

If you wantto gain your black belt, and you can, knowledge and perseverance will get youthere.

Train hard and enjoy it

Taekwondo Kick and Counter Training

2011-10-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Kick and counter training isa stimulating and interesting way to help learn about judging distance fordefence and attack.

When you are attacked duringfree sparring, the least effective way to escape a combination attack is to movedirectly backward from the attack. Your attacker can follow you quickly,remember he or she is moving forward while you’re moving backwards. If theattacker is using fast sliding combinations as well, it’s very difficult toavoid the technique so the chances are that you’ll be hit.

However, moving backwards at anangle (left or right) breaks the flow of the attack.

Try to picture yourself standingat the point (apex) of a triangle. Now step back to either the left or rightback corner of the triangle, this breaks the forward momentum of the attacker’scombination so they must then adjust their direction of attack. This is whenthey are vulnerable to counter attack.

It takes time patience andlots of practice to learn to judge the correct distance and very importantly todecide which direction to step. As a general rule if you are stepping back farenough so the attacker’s kick cannot reach you, move to his closed side -ifhe’s kicking with his right leg move to his right (your left).

If you are moving to theside without moving back, (in order to counter without having to move towardhim), move to his open side.

When countering always use ablock as you counter, when the block connects it will turn him slightly andupset his balance so you can then follow immediately with an appropriate handor foot attack.

Now when your opponent usesa back kick, practice moving sideways in the same direction as his bodyrotation, this will place you in his ‘blind side’ (his back will be toward you,and you will be in a position to counter without having to cover much, if any,distance at all.

Practising kick and counteris best learned using a single kick attack and a combination hand and footcounter. For example; both in right back stance (right foot is the rear foot)attack with right mid section front kick, counter by stepping to your rightside with your right foot while blocking with your left forearm and counterwith a right punch followed by an appropriate kick.

Now practice against thesame kick but this time step to the left with your right foot, (rear foot)blockwith outer forearm inner block then quickly move left foot forward into frontstance and deliver reverse punch to the head and again follow with anappropriate kick. With practice these are very effective techniques, and willgive you the base to experiment with angles and distance for your kick andcounter practice which you will then use during free sparring.

Train hard and enjoy it

How Taekwondo helps you develop pride in yourself

2011-10-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Blog number 3 in the series Practical use of training ineveryday life is...

Pride in yourself

Feelingpride in yourself can be a major contributor to success in life.

I’m nottalking here about believing you are intrinsically better than the next person,that’s just conceit, it’s more about being pleased with something you’veachieved and what you know you can achieve in the future.

It doesn’tmatter what the goal is, any time a person works toward and finally reachestheir objective it boosts their confidence, self esteem, and determination. Forexample you might have studied every night and finally achieved a great examscore - or trained every night and finally achieved your Black Belt. The point is that it wasn’t luck - you worked hard and made your own successfuloutcome.

Thestructure of our Taekwondo training is a perfect stepping stone for setting andachieving a goal successfully. It’s a fun way to find out what you can makehappen when you set your mind to it.

You startwith no knowledge of Taekwondo, learn the basics and achieve your first beltlevel.

That setsyou on track - from there you can set yourself a new goal to be ready to gradeto the next belt level in twelve weeks time and train towards it. So you slowlyclimb up the grades.

Each beltlevel you achieve brings a sense of pride and satisfaction – and a new goalwith a new challenge that pushes you a little further. Before too long you findyou’re thinking that earning your Black Belt might be a real possibility!

All it takesfor your success is knowledge of what you need to do and correct guidance -both of these you get from your instructor, then from you the requirement isjust determination and effort.

Evert timeyou’re promoted to the next grade level you can truly take pride in yoursuccess because you earned it.

Pride inyour ability boosts your self-esteem and gives a better understanding of thethings you can achieve when you strive. Tasks that you would once have thought impossible now turn into‘difficult - but achievable’. That positive attitude encourages you to aimhigher and gives you a new sense of self-worth.

As pride inyour Taekwondo achievements grows you’ll find all that effort is shown in yourfit, trim and toned body and in the way you look and move. It gives you anotherreason to feel pride and satisfaction with yourself and can encourage you to develop the successful habit of working hard for yourgoals for the rest of your life.

Part 2 - FOCUS.

2011-09-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

Training in martialarts can provide you with strengths that help you achieve yourcareer/study/life goals.

The next series ofblog articles will follow a general theme outlining the practical use oftraining to gain these mental and emotional strengths whilst maintaining thefun and enjoyment that training gives you.

Focus....dictionary definition - an act of concentrating interest or activity on something:

Focusing is less necessary when you simply want to work up a sweat and getfit – but vital when the exercise becomes ‘training’.

The difference is in carrying outmovements only to exercise your body - and in learning how to carry out themovements correctly, effectively and to your best ability at that stage of yourtraining.

Look at it this way - If you go jogging, youdon’t have to think “put the left foot in front and balance while doing it, nowput the right foot in front... you just do it you don’t have to focus very muchon what you are doing, it’s mostly automatic.

Taekwondotraining needs lots of focus, that’s why it grabs and holds you.

Thatfocusing eliminates exercise boredom and makes you train thinking about whatyou are doing rather than just ‘working-out’. For example, you may want tomaster a new kick or improve the speed of your hand techniques so you’rerequired to focus on those things, training your body to move as you wantit to in order to improve your ability.

There aretwo types of focus – visual and internal.

Visual focusis obvious and easy, see the target, judge where you need to be to punch, kick,block or strike it and go for it.

Internal focus is much more difficult; inrelation to Taekwondo training it’s about gathering your body’s power anddelivering it to the target. Think of it this way, next time you practise apunch visualise drawing the strength from all parts of your body, from thesoles of your feet up through your legs and torso into your shoulder, down yourarm and into the fist and finally transfer that power from your fist to deliveran intense punch to the pad or target. That’s internal focus.

There aresome really great benefits in learning to focus in this way. Firstly it getsresults in your Taekwondo training so it’s a fun way to gain a valuable lifeskill, and once you’ve learned how to focus your mind on a specific task youcan apply it to any task that you need to accomplish. You’ll find you are ableto think clearly and gather all the components of what is required and bringthem together to accomplish the task successfully.

This isanother example of ways in which learning Taekwondo helps you develop lifeskills that can improve your success in your daily life too.

Train hardand enjoy it.

MasterTrevor Dicks

“Most peoplehave no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus allof our resources on mastering a single area of our lives”.
Tony Robbins

2011-09-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

What is amartial artist?

All livingcreatures including humans fight! They fight to survive and to protect others.
Some fight to lead or subjugate others.
Some fight through fear for selfpreservation.
Others fight for love to protect their family, and yet others areconditioned and trained to fight and kill in armies for protection of country.

Thetechniques used in those types of fighting don’t have to be perfect they just need to beeffective.

That’s themartial part of martial art.

The art partof martial art is the development of‘self’.

Byconstantly striving to perfect martial techniques, mental and emotional strengthis developed. This training often takes years, and it can take a lifetime.

The benefitsof training in a martial art are numerous and rewarding and offer significant aidin a person’s success in life.

The wordsuccess generally conjures visions of lavish lifestyles which include cars,homes, holidays etc. that’s one side of success. Mother Theresa was supersuccessful at what she did and achieved, and had no wealth in monetary terms atall.

Success isno more than achieving your goals, whatever they may be.

Trainingcorrectly in martial arts can help you achieve the strengths you need to reachyour life goals.

The next seriesof blog articles will follow a general theme outlining the practical use of trainingto gain this mental and emotional strength for life success whilst maintainingthe fun and enjoyment training gives you.

Let’s lookat the first one now.

Determination

Determinationis a must for reaching any goal.

Determinationturns a wish to accomplish something, into a will to accomplish it. It’s amindset that says... ‘it will be done’.

I wasvisiting some branches last week and several times I heard a student say “Ican’t do that!”. What they really mean is “I can’t do that yet”

Some people seemto be born with determination, if you are not one of them, and most peoplearen’t, then you have to acquire it and taekwondo training will help you.

Here’s howit works....First you need a goal to aim for, something specific, for instance...be able to pass the next grading successfully. So, you find out what therequirements are that you need to learn and practice, then practice.

Focus onfollowing the recommendations of your instructor, perhaps, fix balance,increase height of the kick or use correct body line when kicking. You willfind that there is something if not a lot that you just don’t seem to be ableto do correctly. You try and try but it just doesn’t happen, this is when youbegin saying to yourself “I can’t do this yet,but I will”.

That’s how you build determination.

Train hard and enjoy your training

Master Trevor Dicks

Which Type Are You - And Does It Matter?

2011-05-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Have youever watched another student or an instructor performing a jumping or flyingtechnique and wished you could do it like that? Of course you have...mostflying kicks are visually exciting to watch. Everyone can learn these techniques,- how well you perform them is another matter.

Some peopleare born with a higher proportion of ‘fast twitch’ muscle fibres than others,which means they move in an ‘explosive’ manner, they have more springiness andfaster reflexes, these are traits that allow them to jump with apparent ease.

If you are aperson with a higher proportion of ‘slow twitch’ muscle fibres you typicallywill have greater staying power, so generally youcan last longer during hard training than fast twitch people.

If you arenot a natural jumper, accept that fact and train to improve your jumpingskills.

Practicelots of leg strengthening exercises, and practice jumping, but do it as part ofyour overall training.

Find outwhat your strengths are and cultivate them. For example you may have abilityfor dodging and creating correct distance from your opponent duringfree-sparring....you may have fast thought processing that allows you to puttogether combination techniques and counters. Or are you good at close quarterdefence and releases from holds and grabs? Do you have fluidity of movementduring pattern practice? How about your ability to generate power?

The pointis, find what you are good at and develop it until you are very good at doingit.

It seems tobe a human trait to want what we don’t have and to envy those that do have it,but does it really matter which type we are?... I really don’t think so. Trainingis enjoyable, we train because we like all facets of it and enjoy the companyof the people we train with (even if they do jump better than us).

Master Dicks

Taekwondo Stances - Are they really effective

2011-04-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Whendefending yourself most people automatically move into fighting stance.

Feet areabout shoulder width apart and shoulder width in length, with the weight evenlydistributed between both feet. This is a fairly natural stance for most people. So if this is a natural fighting stance why dowe have to learn all the other stances in Taekwondo and what use are they?

Depending onthe style of Taekwondo there are approximately sixteen different stances and all have uses in various situations.

Let’simagine a scene. You are facing an opponent and both of you are in naturalfighting stance, he attacks with a mid section side kick, you evade his kick by stepping back with your back leg taking your body weight with you andsimultaneously draw back your front foot to increase the distance between you and your opponent, and block the kick. You are now in rearfoot stance. You now quickly step toward your opponent with your front footinto forward (front) stance and reverse punch; then come back smoothly to fightingstance.

If you don’tknow these stances you can’t move smoothly between movements.

Front stanceis the strongest stance for delivering power, while back stance allows moreagility by being able to push your body forward explosively to cover distance.

Many stancesare used transitionally, they allow you to move in a variety of ways duringattack and defence situations that using a single stance cannot.

Diagonal stance, this stance is first seen in patterns in Sam-il, a 3rd Dan pattern. It allows the person using it tomove into a strong front stance by pivoting forty five degrees to the left andimmediately forty five degrees right without having to move the feet.

So as youcan see, all stances have uses and are therefore effective. It’s our jobas Taekwondo practitioners to diligently practice using them to our advantage.

Master Dicks

Stances shown in the photo - attacker in forward stance (chungul sogi), defender in horse-riding stance (kima sogi).

The Training Hall

2011-03-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

How important is your training area?

Do thefixtures and fitting in your training hall make a difference to the way youtrain and the results you get?

Aftertraining and instructing for more than forty five years I’ve visited a lot ofdojangs (training halls).

Some were superbly fitted out with special flooring, wall-sized mirrors, hanging bags in a variety of sizes, weight machines, play-backvideo training rooms, competition rings, spacious showers and changing areasand shops to purchase equipment and food and drinks.

Others weresparse to say the least – in run-down buildings, no fans or heating system,bare concrete floors, no change-rooms and definitely no fancy trainingequipment, just a few worn out shields and focus pads.

What standsout the most to me is that the actual training wasunaffected by either the comfort in the luxury style dojang or the lack ofcomfort in the sparse dojang. The ‘feel’and enthusiasm was the same and in fact there seemed to be more ‘spirit’ andcamaraderie in the shabby dojang. The need to help each other was greater hereso the students clubbed together to source new pieces of equipment, theyimprovised and adapted so felt pride and a greater sense of ownership of theirtraining area.

The pointis, the effort and enthusiasm, the focus and determination, the sweat andshouts and the grins of satisfaction were the same in both types of dojang. Andall those things come from you, the student....theperson putting in the energy and effort to train your body and mind as you learn a martial art. No amount ofmoney spent on luxury fittings or fancy equipment can replace your input.

I rememberour training hall in Sydney where Snr Inst Margaret and I trained for years. Itwas an old building, we trained on the top floor and the lift often didn’twork, a number of broken window panes were covered with brown paper. Before class started our Master would check the timber floor for protruding nails and whenhe found any he hammered them down with his bare heel, when it rained weplaced buckets under the drips,....so, no luxury there but the air was thickwith the smell of martial art spirit (sweat) and we loved it.

So how importantis the training hall?.....Not very important at all.

What isimportant in every training area, whether it’s a top class dojang or a shabbyold hall is the character and teaching ability of the instructor, theenthusiasm of the students and the feeling of support and shared aims as youpractise together.

Happy New Year Resolutions!

2011-01-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

I hope you had awonderful Christmas and New Year

Well, here we are again at the start of another brand new year.

No doubtjust like me, you are thinking about New Year resolutions or the new goals you'd like to achieve this year, and that’s good as it means looking forward and taking responsibility and an active interest in improving yourself or an aspect of your life.

Your New Year resolutions (or goals) are almost always reliant on you adapting your behaviour ...particularly your determination and perseverance. For example you may have decided to go on a diet this year....or perhaps you want to exercise more... or study more to improve your grades....change jobs....save more.... be more helpful at home... etc etc. All these things are normal resolutions and all rely on your ability to change your behaviour in some way.

Now if you take a look at the progress you've made in your training during the past year you'll see that while training seems to be all about fitness it can definitely have a strengthening effect on your behaviour and mind-set too.

If youstarted training in January last year you will now be around 6th to 5th Kup (green belt/blue tip).

So, twelve months ago as a 10th kup beginner you had no experience of Taekwondo at all, but just look at your ability now!

For a start, you are still training so...

You have developed some determination (still a long way to go though)
You know some basic Korean terms
You've learned the basic stances, blocks,punches, strikes and kicks.
You've learned three step and one step sparring.
You can carry out basic jumping kicks
You are able to put all your knowledge together in freesparring.
You're beginning to feel more self-confident generally

Remember you train just two hours a week generally so all that isa fairly large amount of new knowledge to grasp!

And on top of those things you have attended and graded successfully four times! So you're understanding that success or failure is down to you - to the amount of effort you put in and your commitment to reaching your goal.

I guaranteethat you feel better now too, fitter, stronger and more self-assured than you were before you began training. You are now doing things that twelve months ago you could only watch others do.

Those of youwho have been training longer will have reached higher grades during 2010, so yourknowledge base will be far greater, as will your physical expertise and your mind-set benefits.

Here we areat the beginning of 2011. Now is the time to set some personal goals and sometraining goals.

Use themental strengths that training has given you and stick to whatever New Yearresolutions you choose for yourself.

I can tellyou with absolute certainty that when you reach your goals your confidence and self-esteem will soar, you will feel proud of yourselfbecause you did it.

I wish youall the very best for the coming year

Master Dicks

How I Wish......

2010-12-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

How I wish.....
Strange title for a blog isn’t it? Let me explain....

I began training in martial arts in 1962 and in the early 1970’s was introduced to Taekwondo. From the very first training session I was hooked. I trained every day and couldn’t wait to get to class for instruction.
In 1975 I attended a world Masters display in Scotland in the U.K. hosted by the legendary Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha.That day changed my life. I knew what I wanted to do with my life; I wanted to continue to train and acquire knowledge and to pass on that knowledge so others could feel what I felt and reap the many benefits that training has to offer. So that’s what I did.

Today that feeling has not diminished... in fact it is stronger. I will use any method to get the information across I’ll growl at students... praise them... pull a students aside to demonstrate to others...quietly explain... shout... physically hold a fist or foot and do the required technique for them so they get the feel of what I’m trying to explain.

So now we come to the explanation of the title.
How I wish I could wrap-up all my 40 years of knowledge and push it into your ear so it can get into your mind, and suddenly you would understand.Unfortunately of course I can’t do that, so you will just have to put up with my, growling, praising and shouting and whatever other method is necessary for you to gain the magic that’s there for you when you ‘get it’

Master J.T.Dicks

How Taekwondo's Tenets Can be Beneficial for Children

2010-11-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

A core element of Taekwondotraining is the code of behaviour or the five tenets of Taekwondo maintained during class time; this is the case for both traditional and sport Taekwondo.

The tenets are:

· courtesy,

· integrity,

· self-control,

· perseverance,and

· indomitablespirit.

For children learningTaekwondo, applying these tenets provides lessons that are not only necessaryduring class time but also have significant value in day to day life.

Looking at each tenetindividually the meaning during training is as follows....

· Courtesy- This tenet encompasses everything affecting basic human courtesy,from manners and respect, to being modest and practicing kindness to other class members.

· Integrity- Honesty and distinguishing the difference between right and wrong even intough situations is the basis of the integrity component of the tenets. This isa demanding quality for children to learn so practicing it during training is agood opportunity for them to understand its value.

· Perseverance– Perseverance can be described as the constant and determined pursuit of agoal or a level of excellence. For example some people prefer to practice aTaekwondo pattern in a laid-back, ‘it’s good enough’ kind of way while otherswill practice over and over again, unsatisfied with average they want tit to be perfect. It takes endurance and fortitude to persevere but the results are obvious, so children can see the merit in working hard to achieve theirgoals and be successful in whatever they put their focus on in life.

· Self-control- Self control refers not only to the ability to control your aggression,movements and temper when practising non-contact Taekwondo, but self-control inall aspects of life. This includes the control of emotions and not lettingthese emotions overtake you, causing irrational decisions. Of course childrenare young so emotional control is something to be learned gradually and with apositive cheerful approach. The structure of non-contact Taekwondo training clearlyshows children the advantage of having self-control.

· IndomitableSpirit - The fifth of the five tenets in non-contact Taekwondo is indomitablespirit. For many people this is the most important of the tenets as itencompasses a broad range of skills. It includes developing a ‘never give up’attitude, ... to face a fear and overcome it and an intolerance of injustice. Forchildren practicing and learning non-contact Taekwondo this tenet assists themin building up courage in the face of adversity and challenge.

These five tenets can seemrather deep and serious for children looking for a fun physical activity butthere’s no doubt about the value of them. The gradual process of learningTaekwondo, seeing results for the effort you make, highlights the value ofusing the tenets so the lesson is learned from experience as part of the enjoyabletraining curriculum. In this way children have fun and learn life skills thatwill help them later in life too.

Board breaking

2010-11-12T01:12:00.000-08:00

BOARD BREAKING – PART 1

Most students look forward to board breaking – it’s one of those techniques that epitomises martial arts so it’s a display of how far you’ve come in your training.

Everyone feels a sense of achievement when they break boards successfully but for those that have a harder time it can be very discouraging. That is why it is important to understand that attempting board breaking can be a depressing experience. Even though it looks very easy, it takes a lot of practice, determination and the ability to recover quickly from disappointment to stay focused and energised. To be able to break boards the first try every time takes years of training and good concentration.

When you're attempting board breaking for the first time start small and gradually work your way up. This means to start with the easiest boards you can and then as your success grows, progress to thicker, denser boards.

Since it is a well known fact that the human body can adapt to stress over time, there are 3 areas of your body that you will want to make stronger and more resilient to aid your board breaking efforts.
1. It is important to build up calluses on the surface of the skin that makes contact on the board...
2. Strengthen the muscles that are used to execute the break to increase your power on impact ... and
3. Strengthen your bones against damage.

These things require 2 important points; time and continual practice.
Don't be deterred if you do too much and the breaking weapon becomes sore or you gain a minor injury. After the healing process is complete the injured area will be stronger than ever.

The theory behind this was implied by Julius Wolff (1836-1902) who believed that if an injury was to happen to the skeletal system, it will be stronger once it has healed that it was before the injury. Martial art practitioners are also in agreement with this theory because many have found over the years that repeated board breaking builds up bone density in the area of impact and makes it stronger over time. This is known as cortical remodelling. That is why continual practice will be very beneficial to being successful at board breaking.

BOARD BREAKING PART 2

Even though the most basic board break is an excellent demonstration of focus, speed and strength; there are many ways you can develop your board breaking skills further and give yourself a new challenge that will enhance your training.

For example a board thrown in the air and broken as it falls is great for practising timing, judging distance and using speed...several boards stacked together and broken in one strike takes considerable practice and determination and builds ‘power of endurance’.

Although some Taekwondo practitioners may find these things easy, they are quite difficult for most students and require large amounts of discipline just to keep persisting with the challenge. It is easy to get discouraged if you are not successful right away, so try to keep in mind that it is normal to fail many times before succeeding. That is where the determination to reach your goal is crucial because if you are prone to give up too easily board breaking will never be obtainable.

If you’re not ‘into’ martial art training and board breaking specifically you may think it’s a pointless exercise, however, it is not about the need to have the board in two pieces, it is about the amount of power, focus and speed that is required to accomplish this and mastering something that was once impossible for you. Since it takes most students years of practice and training to get to this point, with some never being able to reach this goal, successful board-breaking is a sign of achieving mental and physical strength.

Individuals that work hard to achieve more challenging board breaks prove to have great mental fortitude and perseverance when facing obstacles as well as the ability to put all their energy and efforts into one thing. These are great qualities to have and can be useful in other areas of life. Just keep in mind that most individuals are not immediately successful , and that you just need to keep practicing and stay focused. As long as that is followed, eventually board breaking will be achieved!

Non-contact Taekwondo for Teens and Adults

2010-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

As many of our instructors know I’ve always avoided using the word ‘fun’ in relation to the way we train at Pacific International Taekwondo. 'Fun' is something light and entertaining, whereas Taekwondo is something with depth and meaning. Training is exciting, challenging, compelling, sometimes risky and altogether a fantastic way to train your body and mind. But I hadn’t thought about it as ‘fun’ until I realised that the bringing together of all those experiences in one pursuit creates an activity that definitely is fun.

That’s why non-contact Taekwondo training is excellent for teens and adults. It gives you the opportunity to face challenges that strengthen your personality and that you might not otherwise meet – but safely in a traditional non-contact martial art environment. So you gradually develop new confidence in yourself – and have fun at the same time.

Some time ago I visited a branch where a young adult was learning to spar. She was a fairly timid girl and obviously found sparring difficult. She looked tense and kept backing well away from her training partner although she knew we practice non-contact sparring so she wouldn’t be hurt.

I didn’t think anymore about it until I revisited the branch recently and saw the same girl sparring again, but this time the difference was amazing. She was dodging, countering and throwing kicks and punches at great speed. The difference was remarkable, and the grin on her face said it all! So as well building her fitness and stamina her Taekwondo training has unquestionably increased her self-confidence – and she was definitely having fun!

Everyone needs exercise to stay healthy. The busier and more stressed you are, the more you need to exercise to forget about work, calm your mind and counter that stress. Non-contact Taekwondo requires mental awareness and physical effort, so there’s no opportunity to think about anything except the techniques you’re practicing. The punching and kicking techniques and general body conditioning exercises are proven to help you increase your body strength, muscle tone, flexibility and energy – so it’s a truly satisfying activity in every way.

As a beginner it’s OK that you feel uncoordinated, unbalanced and powerless! It’s OK that you can’t punch, kick, spar or jump in the air. Non-contact Taekwondo training can condition your body and teach you how to carry out all the exciting techniques of Taekwondo – safely. With regular training, in just a few weeks your body is fitter, stronger and more flexible and you’re achieving techniques that would have seemed impossible a short time ago.

By the time you reach the senior grade levels your body and mind are trained and ready for more demanding challenges – your sparring is fast and strong... you attempt new and difficult techniques....you take a risk where once you would have avoided it – so you’ve developed a stronger and more disciplined mind-set and new confidence in your ability.

The self-esteem that comes from a regular exercise and work-out schedule is well publicised, and it’s no different when you practice non-contact Taekwondo. The difference is in the content of the exercise. There’s no doubt punching and kicking are enjoyable activities and with the added bonus of being safe non-contact training you know you’re not going to either intentionally injure or be injured by a training partner so you can relax and enjoy training.

By committing to a regular schedule of classes you will notice improvements in your fitness, mental awareness and overall feeling of health. This will have a direct result in your self-esteem and general confidence, not only when you’re training but in your day to day living too and that’s important for teens and adults. We need to feel good about ourselves so our outlook on life expands and new goals become possible - another benefit of and good reason to participate in non-contact Taekwondo.

2010-10-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

MIND CONTROL IN TAEKWONDO

Taekwondo is not something that you can be successful at by just simply showing up for class; it requires focus and effort as well as regular attendance to reach your training goals. Strength is a key factor too - I don’t mean the physical strength to jump high in the air or kick through boards, I’m talking about mental strength, and that’s a far harder quality to gain. But just as you need to exercise your muscles to develop physical strength, it’s necessary to practise to gain mental strength too.

For example, to improve a certain kick, you may want to focus on working the muscles that are used for that kick. That way you will be delivering a well-formed technique with most possible force behind it. This is the same when you want to increase your mental strength to benefit your Taekwondo performance.

Mental strength needs to be practised regularly so it develops gradually, just like muscle strength. It is important to try to make your body and mind one entity, so that they will react together making you a stronger Taekwondo practitioner. It is very easy to just go through the motions and not even think about what you are doing, but if you choose to concentrate on the exercise you’re doing rather than chatting to your training partner, your overall performance will improve. When you think about the actual movements your body has to make in order to carry out a specific technique, you are teaching your mind and body to work together and become one. Over time this becomes second nature for you during training and you don’t even have to think about it. Being able to do this effortlessly will definitely improve your training performance and you’ll find it easier to ignore distractions and focus on the main task in everything you do.

The sooner you realize how important mind control in your Taekwondo training really is, the faster you will reach your goals.

Getting maximum benefit from non-contact sparring....

2010-09-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Any reasonably experienced Taekwondo enthusiast will tell you that without doubt the closest you can come to using real life defensive manoeuvres during taekwondo sparring is through contact sparring.

However, contact sparring is not always practical, or even recommended. Over time constant hits on the body take their toll. You cannot spend a lifetime mastering a martial art that you love if you subject yourself to constant physical contact. Put simply, your body will suffer and you will reach a stage where you have to stop the training you love because of nagging injuries.

However, on the other side of the coin, non-contact Taekwondo training can lead you into a false sense of security if you fail to practice it correctly is an exercise in futility. Think about it; sparring with a partner where both are delivering powerful kicks, punches and strikes that are delivered too far off target to be effective are exactly that...ineffective.

In free sparring and fighting, correct distance is crucial to success. Just imagine what would happen to you if you were defending yourself in a real life situation and you delivered a fast, powerful beautifully executed reverse punch to the head of your attacker that finished one centimetre from target with the arm fully extended.

The fact is you would probably be on the ground from a counter attack one second after delivering your kick, and you would only have yourself to blame if you’d practiced your strikes without paying any attention to distance.

We believe that non-contact Taekwondo practice should always focus on ideal striking distance. This means you should spar within striking distance of your partner, ideally stopping on target with your arm or leg still bent, in order to follow through with power if required.

Sparring drills are essential for this method of training. As is thinking about how to do it correctly and repeating it until it becomes automatic. When you use your Taekwondo, whether sparring or in a real life situation, you should act instinctively without thought.

Basically, by training with a partner and using a variety of techniques and combinations in attacking and defensive/counter-attacking situations while still using full power, control and the correct distance, you can achieve maximum benefits from non-contact sparring.

The good thing about training this way is that it reduces the potential of injury, so it becomes a very enjoyable and exciting method of sparring whilst giving a feel for the fighting aspect at the same time.

Finally, these techniques should be performed on pads and shields in exactly the same way but with full power follow through so as to get the ‘feel’ of fighting contact and balance.

Enjoy your training.

Master Trevor Dicks 7^th Dan

What most parents don't know about Pacific International Taekwondo...

2010-09-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Millions of people across the world participate in Taekwondo as a hobby or means of exercise. An official South Korean estimate claims 70 million people in 190 countries practice Taekwondo.

As one of two Asian martial arts included in the Olympics, Taekwondo is now considered by many people as a sport, and its origins as a martial art (often used in war, and often the difference between life or death) are either unknown or forgotten.

A significant percentage of Taekwondo participants are children and most know someone who practices Taekwondo. But here’s the thing many parents don’t realise...Taekwondo is great for them too!

The exercise component of Taekwondo offers an enjoyable way to improve:

· Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness

· Strength

· Balance

· Coordination

· Power

Flexibility

In our experience, most adults who participate in Taekwondo initially want to improve their self defence skills they quickly get hooked on the physical range of taekwondo training.

After all, it’s exciting to jump in the air, spin backwards 360 degrees and smash through a target with a jumping spinning heel kick; it’s satisfying to feel the gains in flexibility, speed, focus and power; and the lift in personal confidence is soon noticed by others.

This is where we believe traditional Taekwondo as practised at Pacific International Taekwondo schools differs from Taekwondo as a sport. When training in the martial aspects of taekwondo it’s critical to have full control of these powerful techniques; and the real test in martial art training is to compete primarily against yourself – when you leave your training session, you want to be better than when you arrived.

Taekwondo training is great for adults because adults have the capability to understand that the physical training components need to be coordinated in a fluid, balanced, focused and powerful manner. This takes physical and mental control, and it’s this full control that we believe appeals to adults. It’s about self-improvement and personal fulfilment.

If you’re thinking of getting your kids into Taekwondo, consider enrolling yourself as well. Taekwondo can provide you with a fulfilling and rewarding journey that leaves you an ultimately better individual.