Taekwondo Training

4/24/10

Today we worked on the “Heaven the Earth” form. I should say that we worked on high blocks and side kicks. At the end of the class we sparred a bit. I must say that I was not really in the mood to spar for so many reasons; my finger was still jammed from last week, we didn’t have all the gear, I was sore from working out at the gym and I really wanted to work on my form more.

So, when we started, I executed a round kick, which was blocked by Master Sue. Well, it was blocked by her elbow to my shin. The pain promptly reminded me that I wasn’t wearing the same gear as last week. Last week I sustained very minor injuries; jammed finger and pretty good bruise on my thigh. Unfortunately, my day job is pretty physical and can be violent. Any injuries can be a safety risk, depending on the clients. I told her about my concerns and she just told me that I needed to have the safety gear. So, I am going to look into what gear exists and if I can get some that I can use for multiple martial arts.

Here is the lesson for Taekwondo: you need safety gear to spar. This martial art is also a sport. There are many competitions available to go and “play” with others. The good thing about this is that you get to use what you learned against another person and with another person. The competitions are a good place to really develop your fighting abilities. Sparring is the practice for this. You will learn how to read your opponent, how to react, how to plan your attacks and defenses. The bad thing about this is that there is always the risk of injuries. Of course, if you don’t learn how to defend yourself at all, you will have worse problems.