Quote:
|
Originally Posted by MyEmptyHands
hi there is a TKD school pretty close to my house and i was thinking of what questions i should ask and what should i look for? and another thing ive alwas wanted to see what TKD was about and take a class in it but from what every one on this forum say is that it really sucks.
|
Tae Kwon Do is pretty decent style of the martial arts. If you're interest is in Kata's, colored belts, flashy kicks and a nice sport then by all means enjoy. If your interest is to learn self defense then seek instruction elsewhere.
Quote:
|
p.s what is the best style of TKD to get in to.
|
There really is no best style of TKD, it's all subjective. I'm no expert but I'll give you my opinion. I took up 3 styles of Tae Kwon Do. As follows:
[Moo Duk Kwan - about 7 mos] On the surface level it was pretty traditional. The forms reminded me alot of Shotokan Karate in the way they were performed except that their stances weren't as deep. You spend a good amount of time on conditioning, flexibility and traditional striking/blocking. You also get to do drills on pads and sheilds. Some sparring.
[Jhoon Rhee's system - 1 year] The forms aren't performed as deep as Moo Duk Kwan, it's more upright and close to fighting stance. You spend a good deal developing and perfecting your kicks. They stress picture perfect kicks, punches and form. There is also your conditioning, flexibility and traditional and non-traditional striking/blocks. You also have the kicking drills on pads and shields. Medium amount of sparring.
[WTF - 3 years] As far as forms I opted not to learn any so I'm not sure how they are performed. After your warm up, the majority of the class is spent on drilling your kicks, kicking combinations, kicking pads and shields. Sparring is an everyday thing. This system prides itself on being "olympic taekwondo". Hence the heaving leanings towards the sport aspect.
Again, some of what I stated is just a brief generalisation. Alot of the training and focus is different from instructor to instructor even in the same style. So your best bet is to sit in a class and watch what they do and how they do it.