|
2) What is the difference between Tae Kwon Do and other
martial arts, like Karate or MMA for example 3) Does your school compete in tournaments? 4) What age groups do you have classes for? 5) Do you have classes for adults or is Tae Kwon Do just for kids? 6) How often can I come to class? 8) Do you offer training with weapons? 9) Do you teach the same kind of Tae Kwon Do that is seen in the Olympics? 1) Tae
Kwon Do is the Korean martial art.
Though it’s official start was in the 1940s, it’s development was over
the course of hundred of years. Tae
Kwon Do is one of the most trained martial arts with the most schools in the
world. It is also one of the two only
martial arts recognized by the Olympic association. The Koreans to this day continue to integrate Tae Kwon Do in
their Army Airforce, and Law Enforcement. 2) Tae Kwon Do has some similarities with other martial
arts. Certain kicks, punches, and
blocks are utilized by other styles.
What separates Tae Kwon Do from others is the principle and theories of
power and execution of the technique.
The basis of Tae Kwon Do originated from the ancient Korean art of foot
fighting, Taek Kyon, it also has some influence from Hapkido and Karate. Tae Kwon Do, however was intentionally
designed to be more refined and superior than that of it’s predecessors and to
combat Karate, once again utilizing what works and fixing the flaws within. As far as other Martial Arts like Judo (a ground art) or MMA (mixed martial arts), Tae Kwon Do is designed for multiple attackers and still works very well against one. Ground arts like Judo and Ju-jitsu have there strong points and as a martial art, we respect the styles. Most instructors will tell you though that those styles are not primarly designed for multiple attackers. The same is for MMA in which is more of a sport and so focuses on mostly one opponent at a time. 3) Yes. We
actively compete in several tournaments a year both in and out of state. That is also including the tournaments where
competitors can advance up a ladder and compete not only in the national level,
but on the international level as well. We also host our own tournament
annually. We don't require students to compete so those who are only doing Tae Kwon Do for the excersice doesn't feel pressured. However we highly recommend it due to the many benifits one can get from the experience. 4) We prefer to take students no younger than 5 years of
age, though we have in some cases accepted students at the age of 4. Otherwise, there is no limit to
how old one can be to train in Tae Kwon Do.
As of lately, the oldest we have had participating in Tae Kwon Do
training is seventy. 5) Tae Kwon Do was developed for all ages. Though a majority of martial art schools out there have mostly kids in attendance, martial arts can be very healthy and enjoyable for adults. Adults will even get more out a Tae Kwon Do than most kids will. We at Eclipse Tae Kwon Do have classes set aside for adults as well as general classes better suited for the family.
6) There is no limit to the number of times a student can
come to class; in fact, we encourage such dedication to their training. Our classes are now available five days a
week, therefore a student may choose to participate in all five days if they
desire, without additional cost.
However, we do recommend a minimum of two hours, or two classes a week of
training. We only charge additional
fees for “special,” or seasonal classes, such as Lady’s
Self Defense, Cardio Kickboxing or Weapon Classes. 7) We offer many varieties of things on top of Tae Kwon
Do, such as demo classes to encourage students to test their limits and sparring(fighting) classes. Other things that we offer are seasonal self-defense and cardio kickboxing classes. We also offer Aikido, Hapkido, kickboxing, as well as training in different
types of weapons. Most of these things
are already integrated in to the normal class structure, so though one may
never see the difference, the lessons are taught. 8) Yes. The style
of training is both on the demo and practical levels. Not only do we teach you how to swing a weapon around, but also
how to use it as an extension of your body to use in practical defense. Also a part of the training is focused on
how to defend against the weapon. The
weapons we train with is the staff, sticks, sword, kamas, tonfas, knives, and
spear. 9) Though it is recommended by us to start over, it is
not mandatory. We do honor belt
ranks from other martial arts and if it is your wish, we will start you out
with the Tae Kwon Do equivalent to your belt rank. However, it is important that you learn the forms and techniques
in Tae Kwon Do up to your rank before any advancement in our organization. 9) Yes and No. The style of Tae Kwon Do seen in the Olympics is a sport style originated from the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. We do teach an Olympic style class for those who would like to pursue the sport aspect of Tae Kwon Do. We do not teach the patterns that is taught in that particular style of Tae Kwon Do. |