RECENT VIDEO TUTORIALS

• SINGLE KNIFEHAND BLOCK

  The front arm sweeps down in an arc from the inside to the outside of the body

• SUPPORTING OUTWARD BLOCK

  The supporting hand provides extra force for the block and acts as a preparation move for a follow up technique

• FIST PUNCH

  A punch is a striking blow with the closed fist that is commonly performed in taekwondo, originating from a chambered position

TAEKWONDO TIPS

Squats Training

In taekwondo, free sparring is called kyorugi by the World Taekwondo (WT) or matseogi by the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). This is called 'free' sparring to distinguish it from Step Sparring in which attacks and blocks are prearranged, or Semi-Free or Point Sparring in which sparring pauses after each point is scored. The ATA for example practices Point Sparring rather than Free. One-step sparring is the most controlled method of sparring. Students practice fighting combinations with a stationary opponent without contact. One-step sparring teaches students how to hit critical target areas on the human body and encourages students to use a wide variety of fighting techniques.

Squats can help increase the strength of your legs by training primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads.

Read more...

ARTICLES

Practice (Learning Method)

Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase 'practice makes perfect'. Read more...

Building Mental Toughness

Taekwondo Sparring Techniques For Beginners

In light-contact sparring, as the name implies, competitors try to tag their opponents with controlled techniques. Oftentimes it requires such equipment as boots and full-hand cover gloves (also called chops) that absorb the force of the kick or punch when it strikes their opponents. In some cases no chest protector (hogu) is required. The WTF changed their sparring rules to emphasize kicking over hand techniques. Meanwhile, the ITF continued teaching the same patterns as developed by General Choi Hong Hi and focused more on the traditional way of Taekwondo.

Under World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic rules, sparring is a full-contact event and takes place between two competitors in an area measuring 8 meters square. A win can occur by points, or if one competitor is unable to continue (knockout) the other competitor wins. Sparring competitions hosted by World Tae Kwon Do are full contact events within an 8 meter octagon. There is a total of three rounds, at the end of which is cumulatively scored. There can be a fourth round if there is a tie in points. Points are earned for permitted strikes and vary depending on the type of strike.

Allow a person to persevere through difficult circumstances (such as difficult training or difficult competitive situations in games) and emerge without losing confidence. Read more...

Overtraining Taekwondo

Overtraining can be described as a point where a person may have a decrease in performance and plateauing as a result from failure to consistently perform at a certain level or training load exceeds their recovery capacity. Read more...

Taekwondo 태권도Taekwondo Preschool

Full Contact Sparring

Points are awarded for permitted, accurate, and powerful techniques to the legal scoring areas; light contact does not score any points. The only techniques allowed are kicks (delivering a strike using an area of the foot below the ankle) and punches (delivering a strike using the closed fist).

Scoring Areas

• Body: The blue or red colored area of the body protector
• Head: The area above the collar bone (i.e. whole part of the head including both ears and the back of the head)

The valid points are divided as follows.

• One (1) point for a valid attack on trunk protector
• Two (2) points for a valid spinning kick to the trunk protector
• Three (3) points for a valid kick to the head
• Four (4) points for a valid spinning kick to the head

Match score shall be the sum of points of the three rounds.

The referee can give penalties at any time for rule-breaking, such as hitting an area not recognized as a target, usually the legs or neck. Penalties are divided into 'Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go )' and 'Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom )'. Two 'Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go )' shall be counted as an addition of one (1) point for the opposing contestant. However, the final odd-numbered 'Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go )' shall not be counted in the grand total.

At the end of three rounds, the competitor with more points wins the match. In the event of a tie at the end of three rounds, a fourth 'sudden death' overtime round, sometimes called 'Golden Point', will be held to determine the winner after a one-minute rest period. In this round the first competitor to score a point wins the match. If there is no score in the additional round the winner shall be decided by superiority as determined by the refereeing officials.

Until 2008, if one competitor gained a 7-point lead over the other, or if one competitor reached a total of 12 points, then that competitor was immediately declared the winner and the match ended. These rules were abolished by the World Taekwondo (WT) at the start of 2009. In October 2010 the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) reintroduced a point gap rule. Under the new rule if a competitor has a 12-point lead at the end of the second round or achieves a 12-point lead at any point in the 3rd round then the match is over and the athlete in the lead is declared the winner. The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has since renamed itself to World Taekwondo (WT) in 2017.

Prohibited Acts and Penalties

1. Penalties on any prohibited acts shall be declared by the referee.

2. Penalties are divided into 'Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go )' and 'Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom )'

3. Two 'Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go )' shall be counted as an addition of one (1) point for the opposing contestant. However, the final odd-numbered Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go ) shall not be counted in the grand total

4. A Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom ) shall be counted as one (1) additional point for the opposing contestant.

5.1 The following acts shall be classified as prohibited acts, and Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go ) shall be declared.

• 5.1.1 Crossing the Boundary Line
• 5.1.2 Avoiding or delaying the match
• 5.1.3 Falling down
• 5.1.4 Grabbing, holding or pushing the opponent
• 5.1.5 Attacking below the waist
• 5.1.6 Butting or attacking with the knee
• 5.1.7 Hitting the opponent's face with the hand
• 5.1.8 Uttering undesirable remarks or any misconduct on the part of a contestant or a coach
• 5.1.9 Lifting the knee to avoid a valid attack or impede the progress of an attack

5.2 The following acts shall be classified as prohibited acts, and Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom ) shall be declared.

• 5.2.1 Attacking the opponent after “Kal-yeo”
• 5.2.2 Attacking the fallen opponent
• 5.2.3 Throwing the opponent by grabbing or hooking the attacking foot in the air or by pushing the opponent with the hand
• 5.2.4 Intentionally attacking the opponent's face with the hand
• 5.2.5 A coach or a contestant interrupting the progress of the match
• 5.2.6 Violent or extreme remarks or behavior on the part of a contestant or a coach
• 5.2.7 In case of using PSS, before each round of competition, the referee shall check whether any attempts were made to manipulate the scoring system and/or increase sensitivity of the sensing socks, or any other method, by the athlete. In the event that the referee finds intentional manipulation, the referee shall reserve the right to give Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom ) to the pertinent contestant and shall reserve the right to declare the violating athlete as the loser by penalty based on the degree of seriousness of the violation

6. When a contestant intentionally refuses to comply with the Competition Rules or the referee's order, the referee may declare the contestant loser by referee‟s punitive declaration after one (1) minute

7. When a contestant receives eight (8) Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go ) or four (4) Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom ), or in the event of any combination of Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go ) and Gam-jeom that add up to minus four points, the referee shall declare the contestant loser by penalties.

8. Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go ) and Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom ) shall be counted in the total score of the three rounds.

9. When the referee suspends a contest for the declaration of Warnings ( 경 고 gyeong-go ) or Deduction Penalty ( 감점 gamjeom ), the contest time shall not be counted from the moment of the referee's declaration of “Shi-gan‟ until “Kye-sok‟ is declared for resumption of the contest.

Sudden Deaths and Decision of Superiority

1. In the event the winner cannot be decided after 3 rounds, a 4th round will be conducted.
2. In case of a contest advances to a 4th round, all scores and penalties awarded during the first three (3) rounds shall be void, and the decision shall be made only by the result of the 4th round.
3. The first contestant to score a point in the extra round shall be declared the winner
4. In the event that neither contestant has scored a point after the completion of the 4th round, the winner shall be decided by superiority as determined by the refereeing officials. The final decision shall be based on the criterion of superiority for the 4th round only.
5. In case of using 4 refereeing officials (1 Referee and 3 corner judges), the referee can break the tie when the decision is tied with 2:2 among all refereeing officials.

Decisions

1. Win by Knock-out (KO)
2. Win by Referee Stops Contest (RSC)
3. Win by final score (PTF)
4. Win by point gap (PTG)
5. Win by Sudden Death (SDP)
6. Win by Superiority (SUP)
7. Win by withdrawal (WDR)
8. Win by disqualification (DSQ)
9. Win by referee‟s punitive declaration (PUN)

Knock Down

1. When any part of the body other than the sole of the foot touches the floor due to the force of the opponent‟s technique
2. When a contestant is staggered and shows no intention or ability to continue
3. When the referee judges that the contest cannot continue as the result of being struck by a legitimate technique

Procedures in the event of a Knock Down

When a contestant is knocked down as the result of the opponent‟s legitimate attack, the referee shall take the following measures.

1. The referee shall keep the attacker away from downed contestant by declaration of “Kal-yeo (break)”.
2. The referee shall first check the status of the downed contestant and count aloud from “Hana (one)” up to “Yeol (ten)” at one second intervals towards the downed contestant, making hand signals indicating the passage of time.
3. In case the downed contestant stands up during the referee‟s count and desires to continue the fight, the referee shall continue the count up to “Yeo-dul (eight)” for recovery of the contestant. The referee shall then determine if the contestant is recovered and, if so, continue the contest by declaration of “Kye-sok (continue)”.
4. When a contestant who has been knocked down cannot demonstrate the will to resume the contest by the count of “Yeo-dul (eight)”, the referee shall announce the other contestant winner by K.O.
5. The count shall be continued even after the end of the round or the expiration of the match time.
6. In case both contestants are knocked down, the referee shall continue counting as long as one of the contestants has not sufficiently recovered.
7. When both contestants fail to recover by the count of “Yeol”, the winner shall be decided by the match score before the occurrence of Knock Down.
8. When it is judged by the referee that a contestant is unable to continue, the referee may decide the winner either without counting or during the counting.

Sparring Competition Area

Korean language is often used in taekwondo practice. During promotion tests, practitioners are usually asked what certain Korean words used in class mean. Korean numerals may be used as prompts or commands. Often, students count in Korean during their class such as when stretching, warmups, kicking drills, and more. For more information View Korean Numerals »

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles 'Taekwondo' and 'Korean Numerals' which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Question. What is the korean terminology for Front Stance?

Front Stance is a precursor of the fighting stance ( 겨루기준비 gyeorugi-junbi ) according to some authors. Body should be relaxed in this stance ( 서기 sogi ). From the attention stance ( 차렷 charyeot ) with feet together, one foot is placed straight ahead of the other. Depending on the martial art and style, some instructors teach to step sideways slightly when moving forward.

Answer you gave was: dwi kubi ( 뒷굽이 )

Back Stance ( 뒷굽이 dwi kubi )

This stance ( 서기 sogi ) is specifically focused on shifting weight to the back leg, as it offers much more control, and makes it easier to kick off the front leg. To perform the Back Stance ( 뒷굽이 dwi-kubi ), the body faces to the side, with the front foot facing forward and the front leg bent. The back leg is bent slightly and the foot is turned outwards perpendicular to the front foot making the letter 'L' for this stance ( 서기 sogi ).

For more information see Back Stance ( 뒷굽이 dwi kubi ) »

Answer you gave was: juchum sogi ( 주춤서기 )

Horse Riding Stance ( 주춤서기 juchum sogi )

The Horse-Riding Stance ( 주춤서기 juchum-sogi ) is a beginner stance ( 서기 sogi ) generally used to practice punches ( 지르기 jireugi ) and blocks ( 막기 makgi ). It is similar to the ready stance ( 기본준비 junbi ) but the feet are placed much wider, about two-foot length's apart. Also, the knees ( 무릎 mureup ) are deeply bent and the shins ( 정강이 jeonggangi ) should be kept slightly perpendicular to the floor.

For more information see Horse Riding Stance ( 주춤서기 juchum sogi ) »

Answer you gave was: ap kubi ( 앞굽이 )

Front Stance ( 앞굽이 ap kubi )

The distance between the inside edges or namely the Reverse Foot Blade ( 발날등 balnaldeung ) of both feet should be between one to two fists apart and is about 4 to 4 one-half foot-length from origin. Rear toes are turned outward about 30 degrees and the body is also naturally angled at 30 degrees or facing straight forward depending on the upper body technique. The weight should be 70 percent in the front and 30 percent at the back for this stance ( 서기 sogi ).

For more information see Front Stance ( 앞굽이 ap kubi ) »

Answer you gave was: ap sogi ( 앞서기 )

Walking Stance ( 앞서기 ap sogi )

The Walking Stance ( 앞서기 ap-sogi ) is a beginner stance ( 서기 sogi ) that is used to approach or retreat in combat and poomse. Feet should be maintained approximately 3 foot-length from origin. To maintain a solid base, the front foot is facing straight forward and the back foot is 30 degrees to aid balance.

For more information see Walking Stance ( 앞서기 ap sogi ) »

Question. What is the name of Taegeuk #2 in Korean?

Taegeuk 태극 (in World Taekwondo (WT)) refers to a set of poomse 품새 used to create a foundation for the teaching of taekwondo. A poomse or form is a detailed pattern of defense-and-attack motions and techniques used in traditional martial arts. Each taegeuk form symbolizes a specific state thought to be indicative of the belt the student currently holds, and is represented in World Taekwondo (WT) by trigrams similar to those found in the four corners of the South Korean flag.

Answer you gave was: Yi Jang

Yi Jang 태극 2장

The associated trigram of this poomse represents the Lake (joy, a calm sturdy spirit). Also, related to the symbol is South East and the relationship of the youngest daughter. The movements of this Taegeuk/Palgwe are aimed to be performed believing that man has limitations, but that we can overcome these limitations. The Lake and its water symbolize the flowing and calm nature of the martial artist. This form is to reflect those attributes. This is the pattern you will learn when you are at Yellow Belt.

For more information see Taegeuk #2 Yi Jang 태극 2장 »

Answer you gave was: Sam Jang

Sam Jang

This trigram represents Fire. Related to this symbol is also East and the relationship of the Second Daughter. Fire contains a lot of energy. The symbol behind the fire is similar to the symbolism of the water in that both can aid and both can destroy. This form is intended to be performed rhythmically, with some outbursts of energy to reflect fire's rhythmic and energetic dualism. This is the pattern you will learn when you are at Green Stripe belt.

For more information see Taegeuk #3 Sam Jang 태극 3장 »

Answer you gave was: Il Jang

Il Jang 태극 1장

The general meaning of this form and associated trigram is Yang, which represents Heaven and Light. Also, this trigram has a relationship to South and Father. The first Taegeuk form is the beginning of all poomses, the 'birth' of the martial artist into Taekwondo. This poomse should be performed with the greatness of Heaven. This is the pattern you will learn when you are at Yellow Stripe belt.

For more information see Taegeuk #1 Il Jang 태극 1장 »

Answer you gave was: Chil Jang

Chil Jang 태극 7장

The trigram associated with this poomse represents a Mountain. Also, it represents the northwest and youngest son. The symbolism behind the mountain is the indomitable and majestic nature that all mountains possess. This poomse is intended to be performed with the feeling that all movements are this majestic due to their unconquerable nature. This is the pattern you will learn when you are at Red Stripe belt.

For more information see Taegeuk #7 Chil Jang 태극 7장 »

Question. What is the korean terminology for Ready Stance?

Ready Stance refers to the most common ready position used in taekwondo training. The stance ( 서기 sogi ) is performed by standing with the feet one foot-length from origin apart, measured from the inside edge or namely the Reverse Foot Blade ( 발날등 balnaldeung ) of the feet. The arms are slightly bent and the fists held tightly about one fist size apart just below the belly button and the fists should be a fist size away from the body.

Answer you gave was: juchum sogi ( 주춤서기 )

Horse Riding Stance ( 주춤서기 juchum sogi )

The Horse-Riding Stance ( 주춤서기 juchum-sogi ) is a beginner stance ( 서기 sogi ) generally used to practice punches ( 지르기 jireugi ) and blocks ( 막기 makgi ). It is similar to the ready stance ( 기본준비 junbi ) but the feet are placed much wider, about two-foot length's apart. Also, the knees ( 무릎 mureup ) are deeply bent and the shins ( 정강이 jeonggangi ) should be kept slightly perpendicular to the floor.

Taekwondo Sparring Techniques For Kids

For more information see Horse Riding Stance ( 주춤서기 juchum sogi ) »

Answer you gave was: junbi ( 기본준비 )

Ready Stance ( 기본준비 junbi )

The stance ( 서기 sogi ) is performed by standing with the feet one foot-length from origin apart, measured from the inside edge or namely the Reverse Foot Blade ( 발날등 balnaldeung ) of the feet. The arms are slightly bent and the fists held tightly about one fist size apart just below the belly button and the fists should be a fist size away from the body.

For more information see Ready Stance ( 기본준비 junbi ) »

Answer you gave was: ap kubi ( 앞굽이 )

Front Stance ( 앞굽이 ap kubi )

The distance between the inside edges or namely the Reverse Foot Blade ( 발날등 balnaldeung ) of both feet should be between one to two fists apart and is about 4 to 4 one-half foot-length from origin. Rear toes are turned outward about 30 degrees and the body is also naturally angled at 30 degrees or facing straight forward depending on the upper body technique. The weight should be 70 percent in the front and 30 percent at the back for this stance ( 서기 sogi ).

For more information see Front Stance ( 앞굽이 ap kubi ) »

Answer you gave was: ap sogi ( 앞서기 )

Walking Stance ( 앞서기 ap sogi )

The Walking Stance ( 앞서기 ap-sogi ) is a beginner stance ( 서기 sogi ) that is used to approach or retreat in combat and poomse. Feet should be maintained approximately 3 foot-length from origin. To maintain a solid base, the front foot is facing straight forward and the back foot is 30 degrees to aid balance.

For more information see Walking Stance ( 앞서기 ap sogi ) »

Under World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic rules, sparring is a full-contact event and takes place between two competitors in an area measuring 8 meters square. A win can occur by points, or if one competitor is unable to continue (knockout) the other competitor wins. Each match consists of three semi-continuous rounds of contact, with one minute's rest between rounds. For more information View World Taekwondo (WT) Tournament Sparring ( 겨루기 gyeorugi ) »

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles 'Sparring' and 'Taekwondo Competition', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

RECENT VIDEO TUTORIALS

• SINGLE KNIFEHAND BLOCK

  The front arm sweeps down in an arc from the inside to the outside of the body

• SUPPORTING OUTWARD BLOCK

  The supporting hand provides extra force for the block and acts as a preparation move for a follow up technique

• FIST PUNCH

  A punch is a striking blow with the closed fist that is commonly performed in taekwondo, originating from a chambered position

TAEKWONDO TIPS

Squats Training

Squats can help increase the strength of your legs by training primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads.

Read more...

ARTICLES

Practice (Learning Method)

Practice is the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase 'practice makes perfect'. Read more...

Building Mental Toughness

Allow a person to persevere through difficult circumstances (such as difficult training or difficult competitive situations in games) and emerge without losing confidence. Read more...

Overtraining Taekwondo

Overtraining can be described as a point where a person may have a decrease in performance and plateauing as a result from failure to consistently perform at a certain level or training load exceeds their recovery capacity. Read more...

Taekwondo 태권도Taekwondo Preschool

Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to make injuries unlikely.

The International TaekwonDo Federation's sparring rules are similar to the World Taekwondo (WT)'s rules, but differ in several aspects.

Competitors do not wear the hogu (although they are required to wear approved foot and hand protection equipment, as well as optional head guards). This scoring system varies between individual organisations within the ITF- for example, in the TAGB, punches to the head or body score 1, kicks to the body score 2 and kicks to the head score 3.

A continuous point system is utilized in ITF competition, where the fighters are allowed to continue after scoring a technique. Full-force blows are allowed, and knockouts result in a victory; although these rules vary between ITF organizations. At the end of two minutes (or some other specified time) the competitor with more scoring techniques wins.

Fouls in ITF sparring include heavy contact, attacking a fallen opponent, leg sweeping, holding/grabbing, intentional attack to a target other than the opponent.

ITF Sparring ( 맞서기 matsogi )

• Hand and foot attacks to the head are allowed.
• The scoring system is:
  • 1 Point for: Punch to the body or head.
  • 2 Points for: Kick to the body.
  • 3 Points for: Any kick to the head.
• The competition area may vary between 10x10 meters or 10x10 meters in international championships.

ITF competitions also feature performances of patterns, breaking, and 'special techniques' (where competitors perform prescribed board breaks at great heights).

ITF competition sparring rounds are 2 minutes and in national and international levels of competition they hold two rounds each 2 minutes with a one minute rest in between. Certain rules are no strikes below the belt, no elbow strikes, brawling, no falling down, no going outside of the ring, hit to the groin and knee strike are not allowed. The ring is a 9 metre by 9 metre (8 x 8 metre optional) ring marked by square mats or tape instead of a traditional style kickboxing rings with ropes. It has no sides allowing the fighter to move out of bounds. Whenever a fighter creates an infraction of the rules the centre referee will issue a warning to the fighter who created the infraction. 3 warnings equals a minus point. If a fighter uses excessive contact, he or she will be given a foul, which is an automatic minus point ; three fouls in a bout results in disqualification. ITF taekwon-do is fought in continuous point sparring. Four judges score the fights in each of the corners in the square ring. After the fight, a judge votes for which ever fighter has the most points and a winner is declared. In the case of a draw the fighters go to a one minute overtime round. If there is another draw the fighters go to a sudden death round where the fighter who scores first is declared the winner.

The official rules for ITF sparring competition are available at the ITF website.

* Please see a certified Master Instructor ( 사범님 sabeomnim ) for training. Proper guidance and instructions are needed to ensure safe training.

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'International Taekwon-Do Federation' which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.