lundi 3 avril 2017

Making a switch to TKD

So I've been training martial arts on and off for a number of years now, I've dabbled in lots of different styles, including boxing, thai boxing, judo, BJJ and MMA and have competed (albeit only once) in kickboxing.

I'm looking to transition to a more 'traditional' martial art and think I've settled on TKD. There's lots of reasons for the change but it's mainly because I want to work towards a black belt in a striking art and I've also been very impressed with TKD guys I've sparred with, from the way they move (it doesn't seem to be a 'stand and bang' style) and the precision of their strikes.

From what I've gathered there's a big mix of different types of TKD schools; what I'm after ideally is a TKD school that focuses on competition, sparring and includes hand techniques (almost!) as much as they focus on kicks, and a bit less focus on patterns.

I know the first thing you'll tell me (and I've also given the same advice) is to just go and try the local TKD schools in my area, but I wanted some advice on what to expect from you guys beforehand.

I think I've found the ideal TKD school - it's ITF affiliated, they regularly enter national competitions, train regularly and have a big stable of practioners and I'm looking at attending my first class this week. I don't know a big deal on the difference between ITF/WTF but from what I've gathered, ITF sparring/competition is full contact, continuous and they also allow punches to the head, these are all great and a big driver behind wanting to switch over - I thought the only traditional martial art in this space was Kyokushin.

For anyone who's trained in ITF, generally, is there a big focus on patterns in your training? And am I right in thinking that you train/compete in full contact? Are there any weird rules like you can't spar for the first year until you get to X belt?

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys chuck my way!


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