Taekwondo 태권도Taekwondo Preschool

When you reach senior belt you are expected to guide the junior belts when they are beginning Taekwondo such as showing by example. To advance from one rank to the next, students typically complete promotion tests in which they demonstrate their proficiency in the various aspects of the art before a panel of judges or their teacher. View Taekwondo belt levels »

Breaking

( 격파 gyeokpa )

Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ) is the discipline of destroying inanimate objects such as wooden boards, baseball bats, ice blocks or cement bricks and is a feature common to martial arts including taekwondo. In taekwondo breaking competitions, the idea is to demonstrate power, speed and technique. The preferred object is commonly wooden boards of varying thicknesses, advanced students break several boards stacked one on top of the other.

In taekwondo, the hardness of the object to be broken is usually subjugated to the difficulty of the technique to be employed. Thus various body parts are used, such as the ridge of the hand ( 손날등 sonnal-deung ), the knuckles or even the fingertips. Headbutts, knee strikes, elbow strikes and various parts of the foot are also used to break boards. A single board or stack of boards may be broken or, alternatively, a series of boards may be broken in a pre-set sequence utilizing a variety of strikes. Advanced competitors may even break several boards in a single jump with multiple kicks before landing.

In International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) sparring competitions, using maximum force is not allowed. Furthermore, at advanced levels it would be seriously injurious and possibly fatal. Breaking boards or bricks is therefore the only safe way to test the real power of any martial arts technique (except with fairly high-tech scientific equipment). Taekwondo competition breaking may be roughly divided into two main categories:

Power Breaking ( 위력격파 ) - The power of a technique is measured by breaking single or multiple stacked boards. Stacked boards are commonly placed on raised supports on the ground.

Speed Breaking - A single board is held lightly between the fingertips of an assistant, at advanced levels the board is tossed into the air. Regardless of the power of a technique, if the board is not hit with the requisite speed in the correct places it will not break.

Starting with coloured belts taekwondo students must learn breaking. As they progress through the ranks, the breaks they perform increase in difficulty as do the number of boards. As time goes on, the taekwondo student's hands and bones become accustomed to breaking boards - repeated practice hardens bones, skin and tendons. Wolff's law states that the human skeleton will adapt to the stress it is put under, therefore the bones actually become stronger as a taekwondo student advances in his martial arts career.

Wooden boards are the most common breaking item in most martial arts. Individual boards used may range from nominal sizes as small as 6"x12"x1" to as large as 12"x12"x1" (a board with a nominal width of 1" has an actual width of 3/4"). The typical adult testing board is approximately 10"x12"x1". Children may use narrower and thinner boards with 4 and 5 year olds sometimes breaking boards as small as 4"x12"x1/2". Although some boards are also plastic and can change difficulty with every different board.

The grain of the board must be cut so as to be parallel with the striking hand.

Training Safety Precautions

Starting with coloured belts taekwondo students must learn Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ). As they progress through the ranks, the breaks they perform increase in difficulty as do the number of boards. Wooden boards are the most common breaking item in most martial arts.

There are safety concerns with taekwondo breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ), so one should seek out a certified Master Instructor ( 사범님 sabeomnim ). There are many small bones of the foot ( 발 bal ) and hand ( 손 son ) which need to be very carefully and slowly conditioned for safety. Repeated damage to the extensor capsules of the knuckles can lead to long term problems with dexterity.

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

Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa )

Promotion Tests Requirement

Students often undergo periodic testing and grading by their own Master Instructor ( 사범님 sabeomnim ) in order to advance to a higher level of recognized achievement such as a different belt color. They need to demonstrate their proficiency in the various aspects of the art such as the execution of patterns ( 품새 poomse ), which combine various techniques in specific sequences. Starting with coloured belts taekwondo students must learn breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ). As they progress through the ranks, the breaks they perform increase in difficulty as do the number of boards. For more information on Promotion Tests »

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Use in Demonstrations

To promote taekwondo for its emphasis on high kicking and fast hand techniques, taekwondo schools perform at tournaments, community events, shopping malls, parks, and tv shows. Demonstrations vary from school to school, but may include such elements as the execution of poomse ( 품새 poomse ), which combine various techniques in specific sequences; the breaking of boards to demonstrate the ability to use techniques with both power and control; sparring ( 겨루기 gyeorugi ) and self-defense ( 호신술 hosinsool ) to demonstrate the practical application and control of techniques; physical fitness usually with push-ups and sit-ups. For more information on Demonstrations »

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Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa )

Common Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ) Techniques

A single board or stack of boards may be broken or, alternatively, a series of boards may be broken in a pre-set sequence utilizing a variety of strikes. Advanced competitors may even break several boards in a single jump with multiple kicks before landing. In taekwondo breaking competitions, the idea is to demonstrate power, speed and technique.

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

Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa )

Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ) Technique Injuries

Collisions with the ground, objects, and other taekwondo practitioners are common, and unexpected dynamic forces on limbs and joints can cause injury. Taekwondo injuries can also occur in techniques if done improperly or from overuse of a particular body part. Taking a break from training or reducing the volume and the intensity of the training will allow the body to recover. For more information on Injuries »

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Common Foot Injuries

A kick ( 차기 chagi ) is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee. As the human leg is longer and stronger than the arm, kicks are generally used to keep an opponent at a distance, surprise him or her with their range, and inflict substantial damage.

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Common Hand Injuries

Taekwondo hand strikes are performed as a close distance alternative to kicks ( 차기 chagi ). Hand strikes make up fast combinations of strikes which can leave an opponent stunned and unable to defend himself most commonly in self defense ( 호신술 hosinsool ) applications.

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Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ) is the discipline of destroying inanimate objects such as wooden boards, baseball bats, large ice blocks or cement bricks. The preferred object is commonly wooden boards of varying thicknesses, advanced students break several boards stacked one on top of the other. View Breaking ( 격파 gyeokpa ) »

Quiz

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.

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.

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.