It’s been amazing to see so many of you training outdoors, even when the weather has been against us.
There are many outdoor fitness groups, and outdoor sports that spend most of, if not all of their sessions outdoors. This is new for us, but it can be normal. Please, if you feel more comfortable wear tracksuit bottoms, waterproof trousers, hoodies and jackets rather that dobok then please do so. It’s important to me that you feel happy and enjoy your training.
As a Taekwon-Do club that takes pride in teaching authentic Tkd as taught by the founder, training heavily with fundamentals and patterns, not being able to do partner work hasn’t really made much difference. I was watching an old IIC that Gen Choi conducted in 1998 the other day and he said we don’t need anyone else to be able to train in the essence of Tkd. We practice fundamentals and patterns and even set sparring on our own, even shadow sparring can be done alone. We can still flourish knowing that the main part of Tkd and martial arts in general is a competition with self and nobody else.
We do of course in normal times test our techniques with an opponent but ultimately we don’t need anyone else other than our Instructor to correct, help and guide with the advancement in our training.
So, if Gen Choi can suggest such a thing it must be good enough for us all and if you are struggling with not being able to do free sparring, fighting or competition then search deep and study the definition of Taekwon-Do. Find out if you are a sensationalist content with mastering only the fighting aspect of the art or a true Tkd practitioner. (not my words).
Keep training and Taekwon
Master Horan
“It is a martial art that has no equal in either power or technique. Though it is a martial art, its discipline, technique and mental training are the mortar for building a strong sense of justice, fortitude, humility and resolve. It is this mental conditioning that separates the true practitioner from the sensationalist, content with mastering only the fighting aspects of the art.”
— ITF Taekwon-Do Condensed Encyclopedia by General Choi Hong Hi