# Hi Im New To TaeKwonDo I Need Help



## KickInterest (Apr 28, 2017)

I need some tips on flexibility,kicks,health etc etc I'm also having trouble with stance blocking I just need some help thanks in advance


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## Headhunter (Apr 28, 2017)

Well that's very vague information you've given there. What types of kicks? What type health what do you actually want to know.


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## KickInterest (Apr 28, 2017)

Mostly how to eat healthily and how to strengthen kicks


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## Headhunter (Apr 28, 2017)

KickInterest said:


> Mostly how to eat healthily and how to strengthen kicks


Well that's for a nutritionist to tell you that not martial artists and as for kicks just practice


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## Flatfish (Apr 29, 2017)

Just go to class regularly and if you have a good instructor s/he will teach you how to do things properly but unless you're athletically gifted it will take some time. Once you are confident you have proper kicking technique down you can practice on your own on a bag and over time your kicks will become more powerful. Don't sweat that stuff at the beginning, focus on doing things right for now.


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## drop bear (Apr 29, 2017)

KickInterest said:


> Mostly how to eat healthily and how to strengthen kicks



Move away from processed food. So If it is a carrot then eat it. If it is carrot cake. Then avoid it.

And make your legs better. Make them stronger with exercise. Make them more nimble with skills training.


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## jobo (Apr 29, 2017)

KickInterest said:


> Mostly how to eat healthily and how to strengthen kicks


you don't need a special diet for martial arts, what called a balanced diet will do just fine. So somewhere in the region of 60% carbs,bread potatoes rice etc, 20 % protein meat dairy nuts etc, and 20% fruit and veg, % vary from place to place, but some thing in that order. You also need a lot of the things your told to avoid, like fat salt sugar etc. It's not having to much that's the trick, but that's true for all the food groups

there's nothing wrong with process foods , it depends what the process is. It may have removed some of the nutrients, buts that true of peeling potatoes. It's when its loaded with sugar salt fat above a sensible amount that they can become an issue. Just don't eat the whole carrot cake


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## Dirty Dog (Apr 29, 2017)

KickInterest said:


> Mostly how to eat healthily and how to strengthen kicks



Avoid heavily processed foods, avoid fad nonsense. Learn the body mechanics behind the kick (which varies widly - I can tell you how to do it in our system, but it might not match yours) and practice. Lots.


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## drop bear (Apr 30, 2017)

Dirty Dog said:


> Avoid heavily processed foods, avoid fad nonsense. Learn the body mechanics behind the kick (which varies widly - I can tell you how to do it in our system, but it might not match yours) and practice. Lots.



For kicking I think it is more about training your legs to do what you want them to.

We never use them for anything really. Then want to try to hit things with them. It is a big ask.


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## Dirty Dog (Apr 30, 2017)

drop bear said:


> For kicking I think it is more about training your legs to do what you want them to.



I think that's true of pretty much anything new. 
The issue here, though, isn't about kicking hard. The OP isn't trying to learn to kick hard (although they may well think they are). They're trying to learn to kick hard *using the system they're studying*. That's not quite the same thing, since more than one way to generate power in a strike exists. But it's something a beginner is not going to know.


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## BuckerooBonzai (May 1, 2017)

I would repeat a lot of what has been said above (not really knowing where you are starting from). 

Try not to eat too many processed foods.  Avoid all fast foods.  Avoid soda and sugary drinks.  Drinks LOTS of water.

Go to class at least twice a week (minimum) and try to practice your techniques on your off days.  Get at least 30 minutes of some form of aerobic exercise at least 5 days a week.  It does not have to be a fast run.  Walking or hiking will work as well.  Try to do at least a few minutes of core exercise a day, everyday.  (crunches/planks/pushups/etc)

But mostly, have FUN and do not let yourself get discouraged.  Martial arts is a Way of Life, not a short trip.  Everyone feels so awkward at first and like everyone is staring at them.  We have all been there.  Just keep progressing and soon you'll be the one helping out the new person!


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## Hanshi (May 2, 2017)

The most obvious thing I've observed over the decades is how astonished people are when they realize just how much work and training is required not to just become a black belt but to become an _effective_ black belt.  TV and movies have played loose with the martial arts and has affected the popular idea of what a black belt really is.

It takes the _average _student many thousands of repetitions to learn any particular kick.  Some with natural talent seem to pick it up so quickly that it intimidates those who must work harder.  Understand, though, that even those without a lot of athletic ability WILL become excellent black belts if they stick with it.  Going to class once or twice a week and doing no training otherwise will not net the results one is after.  From the beginning the most important thing is to truly learn and internalize the technique; power will come later.

When I started over 55 years ago I made it a priority to have FUN; that goes a long way toward learning.  So don't give up, don't let frustration dominate you and try not to take yourself too seriously; just enjoy the class and training.  Practice on off days, eat a balance diet and add a little cross training such as jogging, running steps and bag work.  And remember that the formal art, itself, is not natural for combat.  For s-d you will use the tools learned from the art but adapt the to the real world.  Good luck.


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