Closing in on 1st year of training

[Calhoun]

Just felt like writing a little breakdown of progress, etc.
When I first took the 1 month trial classes I knew by the time we did 100 jumping jacks I needed the class and to get into shape.
My class starts like this:
Bow
100 jumping jacks
Run, (various runs around room face in, face, 2 & 2)
Stretching, neck, knees, legs, etc.
Push ups (set of 30)
Crunches (set of 30)
(We alternate push up and crunches 4 sets of 30 each)
Then get up start TKD class, which could be anything!
Wed. is sparring
Classes are NEVER exactly 1 hour, the school I go to is always longer, we never have a set time to get out!
It’s small class and Master is tough on the higher belts, and really stresses them to do moves as he says.
Sometimes someone may cause rest of class to do 100 (even more!) Squats
My school is not a Black Belt factory.
Since class almost 1 yr when I started, I needed to get drink of water about 3 time during class or I would have passed out!
Since then I have quit smoking cigarettes (been over 6 months)
Since then my endurance has really improved (doubled at least)
Since then I have gotten to Purple belt and learned 5 forms (included basic white belt form)
But ya know what…I still have hard time doing perfect push-ups and I can just do 1 chin-pull up! Haha
I love it!

 

[zDom]

Sounds like you found a good school and have had a great first year!

Congratulations on your progress so far.

Keep at it and you will continue to reap rewards

 

[Grenadier]

Congrats on sticking with it. The health benefits are but one tangible reward that you're already reaping.

Take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and after a while, look at where you are then, compared to where you are now. You're most likely going to like what you see.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Fact of life...keep going to classes... you will only get you a better body,mind and spirit!

Never quit..never stop...keeping yourself in training.....Best of luck..Aloha

 

[MJS]

Congrats on your 1st year!! Keep up the hard work!!!:ultracool

Mike

 

[terryl965]

Way to go on the one year now get back in there and train

 

[kanjc]

Congrats! I just finished my 2nd year of TKD, I also quit smoking in the process, you kinda have to otherwise you run out of breath during sparring
Your school soundsw similar to ours as far as testing goes, I have been there 14 months to be exact and just attained my High Red, which only means 10 months till I get bo-dan and 20 months after that before the black belt test. In about another year you will wonder how you were able to participate at all when you smoked...

 

[hemi]

Congrats on your first year and on quitting smoking. That’s not an easy task I know all to well as they still have a choke hold on me. I think I may have to be placed in a drug induced coma to quit myself.

 

[Calhoun]

Smoking will always be hurting you. Next time if ever you get sick and in bed for a few days, maybe that will help, that's how I quit this time around for good.
And in regards to my class, seems I endured some ridicule last night and at the moment I really feel I must go to class and somehow keep it just class and not so much as a weight loss program, I mean it is TKD, I really don't care about my next test, I do not see myslef doing a good spinning crescent kick or spinning something...I really hate doing them!

 

[hemi]

Smoking will always be hurting you. Next time if ever you get sick and in bed for a few days, maybe that will help, that's how I quit this time around for good.
And in regards to my class, seems I endured some ridicule last night and at the moment I really feel I must go to class and somehow keep it just class and not so much as a weight loss program, I mean it is TKD, I really don't care about my next test, I do not see myslef doing a good spinning crescent kick or spinning something...I really hate doing them!

I’m not much for the crescent kicks myself I can do them but they are not my favorite kicks. I do however love back kicks/spinning and jump spinning back kicks. I just have to work them a lot at home as we tend to not do a lot of spinning back kicks in class. I still have much to work on, I thought about cross training in TKD for a year to help with some of the kicks I would love to learn that are not part of Kenpo.


As for the smoking yes thanks to Marlboro I get strep and bronchitis at least once a year. Stupid me I had quit for six weeks (boot camp) but I lit one up and have been back at it ever since then.

 

[zDom]

fwiw, I remember when I was orange belt I could do a

jump kick

or

a spinning kick

but I couldn't seem to do a jump spinning kick.

Just keep practicing the basics and it will all come if you continue to push yourself.

 

[IcemanSK]

Congratulations on all counts! You sir, are a winner.:asian:

 

[ginshun]

Is it typical of TKD schools to do all that conditioning stuff during class time? Or is that just your own personal routine that you do before your class starts? I have nothing against that stuff but it seems to me like something that you should be doing on your own as opposed to wasting class time on it.

To me class time is for learning MA. I'm not paying my teacher to show me how to do a jumping jack.

And I sure as heck am not going to be in any class that might stop in the middle to have me waste my time doing squats because somebody else doesn't know what he is doing. Just not my style I guess.

And congrats on your first year of training!!

 

[Grenadier]

Is it typical of TKD schools to do all that conditioning stuff during class time? Or is that just your own personal routine that you do before your class starts? I have nothing against that stuff but it seems to me like something that you should be doing on your own as opposed to wasting class time on it.

Depends from one school to another. Some will start you into your regular class work right away, with the belief that you should have done all of your conditioning and stretching outside of class. Others will use a warmup routine that takes a few minutes.

The routine that the original poster described probably wouldn't take longer than about 10 minutes. Since they usually stay beyond 1 hour, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem to me.

 

[Calhoun]

That at takes ~15 minutes, and we all been told that all should be practiced at home as well. The school I go to may be different than anything you ever seen, and Master does keep expect higher belts to be correct in form, etc and conditioning. Oh, by the way, we have some self-defense moves tha we do and we really hit each other, we don't go crazy but, I do get bruises!