Q&A for How to Be a Good Taekwondo Student

You should let him do it because he is probably trying to show you how to do it correctly. Once he is done, you can politely tell him that from now on you will tie your own belt and you should thank him for showing you how.

There are many ways to achieve the splits. Do stretching regularly and make sure you work harder and push your legs farther every time. Make sure that you also stay in that position for 20-30 seconds so your muscles get used to the position. However, if you stay in one position every time, and don't work to stretch more, your muscles will not move out of their comfort zone.

Perfect practice makes perfect so strive for perfection every time you practice. It takes hard work, dedication and concentration to achieve perfection.

The simple answer is practice. Clench your muscles for tightness when doing performances. You should hear a "whoosh" from your uniform if you're moving fast enough.

Practice getting into the splits and reaching forward. This stretches the crotch area, thighs, and lower back. Next tuck one leg in, roll over onto that leg (the splits with one leg tucked under you) and lay there for 20-30 seconds, then pull the flat leg to your butt to stretch your thighs. Repeat with both legs. Practice the "downward dog" stretch. Touch toes again and lift your leg above your head, fully extended. To stretch your back, lay down flat and lift your chest into the air. Raise yourself into a bridge and eventually try a backbend.

Make them to do push ups when they're not paying attention. This will help in teaching discipline, required for a good Taekowndo student, as well as building and toning upper-body muscles.

The referee speaks. Don't say anything.

Try doing 500 front rising kicks every day, but if that's too much, start with 100 and work your way up to 500. Then keep doing 500 kicks for at least two weeks. Be sure to stretch before doing the kicks. Your flexibility will improve greatly, and you will be able to kick higher than your head.

On the first day of training you should wear a hand cut shirt with either a skinnies or tights but long to absorb the sweat when training.

Be a patient teacher and help the kids to get better every day. Make sure they stay focused and they try their hardest.

Five is a good age to start, but any age is good! I was 9 when I started.

Cross the left side over the other and tie once, then cross the right side over the left side and tie tight.

Call your local dojo and ask for information on the next beginner class.

Stretch every day and push yourself. Also, you can ask flexible people to help you stretch.

If you mean your poomsae, no. Poomsae are meant to improve form, among other things, and many of the moves are done as if you are fighting off many opponents at once. During free sparring, aside from basic guarding, you shouldn't be blocking kicks, only clenching, sliding out, kicking or other footwork. Carry the good form you build during poomsae into your sparring, but don't actually recreate the patterns used.

When you're sparring, you typically keep your hands near your face to protect it. Your forearms should be nearly perpendicular to the ground and elbows bent around 90 degrees. This will put your hands on either side of your face. Don't keep them too close to your body, as that will make it harder to maneuver, but too far away and you won't be able to effectively protect your head. During sparring, your hands move around quite a bit for blocks and attacks, but in between you generally return to this resting position.

Stretch. Even in my black belt class, many of the students cannot do a full split. It is very important to stretch and work on your flexibility because if you decide to go to competitions for forms, you will need to kick your head height in order to not get a deduction. If you also want to spar, I suggest you also work on your lower body strength and speed. In sparring, it is essential to be quick and powerful with your kicks. Rather than endurance, your lower body requires explosive power. You can train by doing jumping squats with weights. To also improve the speed of your kicks, I suggest you work on speed kicking; this is when you kick at your knee height as quickly as possible.

When on you're period on training, you could use sports pads or tampons. If you get cramps during your training, take a break and go back whenever you're ready.

That’s great! The night before, have your uniform laid out so it is not wrinkly. Get there early, like 20-30 minutes, so you have time to put on your uniform if you need to. Make sure you are checked in, and stretch and go over your form again. Once the meet starts, be respectful to everyone who is on the mat. Sit calmly and do not talk. Breathe if you’re nervous. Go over moves in your head to pass the time, but you should also be alert so you know if they call you. Bow and say thank you a lot.

The same thing happens to me. I am not flexible, so when I do splits, my legs hurt. Try starting small and gradually increasing the angle so that your legs get used to it. If that doesn't work, ask an instructor for help.

It depends on the school. In my class we're usually allowed to if we ask permission. But the Kyosanim doesn't say yes every time.