3 Major Martial Arts Myths Debunked!
Posted: October 24, 2015
1. Taekwondo is all about the kicks
While Olympic Taekwondo does focus mostly on kick based forms, according to this article posted on Taekwondo USA's blog, the ratio of punches to kicks in Taekwondo is actually 9:1! While most entry level friendly Taekwondo Dojangs encourage more torso level hits and kicks, in some Taekwondo combat societies, punches to the upper parts of the body can be scored as well. There is also a great level of conditioning that is achieved in the practice of proper striking techniques. Many martial artists use boards to perfect their skill, but for those looking to advance even farther in their conditioning, there is a new sport known as 'Power Breaking" where trained martial arts break rocks or even cynderblocks!
2. Taekwondo Will Encourage My Child To Use Weapons
Taekwondo as an organized sport does not mandate the education or use of any weapons. At Sky Martial Arts Murrieta, we choose to train our intermediate students to work with nunchucks, this is to increase muscle control and coordination, but also to teach personal responsibility and self control. Given an oportunity , our students prove their ability to posses what could be a weapon and instead choose use it as a tool for their training. Once a student has earned their black belt we then incorporate training with different equipment. Our First Dan Black Belts train with a set of fans, they master their form and prove their ability to defend themselves using their fans as self defense tools. Sky Martial Arts Murrieta's Second Dan Black Belts train with wooden swords, it is at this point in their education that our Instructors feel the students have proven themselves capable of possessing such an item, and are taught to respect the power it holds.
3. Once A Student Reaches Their Black Belt They Are Done, Right?
Wrong! Reaching the level of black belt means a whole new journey has started! At Sky Martial Arts Murrieta, our black belts immediately dive into training for their 1st Dan. They learn how to perform with their fans, memorize new forms, and are expected to uphold our Sky Martial Arts Standards. They are also allowed to enroll in our leadership program, which teaches our black belt students to lead their color belt peers. They are given the opportunity to mentor our younger students, become leaders in our Dojang, and take their training to a new level.