Is Taekwondo Training Enough?

If one were to look at Taekwondo as just a martial art, then training frequently in all of its ways and forms would be enough. However, the aim of my blog is targeted towards Olympic Taekwondo. Looking at it from this perspective and after many years of training and fighting, training only in Taekwondo is not enough to excel in it as a sport. To improve in anything that one does in life, supplements are needed.

Analyze what exactly makes up Olympic Taekwondo, aka sparring: fighters need to be strong, have lots of stamina, and need great footwork to move around the ring, their opponent, and combine their kicks together. To gain all of this from just Taekwondo practice is simply impossible to do in an efficient and timely manner. In order to make great gains in these aspects, dedicated training days focusing on these elements are needed.

When it comes to weight training, make sure that you know proper weight lifting techniques to maximize strength gains and reduce risk of injury. Even though Taekwondo primarily uses the legs, it is not recommended to turn one’s focus on just the legs but rather the entire body.

Although there are different ways to motion and make feints in a sparring match, it is important to supplement one’s footwork with coordination drills. Great examples include ladder drills or even a simple game of tag as both require and engaged mind and quick thinking.

Improving stamina is more than just kicking until one cannot kick anymore and even requires aspects of weight training. Rather than lifting as much weight as possible, adding a little bit of weight will test one’s endurance. For example, it is much easier to run on flat ground rather than uphill. There is more weight for the legs to push up uphill than on a flat surface. A common misconception is that stamina comes from the lungs when in reality stamina involves both cardio and muscle endurance.