Valor Taekwondo Lesson 5: Two Exercises to Improve and Maintain Taekwondo Conditioning
/If you could only do 2 exercises to train for Taekwondo that aren’t kicking drills, what would you choose? As you know, Taekwondo is primarily focused on kicks and therefore the legs which helps narrow down your choices. Personally, I would choose squats and burpees as they are both versatile and reliable choices for training.
Squats would for sure be the number 1 pick because if done right, they work the entire lower body. However, most fail to get the form of the squat right and thus they don’t reap the full benefits. Watch the video lesson below to learn how to squat correctly.
Burpees not only work the whole body, but also trains cardio which can help if you are unable to go out running or do not own a jump rope. The most important part of the burpee is the push up portion because sparring in today’s competition requires athletes to have strong pushing strength to push their opponent. The video lesson below will go over more details.
Some other variations of these exercises include:
Jump squats: Jump after squatting down and land as lightly as possible. Repeat
One legged squats
Weighted squats and squat jumps: You can hold a dumbbell(s) or wear a backpack filled with stuff to add weight to your squats
High knee jump burpees: On the jumping portion of the burpee, bring your knees to your chest
Mountain climber burpees: After doing the push up, add mountain climbers to add more core training
Good luck!
- Joseph