Taekwondo Basics. Scott Shaw

      Training Begins

      Prior to beginning your first class, you will be instructed in the basic protocols of taekwondo. Commonly, an assistant instructor will be assigned to you to detail these essential elements of taekwondo.

      You will be instructed in the appropriate techniques of respect, which are adhered to in all schools of taekwondo. You will be taught that you must immediately bow upon entering the martial art studio. This bowing symbolizes that you are formally demonstrating respect for your school.

      You will be taught that upon entering the school you must also immediately remove your shoes. The reason shoes are removed in a school of taekwondo is to both demonstrate respect for the school and to symbolize that you are entering a training hall.

      Once your shoes have been removed and you have entered the school, you will then be taught that you must bow to your instructor or instructors before you progress toward the dressing room where you will change into your uniform. Bowing to your instructor is also an essential sign of respect.

      The assistant instructor will then teach you how to wear the taekwondo uniform and how to tie your belt properly. You will then be ready to immerse yourself in the exciting training of taekwondo.

      Before your first class begins the assistant instructor will teach you some of the basic movements of taekwondo. You will be taught how to safely perform some of the preliminary stretching techniques and some of the basic blocks, kicks, and punches of taekwondo.

      Once these preliminary elements have been detailed, your first class will begin. You will be taught to line up in the appropriate placement and you will be led through the basic bowing and warmup exercises.

      In many schools of taekwondo, an assistant instructor will stand by you throughout your first class. This is done in order to aid in your indoctrination into the basic elements of taekwondo.

      At the point the warmup segment of the class has culminated, an assistant instructor will again take you to the side where you will be privately trained in the basic blocking, kicking, and punching techniques of taekwondo. As your first class progresses, you may be teamed up with another new student in order that you will get the feel of actually performing some of the techniques of taekwondo against another body. Your first class will culminate with your peers and yourself reforming into prescribed lines, where the final bow of the class takes place.

      The other common experience after the first class in taekwondo is to wake up the next day very, very sore. Taekwondo is a cardioaerobic-based system of self-defense that will cause you to exercise in a method you have not previously experienced. It will also cause you to use muscles that previously were dormant. As a result, when you cultivate these undeveloped muscles, there will definitely be a sense of soreness. Again, this is nothing to be worried about, and it will pass after a few days of training.