by richieforde | May 18, 2021 | Blog
3 Must Haves For Counter Attacks ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀1️⃣ – Timing ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀When looking to counter, timing is very important. If you chose the incorrect moment, it can work in your opponents favour. Generally, the best time to counter is when...
by richieforde | May 15, 2021 | Blog
How to get a big advantage over your competition when Sparring in Open Stance in ITF Taekwon-Do. One battle which is very important particularly in Open Stance is outside foot positioning. When both sparrers have their front feet in line its 50/50! However, if one...
by richieforde | May 9, 2021 | Blog
According to the research in Skill Acquisition, generally Martial Artists train for combat quite inefficiently. We spend a lot of time in isolation training breaking down fine details of technique. Then we fail to link this back into the bigger picture and just remain...
by richieforde | May 5, 2021 | Blog
Randomized v Blocked Practice⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Blocked training is basically repeating the same movement sequence over & over in hope for it to become muscle memory. Of course this is very prevalent in combat sports with emphasis often on technique. It makes sense to have...
by richieforde | Apr 22, 2021 | Blog
Emotions certainly feature in our competition/training journeys. Usually the memorable times are at the either end of each extreme. Emotions are so vital as they give us ques to take action on. These emotions are almost like the dashboard on a car which signal there...
by richieforde | Apr 19, 2021 | Blog
I wanted to quit Taekwon-Do as a Green Belt… 😯⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀At some stage every Taekwon-Do student will not want to go training! Trust me, it’s inevitable for every student!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀For me, I was a green belt and...
by richieforde | Apr 16, 2021 | Blog
Jack of All Trades A regular conversation we have at TKD Coach Academy is the time spent on each facet/component of training. Most people training in Taekwon-Do in Ireland (think children, most people training in Taekwon-Do in Ireland are children!) train twice a week...
by richieforde | Apr 16, 2021 | Blog
The fundamentals are more important than any advanced skill. Of course, we all would like to do the fancy tricks and the visually appeasing things which some people can execute almost effortlessly. The truth is, the best in any field are masters of the fundamentals...
by richieforde | Apr 14, 2021 | Blog
Entries & Exits are key! In Taekwon-Do Sparring where/when we choose to engage and disengage are massive moments in any contest. Entries are the steps, techniques & movements which get us through the 3 ranges of combat in ITF ; long range, mid range and close...
by richieforde | Apr 13, 2021 | Blog
Falling into the trap – ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A common occurrence which I have noticed recently is the importance of maintaining your rhythm. At times in sparring, complacency sets in with our tempo & rhythm where we might fall into our opponents...
