The success of a punch in taekwondo is measured (under real-life combat) on the damage said punch (or kick) inflicts on the opponent. That is why training for strength is one of the pillars of this martial art.
One of the things that can help you be successful in the ways of taekwondo comes with how well you train. And we are not talking just about martial arts training. No, mastering taekwondo means also physical exercises to get your body in shape.
You need to have at least three physical training sessions per week, each of them devoted to the critical needs of the martial arts: speed, coordination and of course, strength.
Strength can be achieved in a variety of ways, first, you need to decide what part of your body you want to train, for example, your legs, if you want to kick high, you need to have strong legs, if you want to improve your coordination and speed, you need strong legs.
One of the most used exercises for this is the resistance bands. These bands do not only help you improve coordination but help you gain strength. You may be wondering how. Well, to extend your legs to the desired height and/or distance you will need to put the double of the effort you normally would because the bands will try to stop you.
There are different ways in which you can use the elastic bands and it is highly recommended that you have a trainer in hand that guides you, even if you feel that you are proficient in their use, guidance is critical.
YOUR ARMS ARE IMPORTANT
As much as your legs need to be strong (we already told you why) so need your arms and your taekwondo uniform. If you want to block a kick, you need a strong arm, you want to throw a punch that will pass through your opponent’s defense, you need a strong arm.
To get your arms with the strength you need you can choose different types of exercises like weights, and of course, elastic bands. Like with your legs, when you use elastic bands you need to put the double of the effort to make a move, and this does not only will result in better speed but also more force.
Now, as we mentioned before, guidance is critical as you don’t want to hurt yourself during training, strength training is one of the reasons many athletes get hurt during training, and that happens because of overconfidence or training more than you should.
Make sure you have a training calendar that includes training for all your body while at the same time gives you time to recover not just from day to day but from session to session, this is critical along with a good diet that will help you regain your energies.
And whatever you wear for training (be normal clothes or your taekwondo uniform) make sure they’re comfortable and resistant as you will be putting the same strain on it as you will on your body.