In a previous post, I wrote about what a McDojo is. After publishing it, I thought it might be good to also tell you what a good martial arts school has in my opinion. So here you go! 1. Qualified Instructors The foundation of any great martial arts school is its instructors. Look for schools that feature instructors with solid credentials and experience. For example, a black belt with over ten years of teaching experience can provide insights that enhance your learning. Instructors should not only be skilled in their art but also know how to teach effectively. 2. Positive School Culture A supportive and inclusive culture is essential in any martial arts school. When you visit, notice the interactions between instructors and students. A positive atmosphere fosters respect, discipline, and strong friendships. A welcoming environment encourages members to stay motivated and enjoy their practice. Besides, who wants to train in a place where they don't feel welcome? 3. Safety Measures Safety is a non-negotiable aspect of martial arts training. Martial arts is an inherently dangerous sport, so safety is of the utmost concern. Check if the school has clear safety protocols in place and that protective gear is used during classes when appropriate. Facilities should be clean and well-maintained, with safety features like padded mats in sparring areas. Knowing you are training in a safe space helps you focus fully on learning. A school that prioritizes safety encourages a productive learning experience for everyone! 4. Class Size and Individual Attention The size of classes can greatly influence your training. Smaller classes allow instructors to provide more individualized attention. For example, a class with ten students will often facilitate more personal feedback than one with thirty. An ideal instructor-to-student ratio is around 1:10, which can improve learning outcomes and accelerate progress. Personalized guidance can help you elevate your abilities more quickly. That said, class size isn't the defining factor. Larger class sizes can also be a good sign too. That can mean that the school is known for having a good community, and so more people join. 5. Student Progress Tracking Martial arts schools are known for having systems in place to track student progress, such as belt promotions. This way, instructors and students can see how they are doing in the program and what they can look forward to. This also helps instructors organize class and prepare everything accordingly. Progress tracking allows students to visualize their growth and maintain focus on their journey. A crucial goal in any good martial arts education! 6. Community Engagement Engaging with the local community can enhance the training experience. Schools that participate in events, workshops, and seminars help students connect with other martial artists. These can include encouraging participation in competitions, community events, and positive interaction with others. Not only is this good for community, but it’s fun too! For example, being a part of the school’s demonstration team and doing a demonstration at a fair is a great opportunity to interact with community and show some taekwondo knowledge! 8. Strong Reputation Researching a school’s reputation can provide valuable insights. There are a few wants to find this out. Read online reviews, ask for recommendations, and engage with current or former students about their experiences. A school with a strong reputation, indicated by consistently positive feedback, is likely to deliver a better training experience. 9. Transparent Pricing Lastly, transparency in pricing is vital. Schools should clearly outline tuition, membership fees, and any additional costs. A fair pricing structure builds trust between the school and students. Not only is it a way to build a good relationship between teacher and students, it’s also the ethical thing to do. Schools that have surprise prices, services fees, etc., much like any other business, are not particularly ethical in my opinion. Knowing what to expect financially allows you to plan better as you pursue your martial arts journey. A training hall where students are engaged in martial arts practice. Finding the right martial arts school is an essential step in your martial arts journey. By considering these important traits, you can select a dojang that aligns with your needs and supports your growth as a martial artist. Whether your goal is to improve your fitness, learn self-defense, or compete, the right school makes a significant impact. Take your time, conduct thorough research, and embark on your martial arts journey with confidence! Inside view of a dojo with students learning from their instructor. Good luck! Did you like this post without ads? Consider checking out our subscription plan! With the subscription plan, you get access to all the best exclusive content. Best of all? It’s Ad Free! Disclaimer: This post is for informational and entertainment purposes only and in no way is meant to impact anyone personally or professionally. The information in this post is not about any specific person or business at all. Any similarities are entirely coincidental. martial arts techniques and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized. The information on these pages and videos is meant only to reinforce and supplement the instruction given at your martial arts classes. To properly understand these techniques, you need to learn them from a martial arts instructor who can provide you with an in-depth explanation of the technique, help correct your mistakes, answer your questions and detail how the technique should be utilized. In addition, all martial arts techniques and training should be used safely and responsibly.

If Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art, does that mean someone needs to know Korean?

Well that’s a complicated question that deserves a thorough answer. In short, it’s a yes and no question. Books can be very helpful for learning martial arts, but they’re not for a beginner and definitely don’t replace proper lessons with a trained instructor. Even this blog, though I strive to give you the best knowledge possible, doesn’t replace proper training. That said, books (and excellent blogs like this one) can be very helpful for learning the information one doesn’t learn in class, or reminding oneself of what one did learn in class. One of my favorite books is "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. I know, rather cliché, but it's very useful in learning to handle conflict and learning strategy! That’s a lot of books to carry! So what is a “good” martial arts book? Well, there are lots of different kinds of martial arts books. Much like any other types of books, you want one from someone who has experience, education, and authority on a topic. You can check on this through the biography or about the author section. Depending on what information you want, you can discern whether this person is a good fit. As an example, if you want a good book on sparring strategy, you probably want a book from a known champion. Perhaps someone with a few trophies or, better yet, Olympic medals. These tell you that the author has experience in sparring, so they'll be able to tell you information about sparring. On the other hand, if someone has experience in poomse or, at the worst, no experience in Tae Kwon Do at all, they might not be your best source for information on sparring. A poomse expert will probably be very helpful for learning about poomse though! In Conclusion... Books are an excellent way to learn information. In martial arts they can be very helpful for becoming a better martial artist. Of course, they don't replace class by any means, and some aren't very good. The trick is to know what you're reading, and who you're reading from. Once you know that, you can discern from your book the best information. The better you get at this, the more you can learn. Good luck on your learning journey!

Martial arts are a diverse and complicated culture with many different types. Even in Tae kwon do there are a few different styles. So how do you know if a school is “legit”? Martial arts is complicated and every school is different. The real question you want to ask is “what do I want to learn?” And then find a school that fits your criteria. Want to learn Krav Maga? Sweet, find a school that does that. Interested in learning MMA? There are tons of schools that do that. Want to learn Tae Kwon Do? Read on... Not only do you want to consider what you want to learn, but also who you want to learn from. In Tae Kwon Do for example, there are schools that focus on sparring. There are schools that focus on forms. You can find this out by watching classes and talking to the staff at the dojang. The question is, how do you know they’re any good? You know they’re legit if they have a sunset behind them! (Just kidding) How Do You Know a Tae Kwon Do School is a Good School? A school is only as good as it's teachers. If you are worried about the qualifications of a school, make sure to look into the instructor. Most schools have a section of their website that is about the instructors. The best instructors often list their qualifications, where they got it from, the awards they have, and their years of experience. In my experience, I've discovered that the best teachers are the ones who have the most experience teaching and the worst ones are the ones that focus solely on their trophies. Next, the age of their black belts. A good school has the majority of black belts as teenagers and above. In my experience, the best schools don't test most of their students for black belts until they're at least 12, regardless of the starting age. This is even better if they have lots of younger students who are white belts, green belts, red belts etc. This means that the school cares about the metric at which they judge their students and aren't willing to lower the standards. All that information is best gleaned from going to the school and visiting, but what information can you gain from an internet search? Often times on school websites you will see somewhere on their site what type of Tae Kwon Do that school does. That’s usually a good indication of their legitimacy. Put simply, there are three main types of Tae Kwon Do groups in the USA. There is World Taekwondo (WT), the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF), and the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). This last quality is probably the hardest to discern off a cursory glance, but probably the most important. Community. The best schools have a supportive community where people are friendly and encouraging of each other. Not only is this a good rule for Tae Kwon Do schools, it's also a good rule for life. The truth is that in training a student will fail. Learning Tae Kwon Do at a good school is hard, but the best schools help you get up, brush you off, and encourage you to keep trying. Your peers at the school have done it before, so they understand the challenge and are excited to see you succeed. What is the Worst Sign? I have been at many schools of varying quality throughout my life. The worst ones, however, are the ones that don’t just focus on martial arts. These are the ones that have cafés, bowling alleys, arcades, or anything else that reminds one of a theme park or ubiquitous entertainment center. Often these people are more interested in taking your money as much as possible, more than they are interested in teaching you anything. In Conclusion... Tae Kwon Do is one of the most popular martial arts world wide. It's very likely that there are multiple schools in your area. The key is to finding a school that works for you. There are many schools that have many differences among each other. In my opinion, A good martial arts education goes beyond the number of boards you can break; A good martial arts education is about character as much as it is about skills. So find what you like, and enjoy!

Welcome to the Tae Kwon Do Tutor Blog! At this webpage I write blog posts about everything Tae Kwon Do. These range from interesting facts, to answering questions, to the latest Tae Kwon Do news! Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

My instructor uses a bunch of Korean terms in class, but what do they mean? I’ve found in my time in Tae Kwon Do that lots of students come in to Tae Kwon Do and are very confused by the number of words that their instructors use. I often catch myself using Tae Kwon Do terminology in my posts and in the classroom. I’m so used to using them that I forget that their not used everyday by everyone. New students often end up asking what I mean when I say certain words. Like, what is “Chariot” mean? And what are “Poomse”? So, here are a list of basic Tae Kwon Do terms that I have commonly heard and/or use in the classroom. Anyanghaseo/Anyanghassumiga: Hello, how are you?/ Hello, how are you sir/ma’am? (Basically, the second one is more respectful than the other) Taekwondo-in: A person who does Tae Kwon Do. (It's the proper term, though in my experience many people don't know this, including other black belts) Poomse: Form (Instructors will also often state what form they want you to preform. Ex. Taeguk Il Jang, Taeguk E Jang, Koryo etc.) Chariot: Attention Kyung Ne: Bow Joon Bi: Ready Stance Pah Ro: Return to Ready Stance Sijook: Begin Jokyonim: Assistant Instructor Sabumnim: Master Instructor/Head Instructor Kyosanim: Instructor Kwanjangim: Grand Master Angyang-gaseo/Anyang-gaeseo: Goodbye! That said, there is a difference between the two types. If you are leaving you say “gaeseo”, if you are staying you say “gaeseo”. This is especially important if you are talking to someone who outranks you, or is older than you. Kamsa Hamnae Da: Thank You! A Bonus Word: There is one interesting word that a lot of schools mention at least once in their curriculum, and I'm adding it here as a bonus. That word is Jung Shin. What does that mean? Jung Shin: Often referred to as “black belt spirit” in most American schools, it’s the concept of the moral standard of a Tae Kwon Do student. These are also called the "Five Tenets of Tae Kwon Do". They mainly center around what type of person the idea black belt should be. Their essentially a way of determining how a black belt should behave. Not every black belt knows of these (though I think they should) but knowing what they are can be very helpful in your Tae Kwon Do education. Now go forth and flex your newfound knowledge of Tae Kwon Do Terminology!

"I'm a white belt getting ready for my yellow belt test. How much should I train?" Well, ideally your instructor should only be willing to test you if they think you can pass. I can't say I know any (competent) instructor who would test someone they don't think could pass the test. Does that mean you should stop training? Of course not. Well, if I need to train, then how much should I train? That is a very good question with a relatively simple, and rather unsatisfying, answer. The answer is that you should train as much as you think you should, and probably more. Some people go into testing with no extra training outside of class and do fine. Others fail the test. Simple as that. That said, the people I know who have diligently trained, both in and outside of class, typically pass their test with flying colors. Those people are often physically and mentally prepared for testing. Their examiners also often leave comments discussing the person's persistence and confidence. The people who don't train before they test might pass, but not usually without comment from the examiners. Usually the examiners will leave a comment along the lines of "needs work on poomsae," or "student could use help with kicking technique." That doesn't mean you didn't pass, it just means that you struggled with something. We all struggle with something, even (or perhaps especially) the black belts struggle. Everyone has got to start somewhere! So, how much should you prepare for your next test? Ultimately, it's up to you. I think the question you should be asking yourself is: "Do I want to pass?" If the answer to this is yes, then perhaps you should train for your next test. Good luck!

How much should a student train for their black belt test?

Ok, so I’m going to clarify something. You can’t float if you meditate. That’s not a thing (at least as far as I know), but it is real. There are lots of ways to do it, but here is a basic one that many martial arts schools practice. Personally, I like to do this at the end of every class that I teach. Here is how you do it! 1. Find a quiet (and safe) space. Look for a nice, quiet, safe, space. I like to use my bedroom or sometimes my living room. If I’m at work, I don’t mind the staff room too much. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to turn off the lights, close the windows, or anything else (though some choose to do it). In fact, I quite like some nice sunshine in my room. 2. Sit down and set a timer (if you want) Ok, this one seems kind of obvious. When you sit down, you don’t necessarily need to kneel or sit cross legged. You can sit in a chair. You can even lay down, though I often fall asleep if I do that. One thing you probably should do is set a timer. It’s not because you might enter some metaphysical state or anything, you just might lose track of time. I usually set my phone timer for 2-5 minutes. 3. Place your hands. That instruction is pretty vague. Where should I place my hands? And how? Well, in order to do a basic meditation technique like this one, you should place your hands on your knees. When I was younger I would put them down as fists (knuckles resting on my knees), but as I got older I opened my hands and placed my palms on my knees. An AI sketch of a martial artist meditating. 4. I’m serious, don’t slouch! I’m going to be honest; I have a terrible habit of slouching when I meditate. It’s important not to let that happen. When you do slouch, it looks like you’re sleeping very uncomfortably. So sit up straight! 5. Close your eyes. Just breathe in, and close your eyes (or half-close them, that works too). The reason many people do this when they meditate is because it takes away a lot of our outside stimulation. Humans rely heavily on their vision, so taking that away makes it easier to focus on other things. 6. Breathe in, breathe out. This is probably the most important part. Breathe in, breathe out. Specifically, breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Deep, slow breaths. Focus on your breathing. In through your nose, out through your mouth. 7. Ignore everything else. This part is honestly the hardest part, and the reason I recommend going into a quiet room. You will likely get distracted. That’s okay. You don’t need to restart, just refocus. Breathe in, breathe out. If you are having a hard time with this, consider counting your fingers and then slowly moving towards focusing on your breath. There you go! You now know the basics of meditation! Good job and good luck!

What makes a good Tae Kwon Do school? This is a question I have gotten a lot over the years. There are many different answers to this question. The truth is that what makes a good Tae Kwon Do school depends a lot on what you want. That said, there are some things that can make a good Tae Kwon Do school. Here are a few of the qualities I look for in a good Tae Kwon Do school. A Healthy Community Never underestimate the importance of a good community! Of the many schools I’ve been to, the best ones were always the ones that had happy and friendly people in them. The gold medals, fancy equipment, or even the quality of the floors didn’t matter. I learned the most from the instructors and communities that focused on building students up, not putting them down. What does that mean? That means instructors and students who were supportive and happy around me. This tended to happen in communities that taught respect, kindness, perseverance, patience, and endurance. At these schools, instructors encourage students to express these qualities and associate the qualities with black belt spirit. Experienced Instructors A school is only as good as it’s teachers. The best Tae kwon do school, in my experience, has skilled teachers. The best Tae kwon do teachers have years of experience both teaching and learning. This is especially good if the teacher is still doing Tae kwon do training as well. That means they are keeping their knowledge up to date and fresh. It’s also very good to see them with assistants, because that means they’re confident in their knowledge of teaching. "I learned the most from instructors who focused on building their students up, not putting them down." Proper Certification There are many different types of Tae Kwon Do federations and associations (the best are WT/Kukkiwon and ITF, in my opinion). You know a Tae Kwon Do School is especially good if they have certification in a good association. Now, this only really matters if you’re already a black belt, as it means they will likely honor the belt you already have. That said, knowing if they have an association means they’re confident in, have met the qualifications of, and trained under that association. Similar to getting a degree at a nationally recognized university, you know it's good because they were held up to a specific standard. So there you go! Now you know some of the green flags of a good Tae Kwon Do school (at least in my opinion). Now go forth and enjoy the school you found! Good luck!

Well. We meditate well.

It does feel good to wear a new belt! So you just went through your first belt test, broke your first board, and got your first certificate. On your certificate it has a number and the word "Gup" on it. What does that mean? One of the things that makes Tae Kwon Do so unique is that it has formal organizations and systems that help coordinate competitions and standardize ranking on an international scale (This is very helpful for the Olympics). In order to do this they have specific terms for a belt promotion. Here is what they each mean. Gup - This usually refers to color belts. Unlike with Black Belts, the color belt ranking system isn't quite as standardized. For example, Dojang A might have white, yellow, orange, green, blue, etc. While Dojang B might have white, white-yellow, yellow, orange, etc. The Gup number tells Dojang B where you are in Dojang As curriculum, and so they have a good idea where you might be in their curriculum. There is something very good about passing your first test! Poom - This one is a little more tricky. In Tae Kwon Do there are two types of black belts. Poom and Dan Black Belts. Some schools have a strict minimum age requirement to become a black belt (usually this is somewhere between 12-15). The reasoning for this is that there is a certain level of maturity and skill expected of a black belt that an 8 year old might not be able to fulfill. An 8 year old would not likely be able to do the 100 pushups required of an older black belt. However, some students advance quickly enough through a program that they would have to wait a couple of years to be able to test for their black belt, and possibly meet the physical requirements to do so. So what do schools do? They created a "young black belt" for the students who are too young to teach and/or compete. It's still a perfectly legitimate black belt who undergoes a similarly challenging test that turns into a full black belt automatically when the student reaches the appropriate age. They dress similarly, act similarly, and are respected similarly, they're just not old enough to do everything an adult black belt can do (like teach). Dan - This is the term for someone who has become an adult black belt. With this they can compete in more tournaments, start training as an instructor, and/or an examiner. People with Dan black belts are also eligible to begin training to work as an instructor. They are now old enough that the kids will look up to them and the adults won't look down on them (too much.) So there you go! There is the basic explanation of the Tae Kwon Do ranking system!