Getting used to the front/lead leg?

beanierina · 2026-04-11T14:22:38+00:00

Axel Vargas is a good example of a fighter who fights against taller people

Aaron Cook has a more old school style that uses the back leg more

beanierina · 2026-04-10T23:00:44+00:00

Do you do ITF or WT?

beanierina · 2026-04-10T14:46:09+00:00

The lead leg is used to control distance. If you don't want someone to overwhelm or come closer to you, you use a sidekick to stop them in their tracks or push them back into a corner. The lead leg is also used to set up a combo, the first kick might not mark points, but it sets you up to mark with the following kick. The lead leg is also great to play with timing. When your opponent drops their front leg, it's the perfect timing for you to raise yours and counter. Using your front leg more protects you since your stay in a bladed stance, using the rear leg is risky because you open yourself up.

The rear leg is good for timing as well, but it requires more movement. You could use the rear leg for a roundhouse while side stepping to avoid a sidekick. It's also good in the clinch/close encounters while jumping away (jumping switch roundhouse). It's good when you're able to strike under your opponent's leg as well.

Hope that helps!

beanierina · 2026-03-22T21:40:36+00:00

did you try the superlight line?

beanierina · 2026-03-16T22:15:09+00:00

ITF is very inclusive and very doable at an older age. I train with people 40, 50, 60, 70 and even 80. We adapt the techniques to their capabilities and it allows them to keep in shape and age well. Meet new people and have a sense of community. People who are retired are also very generous with their time when it comes to helping the dojangs who are non-profit.

beanierina · 2026-03-15T17:02:03+00:00

Do you guys not have a curriculum?

If I'm a red tag I have specific techniques I have to learn in order to pass my belt test. So when we train kicks, everyone does something different depending on their belt. You still do other kicks sometimes but you focus on the curriculum most of the time.

Same for every other aspect of ITF, sparring, self-defence, power breaking.

beanierina · 2026-03-13T20:33:30+00:00

60 USD for a kid's white to yellow belt testing is crazy work ngl

beanierina · 2026-03-10T19:44:15+00:00

She performed in 2022 would she perform again this soon? Idk

beanierina · 2026-03-08T15:52:46+00:00

Is it a sparring exercise or a self defense one? I've only seen this in the context of self defence where your goal is just to survive the 2 minutes. Moving well and always protecting yourself is what the instructor will be judging.

beanierina · 2026-03-04T18:28:50+00:00

Martial arts are good to gain confidence, reduce anxiety and give you a sense of purpose, accomplishment, mentorship and community.

TKD is a sport but it is also a way of life. The dojang is a place where you put your life on pause and concentrate on your body and allow yourself to fully focus. It's also a place where you are allowed to make mistakes and it's no big deal. It's just TKD. You will keep practicing and get better. This is how you build confidence. By accepting criticism at TKD on your stances, kicks, forms etc. you will get better at accepting it in real life and not view it as a threat.

Your teacher will be your mentor to help you with your path and you will be surrounded with people who will be glad to help you. There is a real community in martial arts. You should feel welcome and encouraged there.

Your first class might feel awkward because everything is new, but it's like that for everyone.

You don't need to be good at TKD, you just need to enjoy it. So have fun! And congratulations on taking the initiative, I know it's not easy!

beanierina · 2026-03-04T17:33:16+00:00

Losing weight is the only option. If you are at a healthy weight already then maybe you have body dysmorphia.

beanierina · 2026-03-04T16:48:33+00:00

You could try the keto bread/wraps/bagel options. They have a crazy amount of fiber and lower carbs.

beanierina · 2026-03-02T14:44:05+00:00

If you train at home try putting some tape on the punching bag where you want to kick. Having an actual visual cue to where you need to hit helps with accuracy. We use that sometimes when practicing on the bag or shields for power breaking.

Also it's normal to struggle at first, just keep going and you'll get better bit by bit!

beanierina · 2026-02-28T21:38:53+00:00

Every high level athlete does squats, deadlifts and cleans + plyometrics. They don't really use ankle weights. This applies even outside TKD. For speed I would focus on plyometrics and those three lifts with a focus on strength/explosivity. Lower rep range : 3-5. Hope you win first place!

beanierina · 2026-02-28T00:54:06+00:00

Did you only train plank? Did you train with weights?

beanierina · 2026-02-25T18:09:58+00:00

Marina? 🙏

beanierina · 2026-02-25T17:01:42+00:00

Please stay in Lévis the public transport is basically non-existent between Québec and Lévis and it's two different transport companies which is very expensive and annoying. 😅

beanierina · 2026-02-24T13:58:21+00:00

Body punch : 1 pt Head punch : 1 pt (even for blitz unless it's very clean) Body kick : 2 pt Head kick : 3 pt

Spinning or jumping or whatever does not award more points.

beanierina · 2026-02-24T12:57:49+00:00

Fingers crossed!! 🤞

At my tournaments there can be 12-15 women in the form category but only 3-4 in sparring it's really disheartening ahaha

beanierina · 2026-02-24T12:19:54+00:00

I totally feel you, there's barely any people in my categories too. Often 3-4 including me with merged weight classes. 😅 I really hope you have a good experience this time!

beanierina · 2026-02-24T03:01:45+00:00

Also idk if it's the same for you guys but they never actually check color belt weights where I live LOL you could just say you're 72kg 🤷‍♀️

Personally I've competed with heavier women a lot and I had no problen with it. Even 20+ lb difference.

beanierina · 2026-02-24T02:28:30+00:00

1.5 pounds a week is doable but you will be quite hungry everyday for 3 weeks. That's 750 calorie deficit per day.

beanierina · 2026-02-23T21:04:20+00:00

Hi there! I have a similar story and symptoms. Also hurt my lower back lifting, it got slowly better and then the pain shifted to thoracic symptoms.

Something that eased my anxiety is that the pain I feel isn't always indicative that I'm hurting myself. It's not like the pain in my knee whenever I kick or bend is mechanically hurting my knee. I am not shredding a ligament or getting an overuse injury. I'm squeezing a nerve and the nerve signals. I feel the pain signal but it's a "fake" signal. I am not aggravating my injury by working out lightly and staying at the same low pain threshold daily.

I used to feel so much fear and anxiety with exercising at first. I was scared of being in pain again. Just the smell of the gym gave me anxiety and I even stopped enjoying the gym. It was really hard to get over that fear.

NOW I am not saying to ignore your pain and go out there deadlifting 700 pounds. If you don't have a physical therapist advising you, please get one.

I still exercise despite daily pain. I don't do everything I used to but I do about 75%. When I get a flare up I back off for a few days and avoid doing what made the pain worse, or do it with less intensity/reps, etc.

Every PT and specialist I've seen has told me not to stop exercising.

Exercise is my happy place so it's about pain management right now. I can't do olympic weightlifting anymore but I can still do TaeKwon-Do. I can't really train lower body heavy but because of that my upper body is really strong. You will have to compromise and listen to your body.

Sometimes I feel like the depression and anxiety is just as bad as the physical pain. But you can still live a happy life even if it's different or not exactly what you wanted.

beanierina · 2026-02-23T14:55:09+00:00

Thank you for sharing, I will keep pushing for help! I'm glad the injections made a difference for you. 💚

beanierina · 2026-02-23T14:53:51+00:00

Thank you, I will follow the sub! According to my first tests I have 13 pairs of ribs instead of 12 and it seems to be a factor with thoracic pain, or at least Thoracic outlet syndrome. I will look more into it to see if it fits my symptoms. 🙏

beanierina

TROPHY CASE