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W I N A N D T A E K W O N D O Pikesville Recreation and Parks Pikesville, MD |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| What is Tae Kwon Do? | Tae kwon do is the national sport of Korea and a method of unarmed self defense |
| How old do you need to be to join class? | Age is not the determining factor - attention span is. We have had 5 year old students that could pay attention, and we have had 10 year olds that could not. Also, there is NO MAXIMUM age - students have joined who were WELL past high school. (50!) |
| What do the colored belts mean? | The colored belts show the students' progress as they travel on their journey of martial arts knowledge. Every school has its own rainbow of belts. We use white, advanced white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown3, brown2, brown1, black |
| How long does it take to get a black belt? | A rank belt (of any color) is a sign of acheivement, not attendance. Some people study only 2 years and get a black belt. Some study 10 years and never get past blue. Some never test and stay white. |
| Why do you yell in Tae Kwon Do? | To develop strength, concentration, power and confidence. |
| Why do you bow? | We bow to show respect. |
| When do you bow? | We bow to the flags when we enter the Do Jang. We bow to the Master Instructor everywhere we see him. We bow to a higher colored belt and our classmates wherever we see them. |
| What is the meaning of white belt? | White belt signifies purity. |
| What will I learn? | Winand Tae Kwon Do is very much a traditional Tae Kwon Do class. You will receive instruction on forms, sparing, breaking, stances, kicks, punches, self-defense, self-discipline, nutrition, how to fall and many many other things. You will also get a good workout. The first 30 minutes of class (at least) usually consists of stretching calisthenics, sprints and kicking, etc. If you have not worked out in a while, hang in there the best you can until you build up your endurance. No one will expect you to do knuckle pushups on the first day. |
| Will there be students there who are my age? | Winand TKD is composed of male and female students as young as 6 years old to students 50+ years old. Everyone is welcome as long as you provide your best effort. We have students with skill and experience levels ranging as widely as our ages. All ages are welcome. |
| What should I wear? | New students should come ready to workout when they come to register. You should wear loose fitting clothing. Sweatpants and tee shirt would be perfect. We workout in bare feet, so take your shoes and socks off before class starts. New students are not expected to immediately purchase a uniform (Dobok). However, if you plan to stick with the class you will be expected to purchase a uniform and protective equipment for sparring. |
| Do I need to have experience? | No. Your first class can be intimidating. All those white uniforms, all those different color belts, the Korean words! Don't worry, everyone in class had a first day in class and remembers what it is like. The more experienced students will help you and the instructors will be watching to help you out. Just keep your ears and eyes open and follow the lead of the experienced students. |
| When does class begin? | Class begins when the instructor claps his/her hands and yells "line up". The class lines up by rank. New students without uniforms line up in the back. |
| Should I worry about sparring? | Sparring may initially be a concern to new students or parents of new students. All sparing in class is closely supervised by instructors with many years of experience. In addition all sparring is done with protective equipment (head gear, arm pads, shin and foot pads, chest protectors). All sparring is performed with controlled contact. Although injuries are part of any sport, injuries are infrequent and usually minor in nature. For most students, their first sparring experience is with an instructor or very experienced upper belt to show them "the ropes". |
| Why do we have to take a test for our next belt? | We test to show our knowledge of Tae Kwon Do, to gain confidence by performing under pressure and to let our master determine the increase in our knowledge. |
| Why do we wear a white uniform? | We wear white uniforms to present ourselves as a clean piece of paper upon which Sah Bum Nim writes his knowledge. |
| Why do we use control in free sparring? | To demonstrate mental discipline and physical control of ourselves and to prevent injuries to our classmates. |
| Why is it important to practice basics and forms? | Forms and basics are important because they build a solid foundation for achieving coordination, agility, skill, concentration and confidence. |