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potblackettle
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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I just wanted to get some advice from people who know a bit more.
I have a 3 year old son (two American parents) that I'm considering putting into a taekwondo class. He tends to be a little shy and doesn't know many kids in our city so I thought this might be a good way for him to meet some kids and run off some of his energy.
Is three too young? What should I look for in a school?
Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions. |
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riverboy
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I just wanted to get some advice from people who know a bit more.
I have a 3 year old son (two American parents) that I'm considering putting into a taekwondo class. He tends to be a little shy and doesn't know many kids in our city so I thought this might be a good way for him to meet some kids and run off some of his energy.
Is three too young? What should I look for in a school?
Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions. |
Three is a bit young. Generally kids start at four in this country. If his language skills are good, and he has a good attention span, then you can try a gym.
Often, taekwondo gyms have a program for kids your son's age. You may want to look into that.
I know Yeonsei University Taekwondo has a good three to four year old "Kids Gym" Programme. |
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jaeimseu
Joined: 20 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:36 am Post subject: |
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| If you are interested in trying taekwondo you should give Arirang Taekwondo a look. They are located near Sookmyeong University station. They hold classes 6 days a week. This club is different from most other clubs in that there are no children. There are lots of people training in their 20's, 30's, even 40's or more. And they speak English. I'd guess that the classes consist of about an even mix of Koreans and foreigners. You can find them on Facebook or search daum or naver if you can read Korean. The club has a very nice atmosphere and the instructors are very friendly. |
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daojiao
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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Is there any way to find out whether a martial arts school is serious/not a scam? I've heard that Korea has its share of hack instructors looking to make a quick buck (just like the West). I'm looking for a hapkido school, if that makes a difference.
(Also, anyone know about martial arts in Suwon?) |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:07 am Post subject: |
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| daojiao wrote: |
Is there any way to find out whether a martial arts school is serious/not a scam? I've heard that Korea has its share of hack instructors looking to make a quick buck (just like the West). I'm looking for a hapkido school, if that makes a difference.
(Also, anyone know about martial arts in Suwon?) |
The best way to find out if a gym is legit is to go visit it. But first, you have to be sure what you want from your martial arts training. For me, (a guy who wants to get a good workout+practically prepare for fights on the street and the ring) I look for: if they have actual hard sparring(some places only allow extremely light contact), they don't have some half-ass belt system where they make you test for every color and pass you as long as you pay, care about your safety and not make you do dangerous crap. The last one is harder to figure out unless you have some knowledge. For example, if your boxing/kickboxing gym has you hitting the bags without gloves and/or wraps, they're morons. |
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daojiao
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| fermentation wrote: |
| daojiao wrote: |
Is there any way to find out whether a martial arts school is serious/not a scam? I've heard that Korea has its share of hack instructors looking to make a quick buck (just like the West). I'm looking for a hapkido school, if that makes a difference.
(Also, anyone know about martial arts in Suwon?) |
The best way to find out if a gym is legit is to go visit it. But first, you have to be sure what you want from your martial arts training. For me, (a guy who wants to get a good workout+practically prepare for fights on the street and the ring) I look for: if they have actual hard sparring(some places only allow extremely light contact), they don't have some half-ass belt system where they make you test for every color and pass you as long as you pay, care about your safety and not make you do dangerous crap. The last one is harder to figure out unless you have some knowledge. For example, if your boxing/kickboxing gym has you hitting the bags without gloves and/or wraps, they're morons. |
Great guidelines. You and I are looking for the same thing. It seems tough to find that happy medium between serious sparring and safety... I've only ever been able to find one place that hit the balance perfectly. Thanks again. |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:54 am Post subject: |
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| daojiao wrote: |
Great guidelines. You and I are looking for the same thing. It seems tough to find that happy medium between serious sparring and safety... I've only ever been able to find one place that hit the balance perfectly. Thanks again. |
I don't know about Suwon, but from my experience, most Boxing gyms in Korea seem legit, albiet a bit run down and lacking business. Judo in Korea is also serious. Hapkido has been a hit or a miss for me. Compared to other martial arts, hapkido seems to depend a lot on the instructor. The one i went to (the head guy is apparently famous for training celebrities) before had me doing a bunch of back flips and jumping kicks, which is cool, but I wanted to learn how to fight by well, fighting. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with learning Judo or Boxing in Korea. |
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thewaytoberlin
Joined: 16 Feb 2010
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:39 am Post subject: |
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| chrisinkorea2011 wrote: |
| jenicatt wrote: |
I'e been in Korea for a while now but hae recently moed to Nowon-gu.
I was wondering if any one knows of a Taekwondo (ITF !!!!) school within reasonable traeling distance?
I'e done WTF in Korea already and it was way~~ easy! I felt like I was actually getting worse.
The other thing I want is a class that's not entirely small children. When I was training at home it was with guys, mostly older than me and much stronger.
I'm not too bothered about them speaking English. I'm not good at Korean but I'e learned to be able to follow classes.
So I know there are millions of Taekwondo schools around here... it's just finding the right one! 
Please please please please reply if you know anything. I did actually read through all the preious posts to check that this hasn't already been discussed! |
Ahh yeah i see your point actually i trained in ITF for about 9 years in the states. And coming to Korea they have Kukkiwon which is the olympic style. Looking at your posting i see that it might be different, but easy? maybe it was that way because there was a lot of kids? i dont really know. But 1 thing i DONT like about korean grading system is that you can have 10 or 11 year kids have 3rd degree black belts and basically they earned them simply by continiously going to class. I think its easier to buy a belt at a school then earn one. I know a guy from the states who came to my school in the USA as a 2nd degree. (keep in mind my instructor is a 6th degree korean man) and the white guy didnt feel like he was getting a workout (excuses because he got schooled more than once in free sparring) so he went to korea with the military for a year, came back and was magically a 5th degree. pure BS but it was a valid change from a school in korea. as for ITF i am looking for one as well full of adults lol. there is a place called body and soul gym in itaewon, but eh its not my cup of tea. I am used to being upfront and sparring and going full throttle. so if i find one, il let you know! |
I can tell you everything you need to know about ITF in Korea, since I trained in it for 3 years here before switching to Muay Thai about a year and a half ago.
There is only one ITF dojang in Seoul. It's called The Way and it's in Itaewon (Kyungnidan). It used to be located in the Wangshimni area, before that, on the Itaewon main street. Body & Seoul is down the street from The Way, so people often confuse them. Body & Seoul does not offer ITF. That is where I currently train in Muay Thai.
http://www.seoulmartialarts.com
I trained at The Way, and if you're looking for "full throttle," you're not going to find it there. You will, however, get pretty good at the patterns and other technical stuff. But sparring...meh. Training in ITF in Korea is nothing like in the West. I know, because I competed in the ITF World Championships (representing South Korea), and I got my a** kicked. I was definitely not prepared, because I didn't have enough sparring experience. One of the reasons I switched to Muay Thai was because I wanted something more hardcore, and more practical, and I wanted to spar more. Although I sometimes miss ITF, I'm glad I made the switch.
The problem is that ITF has a stigma in Korea (it's considered the "North Korean" style), so the program is not really developed here and there are not many chances to compete, so you kind of reach a plateau that you can't get past unless you were to go abroad and train. Ironic, isn't it? Going abroad to train in the original style of a Korean martial art...LOL
If you want to stick with TKD and do a lot of sparring, you might be better off finding a hardcore WTF dojang. But good luck with that... :/
One good thing about The Way is that they teach mostly in English, since most of the students are foreigners.
Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions. |
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thewaytoberlin
Joined: 16 Feb 2010
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:47 am Post subject: |
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| riverboy wrote: |
| Quote: |
I just wanted to get some advice from people who know a bit more.
I have a 3 year old son (two American parents) that I'm considering putting into a taekwondo class. He tends to be a little shy and doesn't know many kids in our city so I thought this might be a good way for him to meet some kids and run off some of his energy.
Is three too young? What should I look for in a school?
Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions. |
Three is a bit young. Generally kids start at four in this country. If his language skills are good, and he has a good attention span, then you can try a gym.
Often, taekwondo gyms have a program for kids your son's age. You may want to look into that.
I know Yeonsei University Taekwondo has a good three to four year old "Kids Gym" Programme. |
Are you dead set on taekwondo? Body & Seoul offers a kids martial arts class, but it's a mixture of Muay Thai (kickboxing), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Judo. There is another 3-year-old in the class and it's taught entirely in English. You might want to check it out:
http://www.seoulmartialarts.com |
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Soju808
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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| daojiao wrote: |
Is there any way to find out whether a martial arts school is serious/not a scam? I've heard that Korea has its share of hack instructors looking to make a quick buck (just like the West). I'm looking for a hapkido school, if that makes a difference.
(Also, anyone know about martial arts in Suwon?) |
Here are my red flags for any Martial Arts school
-If there are children in there with blackbelts.
-Many different color belts in the gym. (More belts, more belt tests)
-An out of shape instructor.
-An instructor who doesn't correct his students mistakes when sparring.
-A school that doesn't know the fine line between sparring hard and fighting.
-And of course, the monthly fee being way too high.
Imo, if you want to find a legit school, I would recommend an MMA school. If not then any of the following disciplines are good as well.
-Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
-Muay Thai
-Kickboxing
-Boxing
-Judo
I honestly would avoid Hapkido. Finding a legit Hapkido or Taekwondo school is going to be difficult. But if you're still interested in Hapkido, I would recommend looking around Universities that have hapkido clubs and ask them if you can join. |
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hapkido1996
Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Location: Anyang, Gyeong-gi
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:09 am Post subject: |
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| I'm new to the forum, but I've lived in Korea since 1996 and have 3단 in Hapkido. I agree that finding a 도장 that's right for you is hit-and-miss. Best to observe several classes in a handful of gyms before even considering joining one. Once you join, it's a serious commitment. Look for a gym that emphasizes systematic, progressive training in self defense over flashy acrobatics. The acrobatics are good conditioning and I recommend anyone to do the most you can safely do, but self defense is the real training, both physical and mental. |
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smee18
Joined: 24 Mar 2009
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I have a question about martial arts equipment: anyone know of shops etc. in Seoul to buy from? Specifically, I want to buy practice weapons for Chinese martial arts. Alternatively, anyone know about buying online, and if there would be any issues bringing stuff into Korea. I was tempted last time I went home (Australia) to just bring some equipment with me, but wasn't sure about laws ect., and didn't have time to find out. |
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hapkido1996
Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Location: Anyang, Gyeong-gi
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| There's a place right outside Dongdaemun Stadium, among the market shops. If you walk around the stadium, you'll see it. |
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smee18
Joined: 24 Mar 2009
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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Hapkido1996, was that for me, about Dongdaemun stadium? Were you talking about a MA shop?
If so, thanks ; ) |
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hapkido1996
Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Location: Anyang, Gyeong-gi
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, sorry. Yes, for you, smee.  |
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