Ridgeland Taekwondo America Curriculum

In our martial arts program students learn Forms, Sparring, Wood-Breaking and Non-Sparring Defensive Techniques mixed with fun drills and activities designed to provide a good workout for all age levels. And now we’ve added kids’ exercise and fitness classes to our program. Following is information about our curriculum.

MARTIAL ARTS PROGRAM

Our junior program (ages 5 - 12) teaches self-confidence, focus, self-discipline, courtesy and teamwork in a fun environment. During a typical class students may do a variety of activities in an obstacle course, work with an instructor on their Form, practice sparring or One-Steps, work with a partner on punching and kicking target drills, participate in a relay race, learn how to deal with a bully or about Stranger Danger, jump rope, practice kick combination using the rail for support or use balloons to practice a hand technique. We have serious fun in every class!

  Our Adult and Teen classes provide an excellent strength training and aerobic workout for wide range of ages and abilities. Every adult class begins with warm up drills and ends with stretching to increase flexibility. Activities are designed to allow each student to workout at their pace and level as strength, flexibility and endurance improve. You’ll have fun, increase your self-confidence and feel healthier. In addition to learning your current belt level Form, practicing sparring or One-Steps and learning how to defend yourself, we use targets, slammers, pushups, sit ups and the rail in a variety of fun and challenging activities to increase flexibility and improve muscle strength. So, whether you are 13 or 53, Taekwondo may be the best way to achieve your health and exercise goals!

FORMS
You may also hear Forms referred to as Hyungs or Katas. Forms are patterns of moves designed to teach students increasingly complex marital arts skills and techniques. Each belt level has its own pattern of moves that a student will learn when he or she passes testing and receives that new belt level. For example, the first belt, the white belt, has a pattern of 14 moves that teaches the basic blocks and stances. The next belt level, yellow belt, has a pattern of 21 moves that has new blocks and a different combination of moves. This continues all the way up through all of the black belt levels.

The expectations for how the techniques in each Form are performed increase also. A new student performing their white belt form will not have the same precision of stances and sharpness of technique that a long time black belt student will demonstrate (or SHOULD demonstrate) when they do their form and we don’t expect the white belt and the black belt to perform the same. Our goal is for students to show gradual improvement over time as they progress through the belt levels. We don’t compare one student to another (and we hope you don’t either), but rather work to help each student improve based on their ability and effort. 

There are a total of twenty-four patterns. A forms and curriculum DVD is available from Taekwondo America.  These are provided for students who want to make sure they are practicing their form correctly and are not intended to be used in place of class attendance. (Parents, please do not use these videos to try to teach your child at home. We want them to enjoy Taekwondo and to look forward to coming to class. Too much “homework” can discourage them. Plus, we have trained for years to learn how to perform and teach proper techniques.)      

SPARRING
Sparring is using controlled defense and attack techniques with light contact in short bouts with a partner/opponent in a safe environment. At Ridgeland Taekwondo America we introduce sparring gradually as explained below.

Step-Sparring: White – Orange Belts
White and Yellow Belt students learn One-Steps, combinations of 3-5 moves designed to help them prepare for future free sparring with a partner. Children learn three One-Step combinations and adults learn five combinations. Students first learn and perform the One-Steps without a partner. Once students know the One-Steps, they pair up to practice the One-Steps back and forth. One partner stands still in an attack position, while the other performs a One-Step toward them without making contact. 

Orange Belt students learn Sparring Combinations, which are similar to One-Steps, but they are not performed in a stationary position. Blocking and moving away from an attack, and making light contact, are introduced. Orange Belt students purchase sparring gear and once they know and have been tested for their Sparring Combinations, they may participate in Free Sparring with instructor supervision. 

Free-Sparring: Green Belts and Above
(and Orange Belts with instructor permission)
You may be wondering, “Won’t teaching kids to fight just encourage them to become more violent?” Actually, quite the opposite. Students are reminded regularly that they may not misuse taekwondo and that it’s not okay to start a fight. We teach students ways to avoid a fight and to use their words. Using physical force to protect themselves is a last resort. And, students who learn how to defend themselves tend to be more confident and are less likely to be the target of an attack.

Free sparring allows students to practice defensive and counter-attack techniques in a safe and controlled environment. Students are required to purchase and wear approved TA & Macho co-branded gear  which includes padded helmet, molded mouthpiece, elbow pads, hand pads, shin guards, foot pads, and all males must wear a cup. Students who do not have every piece of gear on are not allowed to participate in free sparring during that class.

Sparring teaches good sportsmanship, manners, self-control, focus and self-confidence. Only light contact is allowed and students practice techniques on targets to learn the difference between punching and kicking targets hard and making light contact with a sparring partner. Students learn a variety of combinations they can use in sparring, but the goal is for them to see open target areas on their partner/opponent and to combine a variety of techniques to score points.

Sparring also prepares students to defend themselves in a real life situation. Most people are not used to being attacked and freeze up if someone comes at them. Sparring teaches students to think quickly, to defend and counter attack. No, classroom sparring is not exactly like a real life fight, but it does allow students to practice blocking punches and to respond quickly without freezing — tactics that will increase the odds of a safe outcome should they ever be attacked.

WOOD BREAKING
At brown belt (students will have been through at least 7 two-month testing cycles by this point) students are required to break wood at testing. Students will have had plenty of practice by this time with re-breakable boards, targets and real wood. 

NON-SPARRING DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES
These techniques are what most non-martial artists think of when they hear the term “self-defense.” How do you get away if someone grabs you around the neck or by your arm or your hair? What do you do if someone shoves you against a wall? How do you deal with the bully on the playground or the obnoxious co-worker at the holiday party? What if the attacker is a whole lot bigger than you? Rarely does an incident need to be handled by punching or kicking the offender — as martial artists our goal is to try to make a situation more peaceful and to avoid a violent confrontation. We teach students how to avoid a grab, to use pressure points and counter grabs and even an attacker’s own body weight to end the attack. We periodically teach women’s self-defense clinics and Stranger Danger/Bully Awareness classes for kids at our school and can bring those classes to the public schools and businesses.

courtesy • integrity • perseverance • self-control • indomitable spirit