Many times when we talk about combination in competition sparring, it is always usually about a combination of two or kicking techniques. Maybe at a start let's have some thoughts on our punching techniques. In competition sparring, because it seems harder to score with hands or many players are always trained in their kicking techniques more or even the fact that our punches are not that strong to score a point, punches are seldom or in fact not used at all. But sometimes even

though our punching power may not be strong enough to score a point, it should not be neglected as it is a useful technique in combination. I would think that at least if it is not strong as a punch, it can be a jab instead. The main thing is that it will at least have to create some kind of shock or pause the opponent's action so that we can score with our kicks.

So what is the combination attack technique we can use. It could simply be a punch followed by a turning kick technique. How can this be applied in sparring? When the opponent comes near, aim straight at the protector, performed a punching technique and followed up fast by a turning kick to the flank of the protector. If the punch is solid enough and the kick is fast enough the opponent will have less time to react to the kicking technique.

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It is important that in sparring, it is never like kicking targets. No matter how we train our speed and strength when in the bout it is different. Sometimes even so about the things and advantages one have if the player has speed, speed is sometimes depended on the genes or rather whether you have fast twitched muscles. Some people can just kick fast because they can snap fast and react fast. Of course it also depends on the training, the more flexible one is, the player can also kick faster.

In Taekwondo, if both have the same speed or the opponent is faster than you. Does that mean you are bound to lose? That is the interesting thing about Taekwondo game and perhaps other sports. It takes more than just speed to win. To counter that, probably a little input of playing smart can come in.

What it meant by playing smart? For example reading your opponent's movements could be one and do not allow your opponent to keep scoring on the same spot could be another. Once you encountered that change your style fast or change another technique to score back.
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Side step is a useful footwork technique in sparring as it changes the direction and focus of the opponent on you and you on the opponent. As the name goes, side step. It means moving to the side when let's say you are facing the opponent. Side step is useful in both as a feint when attacking and defending. Usually during practice, we were told to move 45 degrees either left or right.

Same theory applies as the rest of the footwork it is important that we slide rather then jump when doing side step. Instead of just moving backward or forward, we can have another option of moving side step.

In fact by doing this technique at certain times may surprise the opponent and that's where we can score.



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The double turning kick is one effective technique that allows the player to score twice fast or if not in the case that the first attack is missed, it allows another attack to gain point. In short a double turning allows a player to gain points fast at the right timing. It is also a technique to deter the opponent from countering easily.

The double turning technique can first be trained in doing single turning kicks to get the momentum. To start off, first the player can do a single turning kick and this time round hold the knee up after kicking and after that perform another turning kick using the other leg. After the second kick is performed, continue to hold the knee up.

Continue doing this exercise for several times and ensure that each turning kick is done properly. The main thing about this exercise is to feel that the hip should go in and that a double turning kick is actually two single turning kicks without landing after the first kick.

After this exercise, perform a double turning kick to get the feel of the proper technique.

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This video features the martial arts aspect of Taekwondo instead of the sport aspect. Even though the skills acquired from training the sport could be applied in martial art aspect but the training sometimes lack the focus of other important techniques such as

punching, back fist and palm strike. In this video it even show that the knee is used in Taekwondo which often in sport Taekwondo it is not.

The whole video shows that Taekwondo martial art really shows the way of the hand and the feet which in real situation all of these can be utilised and not just the kicking techniques.

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Now in Taekwondo Park itself, besides the place for people to train, to have fun, there is like another purpose which is to share its knowledge and have the academy to serve as an international academic center of the WTF for studies, education and research of taekwondo.

This to me seems like another agenda which is to maintain the place as an Olympic official sport. But besides the fact that it is for the sport, the park and academy probably are built to maintain the culture and the art aspect.


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This is a video that is somewhat interesting especially in a competition style. The 2 on 2 sparring may sometimes be conducted during training just to let the students have some variation in sparring but in a competition style is an almost complete different story. Now it looks

like it must have teamwork involve in the sparring instead of the individual games. It may be more exciting when the teamwork is really good seeing the good set of cooperation between the two players.

In the past during training, we use to have 2 on 1 sparring and maybe 2 on 2 sparring. But when you are in a team and when you represent for competitions, it is really just training that focuses on 1 on 1 sparring. If there will be a competition that has team sparring, it may means that there will be more events for Taekwondo and not just individual categories.

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