SC Kim trains for tournamentsâand nothing else
By Adam Tatelman, Staff Writer
I practiced a little taekwondo (TKD) when I was seven-years-old, and I donât recall liking it much. Thatâs probably because I never really got over that time the instructors told me the Power Rangers werenât real. Fifteen years later, I decided it was time to pay a visit to SC Kimâs Taekwondo and recapture those early years of martial practice. Did I like it any better this time? Not really.
TKDâs reputation as the daycare of martial arts is apt, but somewhat undeserved. While it is true that many TKD practitioners start young and advance quickly, this is partly because TKD is a cultural and military tradition in Korea. Many Korean families in Canada enroll their children from a young age. Although this is certainly beneficial for teaching discipline and fitness, I would hesitate to make any teenage kids into black belts even when they are good fighters. The martial arts, like driving, are skills that require a respect and responsibility that only comes with maturity.
My first impression of SC Kimâs was mixed. The place was well-attended and stocked with expensive fighting equipment, but seeing 15-year-old kids helping to lead practice while openly deriding their subordinates put me off. âThat was pretty bad,â is not a valid criticism of technique in my books. Young practitioners will usually be more interested in their own practice than aiding someone elseâs, so why make them assistant instructors?
However, if you like cardio, thereâs a lot of that in TKD. That, and stretching. We did five pushups in the entire class, so there is little strength conditioning. Youâll get flexible, sure, but Iâve never found head-level kicks to be very practical in a real fight. There are a few self-defence takedowns to learn, but the great focus of SC Kimâs brand of taekwondo is tournament fighting.
Donât get me wrongâtournaments are a fine and honourable thing. But you should not promote your training as self-defence if tournament fighting is your purpose. Tournaments have referees, rules, restrictions, and rest periods. Combat does not. This is reflected in training; commercialized TKD bears little resemblance to military TKD. While I am sure the school produces well-trained tournament fighters, I would much rather have a boxer at my side in a bar brawl.
I also question the use of kick paddles in TKD training. When struck with even moderate force, a kick paddle generates a resounding smack. The kicker hears this and thinks âwow, that was a good kick,â thus overestimating himself. Then he wonders why the same kick doesnât instantly drop a pissed-off rugby player who thinks the kicker was ogling his girlfriend. Kick a bag; this simulates a heavy opponent. If you want to practice precision, draw some dots on it and kick those.
So, is TKD effective? I donât know, because Iâve never practiced the combat version. The practitioners at SC Kim wouldnât even spar with me without protective tournament gear. That told me everything I needed to know. If you canât even practice fighting without pads, what happens if you get jumped on the way home at night? âOh, hang on a minute mister mugger, I just need to put in my mouth-guard…â
Maybe Iâm bitter. After all, my day just isnât complete if I donât get to go a few rounds with a friend. But such are the trials of the travelling warrior. SC Kimâs Taekwondo is a high quality school if and only if you want lots of cardio and a tournament focus. Otherwise, give it a miss.
SC Kimâs is located at 4603 Kingsway and McKay, across from Metrotown in Burnaby.
