Taekwondo Exercises

Taekwondo is a traditional Korean martial art that utilizes a wide variety of punching, striking and kicking techniques. From sparring to breaking boards, taekwondo requires peak physical fitness to help you perform at your best. While many types of strength training and aerobic exercise offer rewards for your practice, a select few are tailored to target the specific muscles used in taekwondo.

  1. Front Kick Core Exercise

    • This taekwondo exercise modifies the common front kick in order to activate an intensive core strengthening exercise. Start by standing straight with your feet together next to a wall. Tighten your abs and slowly raise your right knee until the thigh is parallel with the ground. Gradually straighten your right leg while counting to the number eight, as recommended by Taekwondo-Information.com. Rest your arm against the wall to help maintain balance as you keep your spine erect. Bend your knee and retract your leg until your foot rests on the floor. Repeat as needed, up to 10 times for each leg.

    Burst Strength Pushups

    • Extra strength won’t help you much if you haven’t developed your fast-twitch response muscles. These are the crucial engines that allow you to produce a maximal effort in a short period of time, such as during a punch or strike. To increase your burst strength, start by lying on the ground with your body in push-up position. Ball your hands into fists so that all of your body weight is resting on your knuckles. Keep your wrists straight as you push up from the ground quickly, as though you were punching with both hands. Slowly lower your body until your chest is 2 to 3 inches from the ground before snapping back up. Perform three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions as needed.

    Sidekick Exercise

    • Like the front kick exercise, this maneuver helps tone your core muscles while targeting your quadriceps. Start by standing with your feet together and your left hand resting on a wall. Lift your right knee so that it is parallel to the ground, but this time extend it out to the side. Count to eight as you open your hip joints, sending your foot out in a horizontal line from your body. As your leg kicks out, let your upper body bend to the opposite side until your left shoulder is aligned with your hips – forming a straight line between your left shoulder and your right hip, knee and foot. Retract your leg for a count of eight seconds before placing it in the starting position and repeating 10 times for each leg.

    Sparring Exercise

    • An average taekwondo class can burn between 752 and 1,123 calories per hour, depending on your body weight, according to MayoClinic.com. A fair percent of those calories are burned by the intensive aerobic exercise known as sparring practice. When you spar, you and an opponent square off and simulate a live combat experience. When you spar, be sure to wear the proper face, hand and foot protection to ensure safety as you weave in and out, attacking and defending against your opponent. Since your mind is busy calculating distances and techniques, it’s easy to forget that your heart is pounding and your breath rate has increased. For best results, find a sparring partner who can meet outside of class and engage in regular fighting sessions.