Want to be a Great Taekwondo Athlete? Here's where the hard work starts.

Becoming a great taekwondo athlete takes years and years of hard training.

So if you're looking for a quick route to martial arts fitness you're going to be disappointed!

Here's a great video clip of Master Park Kil-Jun and one of his students.

They are both supreme athletes performing lay-out somersaults from a standing position.

To reach this level of skill requires incredible strength, fitness and co-ordination.

So how do you reach this level of martial arts fitness?

You work on lots of things all at the same time!

• You work on your aerobic fitness. Your endurance. The best way to do this?... Is distance running. Ideally 30 minutes to an hour 2 or 3 times a week.
• You work on your anaerobic fitness. This means sprints, stair runs, jumping and leaping.
• You build up your strength. Exercises where you use your own body weight rather than pumping iron are generally best for martial artists.
• You work on your co-ordination. You practice your basic techniques, your patterns and you learn to break fall and roll.
• You stretch to get flexible and mobile. This lets you do good techniques and keeps your posture good. And you get injured less!
• You develop fast reflexes and timing by sparring. Sparring also helps you build the mental strength to think under pressure.
• You look after yourself. You get enough sleep and eat well.

Phew! That's a lot of stuff.

Yes it is. But if you want the benefits of great martial arts fitness that's what you have to do!

And to reach Master Park's level?...

...takes time.

Lots of time.

Be prepared to be practicing for a while if you want to get this good!

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