Taekwondo Tournaments
For those looking for a competitive club
Tournaments happen throughout the year at different venues around the province. Check the Tournament information board in the Practice gym for dates, times and cost.
Rules of Olympic Taekwondo
The rules of Olympic taekwondo allow for competitors to score with their feet or their fists.
But athletes know the best way to make an impression on the judges is to score with the feet. Nothing gets the attention of a judge — or one’s opponent — more than a swift kick to the side of the head.
Most world-class taekwondo competitors know the techniques. The key, U.S. national coach Han Won Lee says, is to recognize opportunity. “Taekwondo is like ‘Rock, paper, scissors,'” says Lee, a two-time Olympian and a bronze medal winner when taekwondo was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Games in Seoul. “If there’s an offensive move, there’s a defensive move. There’s a counter to defense moves, and counter to counter moves, and counter to offensive, and so on.”
Counter Roundhouse
Counter roundhouse kick (also known as badochagi kick) is countering the opponent’s technique with a roundhouse kick. When the opponent is attacking with the back side, whether it’s the roundhouse kick or ax kick, you counter with a back leg roundhouse kick by drawing the front foot back and turning the hip over and kicking with the back leg.
Roundhouse
There are many different types of roundhouse kicks, and in taekwondo competition, 90 percent of the points are scored with a roundhouse kick. Less than 10 percent includes a back kick, ax kick, spin hook kick, and so on. This type of roundhouse kick is more of an offensive roundhouse kick.
Back Kick
The back kick is a counter kick to anything coming towards the open side. If an opponent attacks with a roundhouse kick or ax kick to the open side, the best best way to counter that move is with a back kick.
Turn Kick
This is called Narabang, or turn kick. You turn and kick, giving you a little bit of an illusion that the person’s going to do a spinning hook kick, or a back kick. But it turns out to be a roundhouse kick. So there’s a little bit of a hesitation, and that’s enough for you to come and score with a front leg roundhouse kick.
Spinning hook
The spinning hook kick is very difficult to connect with. We call it the ‘lottery’ kick. You don’t win lotto every day. It is also a very powerful and intimidating, so we use this kick to intimidate the opponent so they don’t always move in with ease.