Taekwondo Tournaments
For those looking for a competitive club
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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.
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Rules of Olympic Taekwondo
The rules of Olympic taekwondo allow for competitors to score with their feet or their fists.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
