So in preparation for the recent trip I went to our local library and checked out every book they had on martial arts. Two are worth a review with this post being the first.
Taekwondo Techniques & Tactics by Park and Seabourne
From the back cover: “Whether you’re just starting out or are a serious student…you can learn to make more effective use of your body’s natural weapons…master taekwondo’s most effective breakfalls, stances, arm strikes, kicks, blocks, and steps…Develop your own personal moves and combinations. And learn effective self-defense adaptations for times when the rules of the dojang don’t apply.”
One thing that really stood out is how the authors balance the sport side of taekwondo with it’s self-defense roots. Moreover, the authors encourage you to adapt the art to your body type and personality: “Use the techniques that work best for your body structure, your personality, and the demands of each situation…practice kicks that are practical for your leg length, and tailor arm strikes to fit your upper-body strength…use what works for you and discard the rest.” (Preface, VIII)
I’ve read dozens of takewondo books and more often than not they never cover non-traditional hand techniques. This book is one of the exceptions so for that alone I recommend it to beginners. It provides brief descriptions and self-defense applications of the following:
- The jab
- The hook
- The non-chambered back-fist
The book also covers the fundamental traditional strikes including the palm-heel, the knife-edge, the reverse punch, and the elbow. Better still, it offers suggestions on how to use the hand techniques to set-up leg strikes.
So, if you are a high dan who’s mired in nothing but chambered punches you might want to take a look at this one. It can teach you two or three very useful hand techniques to supplement your other taekwondo skills–especially when it comes to self-defense. It’s also a really good book for beginners. It does not cover everything but it does touch on all aspects of taekwondo and samples most of the basic techniques.
~BCP
[tags]taekwondo, self-defense, reviews, book reviews[/tags]
I thought I should just add that there’s a really good Taekwondo book in the market that should be in everyone’s kit bag.
The One TKD Book You Must Get, 15 Jan 2008 is by Stuart Anslow, a friend of mine in the UK who is a fantastic and very knowledgeable instructor.
Colin – Thanks for that!
I’ll see if I can grab a copy. I’ve blogged about this before but the most comprehensive book on the subject that I ever found is Tedeschi’s Taekwondo. It’s pricey but you probably can find a used copy.
http://books.google.com/books?id=6W4OAQAACAAJ&dq=tedeschi+taekwondo
I’m a yellow/green belt and I’ve recently found a tactic that fits me a lot. This tactic means when your opponent attacks, jump back as slightly as possible and straight after their attack kick them in the back where they have protection. I read a book once and it said when somebody attacks, their weakest time is straight after (considering you dodged the hit or took it without falling or getting hurt) and I find this quite useful, and in the end I ended up cornering a red belt. (Though, to be fair, even though he was the same size as me he was two years younger than me so yeah.) I’m 13 years old (uh… Pretty old to be a low belt) and my sparring partner is 11 years old. Cheers, and good luck to the Taekwondo people who is taking part in the olympics!
Hi Tif – I think you are correct about that. Cheers!