FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  1. How old do you have to be to train?

    We accept students starting from 3 years old; there is not upper age limit. Taekwondo can help keep you healthy well into old age.

  2. Do you need any prior experience to attend class?

    No experience is needed to begin training. We also welcome students with prior experience in Taekwondo or other martial arts.

  3. What if I have an injury or illness?

    First, please check with your doctor to make sure you can begin an exercise program. When you are ready, Taekwondo can help you achieve your goals. There is something here for everyone, whether the goal is spiritual development or losing weight.

  4. How much does it cost to train at your school?

    We have several course plans available. Please call or come in so that we may arrange a special plan for you. Tuition is due in full before commencing training.

  5. What is a typical class like?

    Classes consist of meditation, warm-ups, practice of forms, kicking techniques, target practice, weapons training, one-step sparring, and light contact sparring. The actual content of the class will vary depending on the makeup of the class (e.g. a mixed class with women, men and children).

  6. What is a Ki-ap?

    Ki-ap literally means a unification with Ki or bringing together of Ki (internal energy). A Ki-ap is a strong forceful vocalized exhalation. In other words, it is like a shout. The Ki-ap is very important to the Taekwondo practitioner for many reasons, including both physical, and psychological.

    To begin with, the Ki-ap really is a bringing together of energy, as you focus your spirit into one single shout. In the long ago past, when facing an opponent, the victor was already determined by the power of one's Ki-ap. Scientifically speaking, a loud forceful Ki-ap will help the body to contract its muscles at the same time. This contraction of the muscles helps to concentrate all of the body's energy upon one single point.

    A good example can be when a martial artist is preparing to break a board or a brick. In order to have a successful break, it is important to remain relaxed, until the last minute, when the body tenses as the hand or foot breaks through the board. One should remain relaxed until the moment of impact. The Ki-ap plays a key role to aid the body as it tenses or contracts at a specific point, or at the precise moment it is needed .

    Ki-ap can also benefit a person mentally as it affects both the practitioner and the opponent. A strong Ki-ap can startle or scare an opponent, especially someone with no martial arts experience, and therefore gain the initiative or first move for the practitioner. There is also a positive feeling of Ki-ap by the martial artist; a strong Ki-ap simply feels good, and can stimulate the individual. It can also help in relieving stress.

    Finally, a Ki-ap is not just a method of instilling discipline by over emotional masters or instructors. It has very important uses that are healthy for the body and mind, as well as unsettling to a potential danger or opponent.

  7. How often should I train?

    Students may attend as many classes as they wish throughout the week. However, in order to get the most benefit from training, students should come a minimum of three times a week.

  8. Is there a sparring class?

    There are light or no contact sparring drills during the course of regular classes. Contact below the belt and to the head is prohibited. Full-gear sparring classes will only be offered at the 106 Woodbury Road location.

  9. What is the belt system?

    In Taekwondo, the student's status is shown by the color of the belt worn. At each belt level, the student achieves better mental and physical power, concentration, and relaxation. When the student starts, he holds a white belt to indicate that he is a beginner. The student progresses to the yellow belt, then to yellow-high, blue, blue-high, red, red-high, brown, brown-high, red & black, and finally the black belt, the highest color belt. As a black belt, the student understands the basic principles of the martial art, and is on his way to learning the highest and the most advanced techniques in Taekwondo.

    As a student progresses in his belt levels and degrees, he gradually increases in physical strength, mental power, self-confidence, and self-control. He also increases his ability to relax and gain total concentration and focus.

    The black belt level progresses from the 1st to 9th degree in Taekwondo. Achieving the highest levels takes years of hard work, persistence, and training under well-qualified masters.

    Once achieving the level of 4th Dan black belt, a Taekwondo practitioner is recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation headquartered in Korea as a Master and has earned the right to teach others without supervision, run his/her own school, and promote black belts. Upon achieving 7th Dan black belt, the practitioner is given the title of Grandmaster and is considered to have the highest levels of knowledge, training, and experience in Taekwondo. As a Grandmaster one is also given the right to promote other Masters.

  10. What is a Promotion Test?

    A Promotion Test is a process to check each individual's mental and physical development from training to evaluate each individual's skill so that they can reach their certain goal of training.

    Its purpose is to develop the student's mental and physical ability and to give him or her an opportunity to achieve the Poom and Dan approved by the World Taekwondo Federation, Kukkiwon which is located in Seoul, South Korea.

    This system gives students the chance to be evaluated on their mental, physical, and technical developments from training so that they can be ready to take on a higher level of mental and physical training .

    All students of Young's Taekwondo School must be evaluated on the results of their training by a master, and they have the duty to give more effort in training as a result of the Promotion Test.

    Promotion Tests take place six (6) times a year and the students must participate in 25 or more classes in order to qualify to take the Promotion Test from the Master and Instructor.

    1. This is only for the students of Young's Taekwondo School.
    2. All students must follow the Promotion Test Regulations of Young's Taekwondo School and must wear the approved uniform.
    3. Students who pass a Promotion Test must wear their new belts.

  11. What are the fees for promotion tests?

    The fees vary, depending on the level/belt for which the student is testing. Please see Master Choi for more information.

  12. What are students expected to do during a promotion test?

    A promotion test is similar to a regular class. However, students are expected do their best to demonstrate what they have learned, as well as embody more and more the spirit of the Taekwondo practitioner. Taekwondo is not only about physical prowess, but also about mental and spiritual development.

  13. What is board breaking?

    While it is true that boards do not kick back, breaking is a demonstration of the power and control that the student achieves through the study of martial arts. It is the ability to focus and direct one's mental power, positive energy, and physical strength to a specific point on a target in order to break it. Although it is not the main goal of the art, breaking is still one of its most interesting, exciting, and spectacular aspects.

    A human target obviously cannot be used to demonstrate breaking. Instead, the master and students demonstrate their power on wooden boards, bricks, rocks, cement blocks, and even sometimes cast-iron bars. Breaking helps develop and improve personal speed and power. It helps one mark one's progress, and also demonstrates to one's instructor the personal progress one has made.

  14. How long does it take to get a black belt?

    Typically, it takes about 2 years. Some students with prior experience may qualify to take the 1st Dan promotion test in as little as six months.