If you practice TaeKwondo, your training doesn’t have to stop at the school once class is over. You can continue your training at home if you have ample space inside or outside.
Practicing TaeKwonDo at home will include deciding whether to train inside, outside or in your garage. It will also determine what equipment you will need, plus how to warm up and how you should practice.
Keep reading as we break down the best way for you to train at home whether it be inside/outside, what equipment you can use, and how you should train.
Should I Train Inside Or Outside?
If you want to start training at home, you may be wondering if it would be better to train inside or outside? Both are good options, but it will really depend on how much space you have available and what type of training you want to do. Training inside or outside will also depend on where you live and if you live in an apartment or a house.
Later on we’ll list the positives and negatives on training inside or outside at your home, but first we’ll show you how to see if you have sufficient space to train inside.
Measuring Space Inside To Train
After you have chosen your desired area inside your home to train, the first thing you’ll need to do is to measure the area. Have some measuring tape handy and see the length and width of the space you’re working with. Regulation TaeKwondo mats are around 100 square feet or 8 square meters, so if you have space around these sizes, then you can possibly train inside.
Positives Of Training Inside
- Comfort: Unlike training outside, you don’t have to dress depending on how hot or cold the weather is. The temperature is controlled inside your home like at your TaeKwondo school, so you can train in comfort.
- No Rain Or Snow: You won’t have to worry about rain or snow disturbing your training like you would doing it outside. Your won’t run the risk of weather ruining your equipment either.
Negatives Of Training Inside
- Limited Space: Not everyone has adequate space to train inside their home. You may run into things or knock holes in your walls if you’re not careful.
- Questionable Floor Quality: Training on carpet or hardwood floors can lead to problems if you don’t have mats. Carpet can burn your skin or start to smell after a period of time and hardwood floors may start to warp after constant movement from training.
- Noise Problem: Training TaeKwondo is usually noisy and it may disrupt others inside the home. Especially your neighbors if you live on a higher floor of an apartment complex.
Positives Of Training Outside
- Ample Space: If you have a home with a large backyard, then you have ample space to train TaeKwondo at home. You could also mix in strength training if you wanted.
- Noise Is No Problem: In your backyard, you don’t have to worry about disrupting family members with your training.
- Get Fresh Air And Sun: It’s good to get outside and train from time to time if you can. Getting sun and fresh air is good for the body, especially when training.
Negatives Of Training Outside
- No Control Of Weather: When training outside, you can’t control what the weather is going to do. Inclement weather can end your workouts early and possibly ruin your equipment if you leave it outside.
- Not Having An Area Outside Available: Not everyone has backyard or area available to train outside. If you live in an apartment, then you probably don’t have this option available to you.
Training In Your Garage
By far the best option if you have one at your home is training in your garage. It has the best qualities of training inside and outside your home. You’re technically not in your house, so you won’t disturb others with the noise you’d make training and don’t have to worry about the weather since you’re under a roof.
You can also make your own personal gym with the permitted space you have. Everything from mats, bags, and mirrors like they have at the TaeKwondo school. Getting weights for your home gym is also a good option if want to incorporate strength training to go along with the TaeKwondo training.
What Equipment Will You Need?
The type of equipment you will need will depend on what type of TaeKwondo training you want to do and how much space you have available. Below is a list of equipment you can include in your training.
- Punching Bags: You’re definitely going to want a bag if you want to practice your combinations.bThere are a variety of bags on Amazon you can get that come in different shapes or sizes. You can hang a bag, but a simpler option would be a water based bag you can move around.
- Mats: If you don’t want to ruin your floor or hurt your feet, then mats would be a good idea to get. There are cheap options available on Amazon like folding mats or puzzle mats that are at most TaeKwondo schools.
- Mirror: Having a mirror is good to have, so you can see if you’re making any mistakes when doing your forms and combinations. Just like you would have in class.
- Jump Rope: Most schools have jump rope available for warm ups. It’s a great cardio option that takes up little to know space and gives a great workout.
- Weights: If you have the space, then adding weights to go along with your TaeKwonDo training will get your stronger and improve your skills. The best options are small dumbbells and kettlebells on Amazon, because they’re multidimensional and don’t take up much space.
How Should You Warm Up?
Before you begin training remember that you need a dynamic warm up to get your body ready for the workout. A good warm up will get your blood flowing and prevent injury.
Your warm up can include mixing rounds or sets of: jump rope, shadow boxing, jumping jack variations, push ups, squats, and ab workouts.
After you complete a few rounds of the exercises above, you then need to do the most important part of your warm up and that is Stretching.
Stretching is a vital must do in TaeKwondo, because this martial art requires good flexibility. Go through the same sequences of stretches you would do in class and definitely include the splits.
What Should You Practice?
You should practice almost as if you are in class. Focus on the technique of your combinations and go over forms. Always keep it simple and get your repetitions in.
An example of this could be practicing 10-20 reps of a few different kicks 3-5 times, while working on your forms before or after. You could also mix in weight training or do something such as push ups or sit ups after each round/set.
Your cool down should include stretches and breathing exercises to cool down your body and get your heart rate back down. Stretching after a workout also helps increase your flexibility and should be done frequently, while breathing exercises help you relax and focus.
How Often Should You Train At Home?
How often you should train at home depends on how much time you have in between your other priorities. But if your serious about learning TaeKwondo, you should make time to practice at home.
Generally, a person that practices TaeKwondo goes to class 2-3 days a week, so it would be a good idea to try and train the same amount of days at home. Though whatever time you can make for training is always beneficial.
Why You Shouldn’t Try To Learn On Your Own
The main reason why you shouldn’t try learning TaeKwondo on your own is for the simple fact that you’re not an expert. It is an exercise in futility to try and learn TaeKwondo from scratch on your own at home. To become efficient in this martial art, you have to do it the traditional way by attending a TaeKwondo school.
This is the proper way to really learn the martial art. It is great to practice at home, but to fully grasp TaeKwondo it must be learned within a class setting taught by a black belt instructor.
Why Should You Train At Home?
There is a reason why your TaeKwondo instructor always stresses that you should practice at home. You can only improve so much only practicing a few days a week in class. Practicing at home will help improve your abilities and could help you progress to your next belt faster. If you can train at home, then you should really make the time to practice.
If you need more reason to practice TaeKwondo at home look no further than Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee. Before his death at around 86 years old, he would take time out of everyday to diligently improve his skills, while strengthening his body and mind. Going through his routine of stretches, calisthenics, and always practicing his technique.
After reading through this article, we hope this information will encourage you to continue your TaeKwondo training at home after you leave the academy. TaeKwondo is a lifelong journey and you need to be committed to train nearly everyday, whether you’re training at the academy or in your home.
