Taekwondo is a great martial art to learn, and it offers a wide range of benefits.
These include improved fitness, discipline, and self-defense skills. However, a lot of martial arts can be pretty painful to learn – so how does Taekwondo compare?
In this guide, we’ll take a look at whether or not learning Taekwondo can be painful, as well as some ways you can avoid getting hurt during Taekwondo training.
We’ll also cover which parts of Taekwondo are the most painful to learn; so if you’re interested in learning Taekwondo but you’re worried about getting hurt, read on!
Does Learning Taekwondo Hurt?
Like with most other martial arts, Taekwondo can be painful to learn at times.
First and foremost, Taekwondo includes a wide variety of moves and exercises that can use a lot of energy, so it’s not uncommon to get some sore muscles after a more intense training session like you would with any other workout.
Additionally, Taekwondo is a combat sport and practitioners often spar and fight each other for both training and competitive purposes.
While Taekwondo fights aren’t about dealing a load of damage to your opponent and are more focused on skill and technique, it still isn’t fun being kicked in the head.
So while many parts of Taekwondo are relatively painless, just as much is likely to leave you aching and bruised.
With that said, however, Taekwondo training is far less painful than other, more intense martial arts.
Some martial arts like Muay Thai and Krav Maga are known for their toughness and brutality, while any fighting style that involves grapples and throws is likely to leave you aching the next day!
Additionally, Taekwondo training puts a lot of emphasis on practicing techniques and form.
This is solo training, and won’t put you at any risk of injury as long as you warm up properly first.
If you’re practicing drills and patterns, then it’s a good idea to do some stretches beforehand so you can practice high kicks without pulling a muscle.
Overall, some parts of Taekwondo training can be more painful than others.
However, you aren’t likely to sustain any major injuries while learning Taekwondo, and the worst you might have to deal with is sore muscles and some bruising.
This can be pretty painful, but in general, Taekwondo doesn’t hurt too much to learn.
Can Taekwondo Be Dangerous?
Luckily, while you might get a few bumps and bruises while learning Taekwondo, it’s still a relatively safe martial art. Many parts of training are solo and prioritize practicing form and techniques.
Even exercises like sparring, which involves practicing fighting against an opponent, doesn’t involve any dangerous aspects.
The worst you might have to deal with is a sore head and body; even then, you’ll be wearing equipment like helmets and chest guards to protect you from any major injuries.
Some parts of Taekwondo training do have a higher risk of injury, such as sparring and weapons training, but these types of training involve wearing protective gear to reduce the possibility of getting hurt.
As a result, Taekwondo isn’t a dangerous martial art to learn.
While some forms of training can be riskier than others, there’s nothing to worry about as long as you practice sensibly and safely.
Can You Avoid Getting Hurt In Taekwondo?
Just because you’re learning Taekwondo doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a ton of pain, however.
Learning and practicing Taekwondo doesn’t necessarily have to hurt – at least, not from the technical side.
When it comes to the more practical side of Taekwondo training, however, it’s hard to avoid getting at least a few bumps and bruises.
In sparring, for example, chances are you’re going to get hit; in this case, wearing the right sparring gear will protect you from any serious harm.
If you’re interested in learning Taekwondo but you’re worried about getting hurt, consider which parts of Taekwondo training you’re comfortable learning and sit out the rest; most instructors won’t mind.
As mentioned earlier, some parts of Taekwondo training involve learning how to use and defend yourself against various types of weapons.
These include escrima sticks, bo staffs, nunchucks, and kamas.
While these weapons can be dangerous if used incorrectly, most training with them doesn’t involve weapon-to-body contact.
Additionally, bladed weapons like kamas and sai knives are blunt for training purposes.
It can hurt if you catch an escrima stick to the fingers, but any weapon training involves wearing protective equipment like gloves and head guards to keep you safe.
What Taekwondo Training Is Contact-Free?
There isn’t really any non-contact training in Taekwondo that puts you at risk of getting hurt, so this can be a great way to practice Taekwondo without having to worry about injury.
These types of training include drills (short sequences of moves), patterns (longer series of both offensive and defensive moves that focus mostly on form), and shadow-boxing (a form of sparring without any physical opponent).
However, these forms of training aren’t totally risk-free either; practicing high kicks and more complex moves and forms without warming up can easily lead to a pulled muscle, so make sure you do some stretches beforehand!
Taekwondo isn’t just about learning how to fight, and a lot of training revolves around principles such as discipline, respect, and self-control.
This means that not all Taekwondo training involves contact – and as a result, there’s plenty to learn in Taekwondo without having to get hurt.
Final Thoughts
It’s natural to be worried about getting hurt when you’re starting out at a martial art. Luckily, Taekwondo is a great martial art to learn if you want to reduce the risk of injury.
While some parts of Taekwondo – like sparring and weapons training – can be painful, you generally don’t have anything to worry about as long as you wear the right protective gear and stay sensible.
So if you’re interested in learning Taekwondo but don’t want to get hurt, don’t worry!
Taekwondo is one of the safest martial arts to learn; and even if you’re worried about getting injured, there’s plenty of training to do risk-free!
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