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Fighting Fit:
Taekwon-Dodos

» SC Kim trains for tournaments—and nothing else

.

Adam Tatelman
A Staff Writer

practiced a little taekwondo

(TKD) when I was seven-
years-old, and I don’t recall
liking it much. That’s probably
because I never really got over
that time the instructors told
me the Power Rangers weren't
real. Fifteen years later, |
decided it was time to pay a
visit to SC Kim’s Taekwondo
and recapture those early years
of martial practice. Did I like it

TKD’s reputation as the
daycare of martial arts is apt,
but somewhat undeserved.
While it is true that many TKD
practitioners start young and
advance quickly, this is partly
because TKD is a cultural and
military tradition in Korea.
Many Korean families in
Canada enroll their children
from a young age. Although
this is certainly beneficial for
teaching discipline and fitness,
I would hesitate to make any
teenage kids into black belts
even when they are good
fighters. The martial arts, like
driving, are skills that require a
respect and responsibility that
only comes with maturity.

My first impression of SC
Kim’s was mixed. The place
was well-attended and stocked
with expensive fighting
equipment, but seeing 15-year-

: old kids helping to lead practice :
: while openly deriding their

: subordinates put me off. “That
: was pretty bad,” is not a valid

: criticism of technique in my

: books. Young practitioners will
: usually be more interested in

: their own practice than aiding
? someone else’s, so why make

: them assistant instructors?

However, if you like cardio,

: there’s a lot of that in TKD.

: That, and stretching. We did

: five pushups in the entire

: class, so there is little strength
: conditioning. You'll get flexible, :
any better this time? Not really. ; sure, but I've never found head-
: level kicks to be very practical

: ina real fight. There are a few

: self-defence takedowns to

: learn, but the great focus of SC
: Kim’s brand of taekwondo is

: tournament fighting.

Don’t get me wrong—

: tournaments are a fine and

: honourable thing. But you

: should not promote your

: training as self-defence if

: tournament fighting is your

: purpose. Tournaments have

: referees, rules, restrictions, and
: rest periods. Combat does not.

: This is reflected in training;

: commercialized TKD bears

: little resemblance to military

: TKD, While lam sure the

: school produces well-trained

: tournament fighters, I would

: much rather have a boxer at my
: side in a bar brawl.

I also question the use of

kick paddles in TKD training.

When struck with even

: moderate force, a kick paddle

: generates a resounding smack.
: The kicker hears this and

: thinks “wow, that was a good

: kick,” thus overestimating

: himself. Then he wonders

: why the same kick doesn’t

: instantly drop a pissed-off

: rugby player who thinks the

: kicker was ogling his girlfriend.
: Kick a bag; this simulates a

: heavy opponent. If you want to
: practice precision, draw some

: dots on it and kick those.

So, is TKD effective? I

: don’t know, because I’ve never
: practiced the combat version.
: The practitioners at SC Kim

: wouldn’t even spar with me

: without protective tournament
: gear. That told me everything
: I needed to know. If you can’t
: even practice fighting without
: pads, what happens if you get
; jumped on the way home at

: night? “Oh, hang on a minute
: mister mugger, I just need to

: put in my mouth-guard...”

Maybe I’m bitter. After all,

: my day just isn’t complete if

: I don’t get to go a few rounds

: with a friend. But such are the
: trials of the travelling warrior.
: SC Kim’s Taekwondo is a high
: quality school if and only if

: you want lots of cardio and a

: tournament focus. Otherwise,
: give it a miss.

SC Kim’s is located at 4603

Kingsway and McKay, across
: from Metrotown in Burnaby.

( Halfway there
(¥ National Coaches Week roundup

And more!

 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTRUCTION CONF PTS
DOUGLAS 7-2-2 23
VIU 6-3-2 20
QUEST 5-4-2 17
LANGARA 4-5-2 14
KPU 3-4-4 3
CAPILANO 1-8-2 5

MEN'S SOCCER

INSTRUCTION CONF PTS
DOUGLAS 6-2-3 21
VIU 5-2-4 19
KPU 5-33 18
CAPILANO 3-5-2 u
LANGARA 2-4-4 10
QUEST 2-7-2 8

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Profile: Tiffany O’Krane

» A look at the captain of the women’s soccer team

Davie Wong
Sports Reporter

Tie O’Krane is a fifth-
year player and the captain
of the Royals’ women’s soccer
team. Her position as the
central midfielder allows her
to contribute with a beautiful
combination of fluid offence
and steadfast defence, making
her an integral component of
the Royals.

She is at Douglas pursuing
a diploma in Sports Science
with a specialization in
Recreation. After that, she

: plans on obtaining her master’s
: degree in Leadership.

Ever since she could run,

: Tiffany has been playing soccer.
: She began at the young age

: of four and has been playing

: soccer at a very high level ever
: since. During her adolescent

: years, she played at the metro
: level, the highest there was,

: and when the Vancouver

: Whitecaps had a junior team

: for youth, she played for them
: as well.

This is her third year of

playing for the Royals and
: her second year as captain of

: the team. O’Krane enjoys her

: leadership position as it allows
: her to be a role model to her

: younger teammates, and she

: hopes to have a big impact on

: and off the field. The title of

: captain brings a great amount

: of pressure, but she has proven
: time and time again that she is
: up to the challenge.

After Douglas, she plans

: to continue playing soccer at a
: high level and to one day run

: a successful soccer academy in
: the Lower Mainland.

 

Photo via Douglas College Student Services