The turning kick was the problem, but balance was the real subject of the course. My client, aged 66, came to me with a very clear brief. He wanted to improve his turning kick so he could pass his yellow belt grading in taekwondo. It sounds simple. Lift the knee, pivot the supporting foot, turn the hip, extend the leg, recover, land. Anyone who has trained striking arts knows it is rarely that tidy once the body starts moving under pressure.

This client suffered a head injury years ago. He later took up Taekwondo to help improve his condition. He came to me for wider conditioning. I have trained in Korean martial arts for decades, but this booking has been a clear reminder of the value of looking outside one system.

A lot of people think kicking is mainly about flexibility. Flexibility helps, of course, but it’s not the main issue when moving from one kick to another. The real challenge is this: can the body stay organised while one leg is in the air? For my client, we worked on transitioning from one kick to another without putting his foot down. In taekwondo, this sort of control matters. A student might need to chamber the leg, kick, bring it back, turn the hip, and kick again.

My 66 year-old client embarked on his sixth hour with me. This is a martial arts cross-training personal training course used to improve his movement in taekwondo and to improve his balance for the turning kick. Despite not being involved with Korean martial arts since the 1990s, I am working with a lot of taekwodoins who wish to use other martial arts, such as boxing to improve their overall game. This afternoon, being so close to his grading, I decided to totally work on

Starting martial arts later in life can be a rewarding way to improve balance, coordination, and overall fitness. My 66-year-old client, who has a history of a serious head injury affecting his balance, recently began training to regain control and confidence in his movements. He trains in Tai Chi and Taekwondo at local clubs. I am not a Taekwondo teacher, but he sought me out to help him on his journey when he encountered some fundamental issues that needed some personal att

There is an overly simplistic adage that one should master one discipline before moving on to another. Well, it's not really much of a wise proverb outside of the often tribalistic and insular subculture of martial arts. Go to a regular school, and students are expected to not only study a wide range of subjects but often several similar subjects. Yet, when it comes to martial arts, there appears to be this pervading idea that you need to get to a certain level before you sho