Friday, September 4, 2009

I just can’t do it…

… Those were my thoughts at our last training session. My body is letting me down! I know I’ve not been training in TKD for long, so this will probably not be the only time I’ll have to pass this hurdle. However this is the first time for me and I know it’ll require a lot of work to get over it.

The situation is simple, I’ve started learning the basic side kick just as I got promoted to green belt (we start using kicks rather late in our school and the reasons why are more than apparent to me at the moment) at the beginning of July, and I’m really struggling with it. Not that I have bad coordination, or for the lack of trying, but my body is letting me down good and proper. I lack the strength (the main issue) and the flexibility (a minor problem just now, but this will become more of an issue for higher kicks) in my hips to execute the technique correctly. I know what I’m doing wrong, I know how I should do it correctly, but I physically can’t. I’m not even trying to kick high, hip height at most.
So far I’ve progressed really well in my training (disclaimer: this is my personal opinion and may not reflect the thoughts and views of my master or my fellow students. Hahaha) and, given enough practice, I managed to at least get the techniques I’ve learnt reasonably correct. But no matter how hard I try, the side kick eludes me. This to me is very frustrating, but I will not give in that easily!
So my plan for the next two months is to really focus on building up strength in my hips and working on my flexibility outside of our regular classes, with the ultimate goal of finally nailing that elusive side kick. I shall try and post regular updates on my progress, but I can’t promise anything at this stage :-P
Wish me luck…