Tuesday, July 31, 2007

2007 Tae Kwon Do World Championships on DVD

Held in 2007 in Beijing, the 18th WTF Taekwondo World Championships DVD showcases the best taekwondo players in the world today as they begin their quest for Olympic Gold in 2008. You get high quality WTF taekwondo action filmed at ringside. Over 4 hours of footage including all of the men's and women's gold medal matches. See competitors from Korea, USA, Thailand, Mexico, Croatia, Iran, Cuba, Spain, China, Canada, France, and Chinese Taipei compete for the title of 2007 Taekwondo World Champion.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

In these free self-defense lessons, Sang H. Kim teaches defenses against a single-hand shoulder grab:













More self-defense instructional videos

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Save on New Taekwondo DVD Sets

Save big when you order any of our new taekwondo DVD sets including:

Taekwondo Kicking DVD Set $49

Learn the complete system of taekwondo kicks - over 60 kicks in all including basic kicks, jumping kicks, spinning kicks, double and triple kicks and aerokicks. Over 2 hours of instruction featuring slow motion, multiple angles, applications and training methods.

Taekwondo Sparring 3 DVD Set $75

With over 4 hours of instruction on 3 DVDs, this set takes you from the fundamentals through elite level taekwondo sparring skills, techniques, drills and strategies. This set will provide years of training and a continuing challenge well into the black belt ranks.

Complete Taekwondo Sparring DVD Set $49

A complete course in the fundamentals of full contact taekwondo sparring, this 2 DVD set has nearly 3 hours of progressive instruction from reconized taekwondo expert Sang H. Kim. Learn the essentials of attacking, counterattacking, footwork, combination kicks and training drills.

Ultimate Martial Arts Drills and Conditioning Set $49

Save $10.00 when you buy the Ultimate Fitness DVD and Ultimate Kicking DVD together. Over 200 drills and conditioning exercises on 2 DVDs.

Taegeuk and Black Belt Poomse DVD Set $49

This taekwondo poomse set teaches the 8 Taegeuk Poomse and the 9 WTF Black Belt Poomse. You get over 2 hours of in-depth instruction in the forms required for white belt through 7th degree black belt. Learn each form in detail, including the Korean and English names of every movement, through multiple camera angles and expert instruction.

Palgwe and Black Belt Poomse DVD Set $49

This taekwondo poomse set teaches the 8 Palgwe Poomse and the 9 WTF Black Belt Poomse. You get over 2 hours of in-depth instruction in the forms required for white belt through 7th degree black belt. Learn each form in detail, including the Korean and English names of every movement, through multiple camera angles and expert instruction.

Starter Taekwondo DVD Set $65

Are you a new Taekwondo student? A yellow belt or green belt who likes to practice at home? Looking for a taekwondo course that will take you up to black belt in kicking, blocking and striking? This 3 DVD starter set is a great way to train at home, brush up on new skills or supplement your class instruction.

Beginner Taekwondo Set $29

Just getting started in Taekwondo? This Beginner Taekwondo set is a great home training aid. Learn all of the white belt basics you'll need to know to feel comfortable in class and advance beyond the beginner stage.

Taekwondo Poomse Book and DVD Set $99

This complete taekwondo poomse set teaches all 25 official WTF Taekwondo forms. You get nearly 4 hours of DVD instruction plus over 400 pages of detailed text with over 1000 photos. Learn each form in detail, including the Korean and English names of every movement, the philosophy and meaning of each form, the correct performance standards for competition and testing and a detailed explanation of the theory of taekwondo poomse that you won't find anywhere else.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Interview with Sang H. Kim on Teaching Martial Arts

In this 1993 interview, Sang H. Kim talks about his martial arts teaching philosophy.





Interview footage courtesy of www.turtlepress.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Self-defense Video Lessons: Wrist Grab Defenses

In these free self-defense lessons, Sang H. Kim teaches defenses against the cross hand wrist grab:













More self-defense instructional videos

Monday, June 25, 2007

Sparring Video Lesson: Footwork

In this free sparring lesson, Sang H. Kim demonstrates some offensive and defensive taekwondo sparring footwork:




More taekwondo sparring instructional videos

Friday, June 22, 2007

New Shotokan DVDs Coming Soon

We are in the final stages of editing two new Shotokan Karate DVDs taught by Steve Flores: Weapon Kata DVD featuring forms for the tonfa, bo, kama and sword (iaido) and Shotokan Karate Kumite DVD, sparring techniques for point karate sparring. Check out the videos below for a sneak preview:

Weapon Kata DVD Preview




Shotokan Karate Kumite (Sparring) DVD Preview

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Sang H. Kim Interview on Martial Arts Flexibility

In this interview clip from 1993, Sang H. Kim talks about flexibility for martial artists, especially those over 30.



Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Squats and Deadlifts for Martial Arts Speed and Power

Regarding high reps vs low reps: As I have written in all of my Turtle Press books, I recommend heavy weights and low reps. The neat thing about going heavy is that it stimulates your fast-twitch muscle fibers. So you get strong and your physical speed improves. What's heavy? As I discuss in Solo Training DVD, "heavy" is a poundage that makes you grimace, strain and barely complete the eighth rep.

High reps and light weights stimulate your slow-twitch muscles fibers. Not good unless you want to be slow. Now, it's okay to go light and do high reps once every couple of weeks or so to give your muscles a rest and to surprise them, but mostly go heavy. Get strong, get fast.

Regarding deadlifts: Personally, meaning that this is just my opinion, I think deadlifts are extremely dangerous. One little error, one little distraction, and you might be doomed to a lifetime of back pain and debilitation. Ask anyone with a bad back what that feels like.

I think your lower back gets plenty of work with all the martial arts that you do. Couple that with core work, as I show in Solo Training 2, and you will develop a powerful midsection: front, back and sides. All top trainers emphasize the core these days.

Regarding squats: Done incorrectly, weight squats are dangerous for everyone. Done correctly, they can be dangerous if you have a preexisting condition, such as a bad lower back, bad knees, ankles, and so on. The problem is that sometimes you don’t know you have a preexisting problem until you load a barbell and squat down. That twang you just heard from somewhere in your body is not a good thing.

In Solo Training DVD and Solo Training 2, I show how to do squats with dumbbells. These are safer and you work your grip and forearm muscles at the same time. Wrap a towel around the handles to really work your grip muscles.

Lots of fighters do free-hand squats, such as Hindus (Solo Training 2). They are done fast and explosively. Many instructors recommend working up to one set of 500. Since they aren't done slowly but hard and fast, there might not be the concern over the high rep slow-twitch muscle stimulation. Since I don't know for sure, I just do 100 and hold on to a couple of dumbbells. That’s 100 in one big fast set. You walk funny for a while after, but I've put on some muscle and have definitely seen a power improvement in my kicks.


Loren Christensen
www.lwcbooks.com

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Save on Ultimate Flexibility Book and DVD set

Save when you buy the Ultimate Flexibility Book and Ultimate Flexibility DVD together. Sang H. Kim's Ultimate Flexibility book has been consistently called the best book on stretching and flexibility for martial artists. And now, thanks to many many requests, he's created a follow-along stretching DVD with 3 workouts using dozens of the exercises found in the Ultimate Flexibility book. This set is an excellent addition to any martial artist's training library.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Interview with Sang H. Kim on Taekwondo

In this 1993 interview, Sang H. Kim talks about his experience in taekwondo and his views on sport taekwondo vs. traditional taekwondo.



Interview footage courtesy of www.turtlepress.com

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Sparring Video Lesson: Back Kick Counterattack

In this free sparring lesson, Sang H. Kim demonstrates a basic counterattack to a spinning back kick in taekwondo sparring




More taekwondo sparring instructional videos

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

SPARRING VIDEO LESSON: TURN KICK COUNTERATTACK

In this free sparring lesson, Sang H. Kim demonstrates an intermediate level counterattack to a turning roundhouse kick in taekwondo sparring



Here is a second counterattacking option if you miss the opportunity for the roundhouse kick taught in the first video:




More taekwondo sparring instructional videos

Boxing: Advanced Tactics & Strategies released

R. Michael Onello's new book, Boxing: Advanced Tactics & Strategies, has been released and is ready for immediate shipping. Boxing: Advanced Tactics & Strategies is a concise collection of drills, tips, exercises and strategies designed to take the novice boxer to the next level. Building on his popular first book, Boxing: A 12 Week Course, R. Michael Onello explains advanced ring tactics including hitting with movement, blocks, slips, feints, draws, and advanced punch variations.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Taekwondo Sparring: Jumping Back Kick

In this seminar out take, Sang H. Kim demonstrates how to use a jumping back kick to counter a roundhouse kick.




Check out more sparring instructional videos at TurtlePress.com

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Sparring Lesson: Axe Kick Counterattack

Sang H. Kim teaches a simple counter to a back leg axe kick in this free video clip:





Check out more sparring instructional videos at TurtlePress.com

Kuk Hyun Chung's Future Champions Video Set on DVD

Turtle Press is please to announce the release of Kuk Hyun Chung's classic Future Champions video set on DVD. The newly edited DVD is titled Taekwondo Training in Korea. 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist and 5 time World Taekwondo Champion Kuk Hyun Chung takes you inside his dojang for an exclusive look at the drills and methods he uses to train Korean taekwondo champions. Save $5.00 off the regular retail price when you order before the official release date of May 25th.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Taekwondo Sparring: Roundhouse Kick Counters

Here are two more basic roundhouse kick counters from Sang H. Kim's 1994 UK seminar archive video. Check out more sparring instruction at www.turtlepress.com.