Q: Do i need to be fit?

A: A reasonable level of fitness is required to practice Tae Kwon-Do.

   Although, when most people start they are unfit, but you will develop the

   fitness that you need as the weeks and months pass. This is a gradual 

   process, we all know that anything worth doing takes effort and

   most of all patience. Remember this; it is easy to get fit when your enjoying

   yourself.

Q: Is Tae Kwon-Do dangerous?

A: Tae Kwon-Do, like many sports can be practiced in complete safety if

    simple precautions are followed. All at the Saltire Tae Kwon-Do Schools

    stress safety from day one.

Q: How often do we train?

A: The syllabus is designed for students to train twice per week, therefore to

    receive the full benefits and reach your goals you should aim to train twice

    weekly. It does not matter if you miss some lessons, however in the period

    between gradings we are looking for at least 75% attendance. 

Q: Are the birthday parties for students only?

A: No, we also provide taster sessions at a venue of your choice.  

   The first of these was held in April 2003 and have since proved to be very

   successful. These taster sessions are great as they allow friends to try TKD

   together before  joining the club.

Q: I am not flexible at all! Can i still learn Tae Kwon-Do?

A: Yes you can. Flexibility is very practical for high kicks but it is not an

    absolute must. Speed has a big influence as well. You will see that using

    proper technique and speed, you will reach pretty high, even if your not the

    most flexible in class.

Q: Am i too old to start Tae Kwon-Do?

A: You are never too old to start Tae Kwon-Do, as long as you are physically

    able to train. Of course, the older you get, the more difficult it will become

    to win at competition for instance, but Tae Kwon-Do is much more

    broader than sparring, something which people often forget. Speaking from

    personal experience, the most important aspect of training is that you feel

    good about it and that you continue to make progress on both a

    physical and mental level.

Q: Will i be sparring?

A: Yes! When we do so, there are strict rules for safety and we wear

    protective equipment such as gloves, foot pads, head guards etc. When we

    sparr we do not attempt to hurt each other. We practice what is called

    'semi contact', and great emphasis is put on the skilful control of powerful

    techniques. You will not start sparring until you are adequately prepared

    for it. I suggest you take a look in our student area to read all about

    sparring and the different levels involved.

Q: I want to start Tae Kwon-Do. What kind of club should i look for?

A: The first thing you should do is make arrangements to visit a club. Talk with

    the instructor and observe how he/she is teaching. It is very important that

    you feel comfortable with your instructor and the way classes are being

    taught. You must be able to develop trust in your instructor. Do not pay

    fees that are too high, a good instructor should not be teaching to become

    rich!

    Check all qualifications, do not take it for granted that your martial

    arts instructor is qualified to give advice in other fields such as nutrition,

    weight training, sports injury & rehabilitation etc.

    Prevention is better than cure.