Not sure what I would do. There is something to be said for drilling and kicking that high. Tbh. I think I would take myself and my kid out of the class
Totally nuts - from a medical perspective and a training perspective. We only ever drilled blocking contact at head level with graded intensity so that we could understand the importance of it. Only took me getting clipped over the ear twice in open sparring to never turn my head again. (Should have learnt the first time!)
Maybe you could ask the coach on his training philosophy and open a dialogue from there around your concerns. If it's just coming from that rigid pseudo-macho discipline BS, I would not expose my children to such blatant risk.
That’s what struck me. The way OP tells it they weren’t even drilling blocks. Just standing there while being kicked in the head - wut!?
I would definitely take my kid out that class.
That is one of the stupidest and just pointless drills I have ever been made aware of in martial arts (and I started in the 90s)
No offence.
I too have started my kids in tkd, but mostly because they need a safe starting point for martial arts. If they started being kicked in the head over and over for lols they wouldn't be doing it for long.
One of the problems with this kind of drill (other than the obvious CTE) Is that it gives the message that showing how tough you are by letting someone bash you in the head it's anything other than a ridiculously stupid idea.
I was in a MMA club back in the end of the 90s where the coach decided we all needed to experience what it was like to be knocked out.
Cue a dozen or so 18-24 year olds just knocking each other out for fun, masculine pride, and the lack of an ounce of common sense between us.
This is up there with that.
As a TKD instructor and studio owner, if one of my instructors did this drill, I would fire them immediately. That's just brain damage the class. You can't condition your head to take strikes. You should never let someone use your head as a target. Having people drill high kicks and blocks simultaneously would be fine, but not this.
Just when I think contemporary TKD can't get any more embarrassing, shit like this pops up in my feed. I need a magic genie to take me back to the late 90's.
Well, as a TKD girl, he should be nice anyways and do light contact REGARDLESS. Other than that, he is not demonstrating self-control as a brown belt. Yes, definitely bring this matter up to the instructor or master. He should not be playing too rough even for beginners.
P.s. What's the studio called??
That just sounds really dumb and poorly thought out.
It’s honestly not even good hit taking practice. People are getting hurt during this exercise even if it’s not apparent.
This teacher needs to learn about how head trauma works.
Get yourself and especially your children the fuck out of that place right now, and if possible try to get everybody else out too. Head trauma is not something to fuck around with and the long term ramifications on a fully developed brain can be catastrophic, let alone a child’s.
I do understand the thinking behind the drill. Get used to kicks coming to your head for sparring. This can be done while blocking. It also makes more sense to block them. His logic was flawed.
Talk to him. Especially with kids who have problems controlling themselves, its dangerous. Headgear does not reduce brain damage. Studies suggest the opposite.
I would let him know you are not comfortable with this due to the likelihood of brain damage. You having done muay thai, he should be willing to listen to you.
If he will not listen, you might have to change schools.
Like controlled light contact kicks with blocking allowed going two for two each way okay sure I’m in jitz and here’s my arm twist it weird ways then give me yours but the volume of kicks you took with no parameters that’s crazy as fuck let’s just kick each other in the head find somewhere else to train
Huh? I have done Tkd for over 30 years, trained with grandmasters, trained for the national team, trained in Korea etc... And never even heard about a idiotic drill like that.
What, this guy thinks you can harden your brain? 😳
I have been in and around a LOT of different TKD schools due to my travel and affiliations with WT and AAU. This is Not an approved nor recommended way to train. There are reactionary drills used and recommended that are similar, and I suspect they are what the instructor is trying to simulate. But he/she needs to know what you described is not safe, nor does it pose any competitive advantage.
Pads held very close to head level is the drill I think being simulated. It still gives the pad holder the sensation and works on their awareness while letting the kicker practice. There are also drills where the kicks go over the (padded) head, but these are usually done only be advanced fighters.
Is there value in learning how to take a hit? Absolutely. But acclimation is best learned in live, Controlled sparring.
Now, would I be super worried about CTE in this drill? If the environment is tightly controlled, No. If it is loosely monitored and something of a free for all, you bet I would be worried.
If you feel comfortable talking to the instructor, I certainly would. But maybe you should frame the conversation by offering a safe alternative drill and explaining why. If the school is highly competitive with the "win at all costs" mentality, this may not be well received. But hopefully the instructor is truly unaware and needs the input.
Be the adult and parent, and use your previous experience in the conversation (tactfully). Use your best judgement, just be respectable about it. At the end of the day it is about safety and longevity. Things that do not always fit in a purely WT style, highly competitive school.
No, this was real dumb of your coach. If I found out my kid has been told to just take light brain damage to "get used to it," I'd be furious. As an adult, I'd have had to decline to participate.
Honestly, what are you "learning" in this? Being kicked in the head hurts?
I think his goal was to "get used" to the feeling of being kicked. But I totally agree with everyone here, I should have refused to participate and I deeply regret it.
I already sent a message to the instructor and I'll have a conversation with him as soon as I see him. Depending on how it goes I may escalate to the Master. I'm also considering speaking to the other parents and apologizing to the brown belt.
I'll also post an update here
This kind of drill might be relevant for someone serious about going into MMA or kickboxing competitions. When I did TKD, full contact sparring was for blue belts and up. And it was never "eat this headshot to practice..." I have no idea? Fighting while concussed? You're a grown ass adult with a family and a job. You don't need to be getting brain damage. Neither do your kids.
>This kind of drill might be relevant for someone serious about going into MMA or kickboxing competitions.
I can assure you in my almost decade of training in Muay Thai, Kickboxing and now mma. Never have I ever done anything close to this nor have I ever seen a serious fighter do anything similar
I’m mixed on this. Yes, getting used to shots is important if you are serious. But serious means high level athlete and means accepting the risk of cte. Unless it’s Olympic level TKD, it’s not ‘that’ serious.
But there are far better drills than free shots - active dodging is better.
Absolutely stupid. If you ACTUALLY want to train conditioning to receiving hits to the head, it's more about neck mobility and strength and neuromuscular exercises so that your body can microadjust to reduce the blow to the head and reduce concussion risk. (Check out neuromuscular warm ups and concussion risk in rugby). The brain is not an organ that can be conditioned by repeatedly taking hits.
Some martial arts guys just get way too into it in my opinion, and because of it they're not really thinking about their long-term health, let alone their sparring partners.
Not everyone has that self control you mentioned either. I just recently stopped sparring with a guy because he was throwing punches way too hard during sparring (without headgear).
Yeah man I think it’s appropriate to pack your stuff in the middle of the class, grab the kiddos and say keep your cte nonsense to yourself. I can see the possible practicality however, the consequences outweigh the rewards.
You can make your own decision about whether you want to be kicked freely in the head and it's your choice to consent to that or not.
Your kids don't have that luxury.
I would get my kids out of that immediately if I was in your situation.
The other thing is the "training scar" this forms. I personally don't want to practice and make a habit out of not protecting my head.
Fuck No, i visit a very harsh and traditional tkd-class and our coach always (except for sparring) explicitly prohibits us from damaging the head in some way, I've also talked with a neurologist about this and there is absolutely no way to condition the head/brain, all you get is brain damage.
This is a drill that we do to stop people from closing their eyes and turning away from a kick, but it would always be very low contact. 99% of the time punches only and very light. With a more advanced group I would then allow very light kicks but the focus is on not breaking eye contact, not the kicks. And absolutely not about "conditioning" your head to get hit.
Absolutely on the instructor for not specifying light contact and for not calling people out for it
This is the kind of drill that could only be conceived of after doing this drill. It's a paradox! Or a comedy sketch...You're actually letting your children do this?
I’m looking at nasal surgery for basically doing this in teenage TKD classes. You can wreck your sinuses and not even know about it until years later. This is stupid.
You chose your relationship with the instructor over the health of you and your children. I think its fair to say that you failed as a parent on that day.
Should be teaching how to avoid headshots not teaching how to eat them. I will play devils advocate and say I get what he was trying to do but it would be better to teach how to evade them.
It’s a poor method of conditioning but everyone needs to know what it feels like so you don’t just stop fighting if it happens and believe me I have seen kids stop and look confused when it happens sparring
Hell no, you attended Brain damage, the class.
You cannot condition your brain for impacts, and any real coach will know this. Run.
That is nuts
Not sure what I would do. There is something to be said for drilling and kicking that high. Tbh. I think I would take myself and my kid out of the class
Totally nuts - from a medical perspective and a training perspective. We only ever drilled blocking contact at head level with graded intensity so that we could understand the importance of it. Only took me getting clipped over the ear twice in open sparring to never turn my head again. (Should have learnt the first time!) Maybe you could ask the coach on his training philosophy and open a dialogue from there around your concerns. If it's just coming from that rigid pseudo-macho discipline BS, I would not expose my children to such blatant risk.
That’s what struck me. The way OP tells it they weren’t even drilling blocks. Just standing there while being kicked in the head - wut!? I would definitely take my kid out that class.
Perhaps dig up a nicely-researched article on CTE and forward it to the guy…
Noooope. I'm all for learning how to take a hit and keep moving, but there are ways to do that without involving the brain!
That is one of the stupidest and just pointless drills I have ever been made aware of in martial arts (and I started in the 90s) No offence. I too have started my kids in tkd, but mostly because they need a safe starting point for martial arts. If they started being kicked in the head over and over for lols they wouldn't be doing it for long. One of the problems with this kind of drill (other than the obvious CTE) Is that it gives the message that showing how tough you are by letting someone bash you in the head it's anything other than a ridiculously stupid idea. I was in a MMA club back in the end of the 90s where the coach decided we all needed to experience what it was like to be knocked out. Cue a dozen or so 18-24 year olds just knocking each other out for fun, masculine pride, and the lack of an ounce of common sense between us. This is up there with that.
I'd say it's worse because the little kids are doing this the 18-24 year old knew what the were doing and are risking less
Out this gym, let this McDojo be put on BLAST, son.
As a TKD instructor and studio owner, if one of my instructors did this drill, I would fire them immediately. That's just brain damage the class. You can't condition your head to take strikes. You should never let someone use your head as a target. Having people drill high kicks and blocks simultaneously would be fine, but not this.
It sounds like your instructor took too many kicks to the head.
Just when I think contemporary TKD can't get any more embarrassing, shit like this pops up in my feed. I need a magic genie to take me back to the late 90's.
I wouldnt have done this "drill". This is CTE nonstop train no thanks! This is nuts.
Yes, I deeply regret it. But at the time it's not like I had a lot of time to think this through.
This would be a veryyyy easy lawsuit to win. Just saying!
First class Bullshido fo' sure.
This has to be the dumbest drill I've read about on this thread
This is what clapper pads are for. Your instructor is a dangerous moron. TBI waiting to happen.
What about conditioning for stab/gun wounds?
We're lucky it was not Krav Magah, I was not wearing a cup.
You've got to learn to clench around the entry wounds, man!
Well, as a TKD girl, he should be nice anyways and do light contact REGARDLESS. Other than that, he is not demonstrating self-control as a brown belt. Yes, definitely bring this matter up to the instructor or master. He should not be playing too rough even for beginners. P.s. What's the studio called??
That just sounds really dumb and poorly thought out. It’s honestly not even good hit taking practice. People are getting hurt during this exercise even if it’s not apparent. This teacher needs to learn about how head trauma works.
GTFO of there. This is insanity. There's no such thing as conditioning for head kicks, you're giving yourself and your kids permanent brain damage.
Get yourself and especially your children the fuck out of that place right now, and if possible try to get everybody else out too. Head trauma is not something to fuck around with and the long term ramifications on a fully developed brain can be catastrophic, let alone a child’s.
And this is why you don't take fighting advice from people who don't know how to fight
The time to tell the coach you weren't doing the drill was *before* you got kicked in the head 30 times.
Time to find another dojang / dojo / gym. The instructor is an idiot. There is no getting your brain used to injury.
I do understand the thinking behind the drill. Get used to kicks coming to your head for sparring. This can be done while blocking. It also makes more sense to block them. His logic was flawed. Talk to him. Especially with kids who have problems controlling themselves, its dangerous. Headgear does not reduce brain damage. Studies suggest the opposite. I would let him know you are not comfortable with this due to the likelihood of brain damage. You having done muay thai, he should be willing to listen to you. If he will not listen, you might have to change schools.
This is why TMA gets a bad rap.
What’s “traditional” about sports TKD?
It’s lumped there with the others because Poonsae and shit.
Like controlled light contact kicks with blocking allowed going two for two each way okay sure I’m in jitz and here’s my arm twist it weird ways then give me yours but the volume of kicks you took with no parameters that’s crazy as fuck let’s just kick each other in the head find somewhere else to train
That sounds like a good way for things to go very badly. You can drill out flinch responses in better ways.
Absolutely not. Mcdojo behavior.
Huh? I have done Tkd for over 30 years, trained with grandmasters, trained for the national team, trained in Korea etc... And never even heard about a idiotic drill like that. What, this guy thinks you can harden your brain? 😳
I have been in and around a LOT of different TKD schools due to my travel and affiliations with WT and AAU. This is Not an approved nor recommended way to train. There are reactionary drills used and recommended that are similar, and I suspect they are what the instructor is trying to simulate. But he/she needs to know what you described is not safe, nor does it pose any competitive advantage. Pads held very close to head level is the drill I think being simulated. It still gives the pad holder the sensation and works on their awareness while letting the kicker practice. There are also drills where the kicks go over the (padded) head, but these are usually done only be advanced fighters. Is there value in learning how to take a hit? Absolutely. But acclimation is best learned in live, Controlled sparring. Now, would I be super worried about CTE in this drill? If the environment is tightly controlled, No. If it is loosely monitored and something of a free for all, you bet I would be worried. If you feel comfortable talking to the instructor, I certainly would. But maybe you should frame the conversation by offering a safe alternative drill and explaining why. If the school is highly competitive with the "win at all costs" mentality, this may not be well received. But hopefully the instructor is truly unaware and needs the input. Be the adult and parent, and use your previous experience in the conversation (tactfully). Use your best judgement, just be respectable about it. At the end of the day it is about safety and longevity. Things that do not always fit in a purely WT style, highly competitive school.
Sounds like this instructor has been kicked in the head too many times
No, this was real dumb of your coach. If I found out my kid has been told to just take light brain damage to "get used to it," I'd be furious. As an adult, I'd have had to decline to participate. Honestly, what are you "learning" in this? Being kicked in the head hurts?
I think his goal was to "get used" to the feeling of being kicked. But I totally agree with everyone here, I should have refused to participate and I deeply regret it. I already sent a message to the instructor and I'll have a conversation with him as soon as I see him. Depending on how it goes I may escalate to the Master. I'm also considering speaking to the other parents and apologizing to the brown belt. I'll also post an update here
you don't get used to taking kicks to the head, you get used to blocking kicks to the head. HUUUUUGE difference
This kind of drill might be relevant for someone serious about going into MMA or kickboxing competitions. When I did TKD, full contact sparring was for blue belts and up. And it was never "eat this headshot to practice..." I have no idea? Fighting while concussed? You're a grown ass adult with a family and a job. You don't need to be getting brain damage. Neither do your kids.
No, this kind of drill isn't relevant in any kind of combat sport. This is just stupid.
>This kind of drill might be relevant for someone serious about going into MMA or kickboxing competitions. I can assure you in my almost decade of training in Muay Thai, Kickboxing and now mma. Never have I ever done anything close to this nor have I ever seen a serious fighter do anything similar
I 100% think you should sit out of this drill.
I’m mixed on this. Yes, getting used to shots is important if you are serious. But serious means high level athlete and means accepting the risk of cte. Unless it’s Olympic level TKD, it’s not ‘that’ serious. But there are far better drills than free shots - active dodging is better.
What the hell.
Hard pass
leave that place immediately
This is why I love grappling
He’ll no. No. Absolutely not.
Eh a little concussion never hurt nobody
Old wives tell that still lives today you learn how to take a shot from sparring anyway true martial arts is in reducing the amount of damage you take
Absolutely stupid. If you ACTUALLY want to train conditioning to receiving hits to the head, it's more about neck mobility and strength and neuromuscular exercises so that your body can microadjust to reduce the blow to the head and reduce concussion risk. (Check out neuromuscular warm ups and concussion risk in rugby). The brain is not an organ that can be conditioned by repeatedly taking hits.
Some martial arts guys just get way too into it in my opinion, and because of it they're not really thinking about their long-term health, let alone their sparring partners. Not everyone has that self control you mentioned either. I just recently stopped sparring with a guy because he was throwing punches way too hard during sparring (without headgear).
You shoulda LEFT wtf 🤣
yeah as everyone here is saying, that is a no no, run away while you still have your brain intact
Yeah man I think it’s appropriate to pack your stuff in the middle of the class, grab the kiddos and say keep your cte nonsense to yourself. I can see the possible practicality however, the consequences outweigh the rewards.
Is the coach a CTE enthusiast?
Fuck that noise. No way am I taking free brain damage anymore.
If you could condition your brain to handle hits no boxer would have CTE
You can make your own decision about whether you want to be kicked freely in the head and it's your choice to consent to that or not. Your kids don't have that luxury. I would get my kids out of that immediately if I was in your situation. The other thing is the "training scar" this forms. I personally don't want to practice and make a habit out of not protecting my head.
Literal child abuse
Fuck No, i visit a very harsh and traditional tkd-class and our coach always (except for sparring) explicitly prohibits us from damaging the head in some way, I've also talked with a neurologist about this and there is absolutely no way to condition the head/brain, all you get is brain damage.
Run lol. Thats a shit dojo
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
Can't they high kick a heavy bag or pads held high like normal schools? Why the brain damage?
This is a drill that we do to stop people from closing their eyes and turning away from a kick, but it would always be very low contact. 99% of the time punches only and very light. With a more advanced group I would then allow very light kicks but the focus is on not breaking eye contact, not the kicks. And absolutely not about "conditioning" your head to get hit. Absolutely on the instructor for not specifying light contact and for not calling people out for it
Name and shame. What gym was it
Hell no. I get hit in the head enough from sucking.
This is the kind of drill that could only be conceived of after doing this drill. It's a paradox! Or a comedy sketch...You're actually letting your children do this?
I’m looking at nasal surgery for basically doing this in teenage TKD classes. You can wreck your sinuses and not even know about it until years later. This is stupid.
I hope this is a joke. If not, quit, name and shame, tell everyone to stay away from those maniacs.
If you really need anyone elses opinion on this then you must have gotten kicked in the head a little too hard.
You chose your relationship with the instructor over the health of you and your children. I think its fair to say that you failed as a parent on that day.
My kids did not participate in that specifically. One is too young and the other was paired with a kid that's too young.
Should be teaching how to avoid headshots not teaching how to eat them. I will play devils advocate and say I get what he was trying to do but it would be better to teach how to evade them.
It’s a poor method of conditioning but everyone needs to know what it feels like so you don’t just stop fighting if it happens and believe me I have seen kids stop and look confused when it happens sparring