Focus On Taekwondo Podcast

Today's interview is with Alex Gillis about his book, “A killing art: The untold history of Taekwondo” Firstly we chat about what motivated Alex to undergo such a comprehensive study into the unknown history of Taekwondo? Within the book Alex talks about the KCIA quite a lot I ask him was he worried about the consequences exposing such secrets could cause? ……and did any harm come to him? We both chat about doing a follow-up book? After all, he must know enough new secrets to compel him to write part 2…… I always wondered and was happy to ask Alex if he knew back in the day when he started Taekwondo what he knows about Taekwondo from his investigations does he think he would still have chosen Taekwondo to practice and develop himself with or has it all spoilt the respect he had for the art/organisation? People can get in touch with Alex on the links listed below, I also asked Alex can people still buy the book and if so where is the book available to buy? See below for the answer. This last question I

Today's interview is with Adam Corrigan - From Team GB to Team Alpha Male. Adam has competed for three different National Teams in Taekwondo on three different continents and now is an MMA athlete under the famous Team Alpha Male. We discuss his Taekwondo history and how his journey has taken him to different corners of the earth. So we move onto MMA and how he finds training with one of the top UFC teams and about how easy was it to transition from Taekwondo to MMA. We also discuss how different it is fighting in the cage than in the Taekwondo ring. Up next we talk about the new style Taekwondo and if he thinks the transition is harder now for athletes as the game has changed so much since he competed. We move onto what’s next for Adam as he’s also a highly respected fitness instructor where he’s based, and we chat about his 4 weeks 2 failure. Hear Adams views on what makes Taekwondo different from other martial arts and what he believes it takes to be a black belt. Get in touch with Adam at the follow

So today's interview is with Carl Evans he is the Sports Science Support Officer and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Liverpool John Moores University. We chat about his current job and his PhD which is to do with weight making for Taekwondo athletes. We also cover physiology of a Taekwondo athlete and S&C thoughts. Next, we talk about the new 5% rule in World Taekwondo. Carl still coaches and has worked with various national team members from various national teams and is now working with India. Carl explains the best place for athletes to go to is a university with a sports science lab and to work together to improve body composition etc. Carl is happy to answer questions and looks forward to hearing from everyone get in touch using the links below. And finally the one last question - what is it that makes Taekwondo different to other martial arts and how would he describe what it takes to be a black belt. It's an interesting answer so don't miss it. How can people get in touch with Carl? See link

So today's interview is with Paul Green and Gareth Brown from Todays Taekwondo. Firstly I had to congratulate them on their achievements to date 300k followers on Facebook, the YouTube channel, the website, the downloadable tutorials, and obviously for all the medals that the athletes they’ve coached within team GB have achieved. We chat about at the numbers 2 golds from the Olympics, 4 world champions, 8 Grand Prix golds, and those are just the ones within the top competitions, we discuss how it must have been great to be a part of those athletes achievements. Todays Taekwondo mission statement says both Paul & Gareth want to continue developing innovative methods to produce world-class athletes and coaches. I ask them when did they both sit down and decide to share their knowledge on a global scale? Did they realise how big it would become and eventually where it would take them both? The BBC sports website it states one month after resigning from team GB they had both been recruited by USA T

Master Rondy is the owner of White Tiger Taekwondo & Martial Arts - known as the world’s largest superschool located in Cary, NC, USA. The 24,000 sq. ft. school just celebrated its 22nd anniversary and enrolled its 12 thousandth student. Master Rondy lived in Korea from ‘94-’96 as a member of the Korean Tigers Professional Demonstration Team. Today she is the Program Director and instructs at White Tiger, is a columnist for Taekwondo Times Magazine, serves on the Kukkiwon Advisory Board and the US Taekwondo Committee. Master Rondy also travels the world to share her marketing and PR background to help other school owners “achieve their dream”. So today's interview with Master Rondy McKee we will be discussing the Business side of running a martial art school and a few other questions on Taekwondo. I first met Master Rondy with my instructor Master Andrew Brown from Glasgow, he had met Master Rondy over in Korea and was invited to come over to White Tiger Tkd Headquarters in Cary, North Carolina

This week it is an Honor to talk to Rui Braganca, Olympian and Portuguese National Team Player. We chat about how Rui is ranked 10th in the Olympic Ranking, and 7th in the world both for - 58kg and how it must be tough now to stay in the top 10 - with all the Grand Prix and grand slams etc it must mean lots of travelling! Then we discuss world and Olympic No.1 Tae Hun Kim from Korea and how he is lots of points ahead of everyone else. I discover Rui fought Tae Hun Kim back in 2015. Rui has also been world No.1 and we chat about when this was and how that’s such a great achievement. Anyone who knows Rui knows he has the biggest smile of any Taekwondo player, always happy and cheerful, Rui tells us about why he’s a very positive person and how he thinks this is the reason why he is so successful. We then move onto his training structure, he trains every day. Next, we chat about how most national team players travel with a Physio, Dr, video analysis guys etc and he tells us how it is in Portugal. We look back

In this podcast, we interview the “Double Olympic Champion” Jade Jones MBE. Firstly we talk about where she came from and if she could have ever believed she would one day become double Olympic champion. We then chat about her first Olympic gold, the one from the youth Olympics. Then we chat about where her Taekwondo journey began and a look into how she got to where she has today. The World Championship Gold is something that's slipped away to date but we speak about how the next worlds will be in Manchester and how the home crowd will spur her to finally get that Gold. If we follow Jade on Instagram her story shows celebrity dating, spa days and lots of Taekwondo - we chat about what a typical day in the life of Jade Jones is actually like. Then we discuss her TV appearances and what's next on her list to tick off…… I'm a celeb get me out of here??? With so many athletes now coming out with their own equipment and clothing range, we talk about if this is something she's already looking at doing. The pr

This week's Interview is with none other than 2 x World Champion and Grand Slam Champion, the amazing Queen B, Bianca Walkden. Our chat starts off with what every athlete should be thinking about, Hopes and Goals for 2018. Bianca has had a great year in 2017, I ask how she finds competing so often and does she peak for certain events or just try to maintain a high level of conditioning all year round. Then it's onto what point in her life she decided to become number one in the world of taekwondo. Hobbies, does Bianca have time for anything other than Taekwondo? What motivates Queen B is it standing on the podium or are the cash prizes up for grabs the driving force to keep her winning- I'm sure we can all guess the answer but let's hear what Bianca has to say, what truly motivates her. The next question is about social media, her youtube videos, Instagram stories etc. With the brand Queen B out there on hoodies, kick pads, t-shirts and also splashed all over social media is this what she does to relax

Today's interview is with the legend that is Aaron Cook, Aaron talks about his journey from competing as a child right up to his current competitions and how he's looking to the future 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Then its a chat about his eventual book, the biography of his ups and downs twists and turns and what the title of the book will be called and why. As Aaron is still competing at elite level, training is a big part of his life we discuss his new training facility and how he welcomes other elite fighters to come stay with him and work out together. Next on the list is competitions, which events he will be attending to gain those all-important ranking points. Support is a big thing for any elite athlete, Aaron has none of the normal extras a national team player normally expects, now self-funding his seminars around the world he teaches have been a big part in helping him financially, book one now!!! Aaron has many tkd memories, find out in this episode what his fondest memory is. The Grand Prix events ar

Master Yang has his own school in Korea teaching Tricking, he was fortunate at a young age to become a member of the Korean national Demonstration Team travelling all over the world - in this interview we will speak to Master Yang about his history, his goals moving forward and his thoughts on beach taekwondo and the world of tricking. www.focusontaekwondo.com/master-taekyung-yang Please leave us a rating and review

Erica Stephens is an Accredited Sports Dietitian and a former Taekwondo athlete for Australia. She made the Australian team for the Junior World and Junior Asian Championships, the World Championships and Asian Championships and the World University Games, before giving away the sport at the age of 20. She has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science, a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics and the International Olympic Committee Diploma in Sports Nutrition. Helping taekwondo athletes (and other combat sport athletes) to make weight in a healthy and sustainable way is a large part of her work as a sports dietitian in private practice in Canberra, Australia. She compiled the Nutrition for Taekwondo eBook in order to provide more Taekwondo athletes across the world with credible and safe advice. www.focusontaekwondo.com/erica-stephens Please leave us a rating and review

Niklas is a well-known face on the Elite Taekwondo competition circuit travelling all over the world. This interview will show you there’s more to Niklas than meets the eye. We chat about his hugely successful club in Sweden “Soo Shim High Performance Centre” then onto where his most recent, at the time of the interview competition attended and his thoughts from the experience. He also shares his views on strength training for kids, his own training regime and lots more - get an insight into what it takes to be an elite coach working with Olympians and future Olympians, listen and be sure to take notes. www.focusontaekwondo.com/swedens-national-team-coach Please leave us a rating and review

Master Shin is a 7th Dan Kukkiwon International instructor. I’m glad to call him my friend. In this episode, we chat about our history where we first met, then move onto how Taekwondo is in Korea, the world and how he came to settle in Ireland. We discuss Grand Master Ik Pil Kang and the effect his teachings have had on his tkd. We then move onto his opinion on taekwondo, the benefits and also if there is anything missing in the Wests adaptation of this Korean Art and sport that is Taekwondo. Finally what Master Shins feels it takes to become a Taekwondo Black Belt. https://focusontaekwondo.com/master-jaeung-shin/ Please leave us a rating and review