Lesley Jackson looks into what's available for the WTF Taekwondo fighter and finds this helpful guide to accompany Dave Oliver's 'how to' on the ITF system.
Although Kevin Hornsey and Dave Oliver's books have the same title and basically have the same aim, the presentation of this book is quite different. This is entirely dedicated to WTF Taekwondo. In fact, there is no recognition of ITF Taekwondo whatsoever, which is a shame as Mr Oliver’s book does at least try to address the fact that there is another version of his martial art, giving a more detailed overview of Taekwondo, rather than its author’s own style. Having said that, this book is ideal for those that have just taken up WTF Taekwondo and want a reference guide to their new past time.
Mr Hornsey’s book is a colourful, well presented reference book that has lots of clear colour photos illustrating the moves he breaks down into detail with short bursts of explanations that give straightforward but sensible advice. The book is divided up into three sections, starting with an introduction that offers a background into Taekwondo and what the beginner needs to know before they walk into their new dojang. What I appreciated from Mr Hornsey’s approach here was that he emphasises the fact that his book is, “a logical and easy-to-understand supplement to a student’s in-class training programme,” and that there is no replacement for a good instructor. The next section gives a detailed pictorial breakdown of the warm-up, main blocks, strikes and kicks illustrated by his highly proficient Olympic team. There is also a detailed breakdown of 3 poomsae; however, although I appreciated that there wouldn’t be enough room for the same breakdown of all the poomsae up to black belt, there does need to be a list saying what they are and their meanings which would be useful for the colour belt student. The final section contains brief overviews of sparring, self defence and breaking with a useful glossary of Korean terms at the back, which as subjects would warrant a book to themselves for the student thirsty for more knowledge.
This book is an ideal introduction to WTF Taekwondo, but would benefit if it had greater depth for the more advanced student, which I believe could be a useful additional second volume by Mr Hornsey.
 intro.jpg)
Taekwondo by Kevin Hornsey
 cover.jpg)
(0 vote)
