Focus on Taekwondo Podcast

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 following links;

Facebook: @corriganfitness

Twitter: @Adam_Corrigan

Instagram: @adam_corrigan

Website: www.corriganfitness.com

Website: www.4weeks2failure.com

Email: [email protected]

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 links below...

Facebook: Carl Evans

Twitter: @CoachCarlEtkd

LinkedIn: Carl Langan-Evans

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 at Rui's life growing up in Portugal, and at what age he decided to try Taekwondo.

Rui's main profession is a medical Dr and somehow he still competes against full time paid athletes! I ask him how he finds this extraordinary feat possible? We chat about how easy it was to balance studying and competing? We discuss the possibility of becoming a paid athlete in Portugal, would he, or has he considered it?

When we’ve met in the past there are normally two more people with Rui, Nuno and Hugo he tells us when he first meets up with Nuno Costa and Hugo Serrao.

Rui participated in one Olympics already, Rio 2016. We discuss how Rio was, the experience of the Olympics, and which parts he enjoyed the most? Tokyo 2020 must be on his sights? What does he personally feel it will take for him to become the Olympic champion at Taekwondo in -58kg in 2020.

Looking back at Rui’s achievements some of these include gold at the European games in Baku 2015, silver at the worlds championships (2011) and also gold at the European championships (2014). We ask Rui where is his next competition after this one? And if the Europeans are his main comp this year or is it the Grand Prix which gives more ranking points?

I ask him when he finally decides to stop competing, what will his life look like, and will Taekwondo still be a part of it or will medicine take over? Find out his excellent answer to our regular question “what makes Taekwondo different to other martial arts and what do you feel it takes to be a black belt?”

Lastly, we chat about how our listeners can find out more about Rui Braganca and possibly get in touch with him. See the links below for more details.

Facebook: @ruibraganca58

Instagram: @ruibraganca

Twitter: @ruibraganca

Website: ruibraganca.com

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 pressures of competitions are up next, how Jade deals with it, and what motivates her to keep winning.

looking to the future we ask what life will look like after she hangs up her head guard. Paul Green leaving GB is a massive deal right now, we speak to Jade about who will now coach her and her thoughts on Paul leaving GB.

Next, we discuss how Taekwondo is right now, and if she has any suggestions to improve it. Advice from Jade on how to be the next Jade Jones is our next discussion - how someone currently competing can get to her level.

The next few questions are from you guys, our listeners. The first one was if Jade had any advice for parents on how to motivate and keep the interest of a young athlete. Next, we ask the question at what age did she start Taekwondo and what made her choose Taekwondo. Does Jade need to be strict with what she eats? What is her favourite food? Who or what inspires her to keep going, what is her motivation to stay at Olympic standard? How has what she has achieved changed her life, and what dreams has it helped her follow? And the final listener question, what strength and conditioning do you do leading up to the Olympics?

As we ask all our listeners the same final question, we ask Jade what she thinks makes Taekwondo different to other martial arts and what she feels it takes to be a black belt.

If you want to get in touch or learn more about Jade, see the links below.

Facebook: @jadejonestkd

Instagram: @jadejonestkd

Twitter: @jadejonestkd

YouTube: jade jones

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