A dojang session holds in five blocks: warm-up, two mains, a kyorugi game form, cool-down. But the real subject is balance: published taekwondo covers kibon, poomsae, kyorugi, hosinsul and conditioning — a week of nothing but sparring does not teach the sport the federations write.
The five-block outline
The timing the Paak generator applies — the warm-up draws on mobility, conditioning and footwork; the session always closes on a kyorugi game form, adapted to the age:
| Duration | Warm-up | Main 1 | Main 2 | Kyorugi game | Cool-down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 min | 8′ | 12′ | 12′ | 10′ | 3′ |
| 60 min | 10′ | 16′ | 16′ | 14′ | 4′ |
| 75 min | 12′ | 20′ | 20′ | 18′ | 5′ |
| 90 min | 15′ | 25′ | 25′ | 20′ | 5′ |
Why « kyorugi game » and not « sparring »: for the youngest, the game form is the open-hand tag; for minimes, the trunk-condition bout; open sparring in full gear exists only from cadet. The block is the same — its content follows the contact ladder.
The dojang balance
- Kibon — the technical fundamentals, the mains' backbone.
- Poomsae — the grade's form, by segments: at least one weekly slot, more as exams approach.
- Kyorugi — from range games to conditioned bouts, per category.
- Hosinsul & hanbon kyorugi — self-defense and one-step sparring, demanded at every exam, often forgotten in between.
- Conditioning — legs, trunk, single-leg balance: the base of the kick.
Rotating themes across the week — not within every session — is what keeps the programme complete without crumbling the slots.
Band by band
- Poussins/Pupilles: everything as play — floor patterns, lines, reaction relays; shorter blocks, one-sentence instructions.
- Benjamins/Minimes: the belt curriculum carries the mains; the kyorugi block stays trunk-only.
- Cadets+: turning kicks, open sparring in rounds and poomsae division work enter the rotation.
The session generator on this hub — and the same one inside the app — applies these rules: the warm-up excludes high-intensity drills, no drill repeats within an outline, and the kyorugi block can never draw a drill the category forbids.
FAQ
How long should the warm-up be?
8 to 15 minutes depending on total duration (the table above) — joint mobility, activation and footwork, never a high-intensity drill to open.
Does every session need poomsae?
The balance plays out across the week: at least one weekly forms slot, more as exams approach — the grade's form is demanded at every exam.
When does open sparring start?
In full gear and in rounds: from cadet. Before that the kyorugi block already exists — as tag (youngest) or trunk-condition bouts (benjamins/minimes), per the published contact ladder.
Sources
FFTDA — federal booklet (the belt curriculum structuring the mains, hanbon and hosinsul demanded at exams) and the benjamins/minimes note (the kyorugi block formats per category). Kukkiwon — Taekwondo Textbook (kibon and forms pedagogy). The five-block timing is the Paak generator's outline — a club reference, not a federation norm. Paak taekwondo corpus, files 02/03. Content verified September 2026.
Last updated: September 6, 2026 ID :
help.taekwondo.building-a-session