I would describe Taekwondo as a martial art which requires a lot of movement.
You need to be able to jump and have plenty of agility.
It also teaches you about sacrifices, effort, and working hard.
The first thing we do in training is run. We only do a couple of laps.
Then we stretch to avoid any injuries, especially in our legs.
To keep warming up the legs, we hit the focus pads.
After that, our coach takes us through different exercises.
Then we always finish with combat training against our teammates.
During the first part of training, we analyse their technique...
…and pinpoint the areas where they need to improve.
We do this so that when they’re in competition,
they can overcome anything that their opponent throws at them.
Secondly, we implement techniques learnt in different combat scenarios.
We practice this using drills or scenarios from previous fights.
For the final part of training, they put everything learnt into practice...
…against another opponent in a real combat situation.
During the last few years, Taekwondo has required that you use agility rather than strength,
that you are a strategist during a match, and that you’re fast.
The most valuable thing to have in Taekwondo is good timing and accuracy with kicks.
That’s why our technique training puts an emphasis on efficiency during combat.
Even though being strong is important, if they just keep hitting their opponents’ arms,
they won’t score any points.
Rather than just showing strength, you need to know how to position your legs and find the spot between the arms
So even if you don’t hit hard you still score points.
I trained with my sister from an early age.
We really enjoy training together and never hit each other intending to harm.
Training is so much fun as we know each other so well.
We keep looking for new ways to score against each other.
Against other opponents, I can do the same moves and still score,
but with my sister I must always adapt my approach.
I enjoy training with my sister as we are at a similar level and weight class.
She’s a great training partner to work with on drills and combat training.
Even though we train with other people, training with her is fun
because we need to keep adapting our combat styles all the time.
One of the strengths of Marta and Eva is their bond with each other.
When they fly overseas or go to training camps, they support each other.
During training they work with each other.
They don’t mind sparring with each other or with another member of the team.
There’s still one more year to go before Rio 2016.
There are still a lot of tournaments I need to compete in, and a lot of points to score,
but Rio 2016 is my long term goal.
We do set goals for each tournament, but our real aim is to reach Rio.
It’s something everyone wants to experience, and I’m working hard to make sure I will be there.
When the training gets tiring and difficult, I just think to myself “You have to keep working hard to get there”
As their coach, it would give me great satisfaction to see them reach their true potential,
because I believe both of them has the ability to win an Olympic medal.
For them to achieve this, I need to do my job as their coach properly,
and they need to perform well during competitions.
If they did manage to win a medal, it would be a great accomplishment.