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Exercises

Warm up for taekwondo: from jogging to high kicks in 12 minutes

Published October 24, 2026

A taekwondo warm up takes about 12 minutes: 3 minutes of high knees, butt kicks and jumping jacks, 3 minutes of leg swings, standing side leg raises and walking lunges to open the hips for high kicks, 2 minutes of activation for the standing leg (clamshells, lateral band walks, single-leg glute bridges), and 3 to 4 minutes of jump turns, single-leg hops and skater hops before kicking drills or sparring.

  1. High Knees Quads
  2. Butt Kicks Hamstrings
  3. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Standing Side Leg Raise Abductors
  5. Walking Lunge Quads, Glutes
  6. Lateral Band Walk Abductors
  7. 180 Jump Turn Quads, Glutes
  8. Single-Leg Jump Quads, Glutes, Calves

Raise: jog-in-place drills

Many dojangs open with a jog around the room. In a small space, alternate high knees, butt kicks and jacks for the same effect.

Raise and sprint prep, knee drive

High Knees

Quads

Knee drive raises the heart rate and rehearses the chamber of a front kick.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and start jogging in place.
  2. Drive each knee up toward hip height while your opposite arm swings forward.
  3. Stay on the balls of your feet and build the pace over the interval.

Cues

  • Knee to hip height
  • Tall chest
  • Arms pump with the legs

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to get the knees higher: keep your torso upright and lower the knee height.

Swap for: Butt Kicks, Skipping in Place, Mountain Climber

Build a session with High Knees

Raise, hamstring and quad prep

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Heel-to-glute strides warm the hamstrings, which work hard to stop each kick at full extension.

How to do it

  1. Jog in place with your torso upright.
  2. Pull each heel up toward your glutes on every stride.
  3. Keep your knees pointing down and your feet quick.

Cues

  • Heels to glutes
  • Knees stay under hips
  • Quick feet

Common mistakes

  • Letting the knees swing forward: the thigh stays vertical while the heel rises.

Swap for: High Knees, Jumping Jack, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Raise, full-body jacks

Jumping Jack

Calves, Quads

Jacks round out the raise and get the hips moving sideways.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides.
  2. Hop your feet out past shoulder width as your arms sweep overhead.
  3. Hop back to the start as your arms come down, and keep going at a pace you could talk through.

Cues

  • Arms all the way up
  • Soft knees on landing
  • Even rhythm

Common mistakes

  • Half-height arm swings that skip the shoulders: reach fully overhead.

Swap for: Star Jump, Criss-Cross Jack, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Jumping Jack

Mobility for high kicks

Taekwondo kicks go higher than most sports ask. Build the range with moving drills that grow each rep.

Hip mobility, front-to-back swings

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swings that grow from waist to head height prepare the hips for front and axe kicks.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall or rack with one hand on it for balance.
  2. Swing your outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting the range grow with each swing.
  3. Keep your torso still, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Range grows each swing
  • Torso stays quiet
  • Standing knee soft

Common mistakes

  • Throwing the leg as high as possible from the first swing: start small and let it open up.

Swap for: Standing Side Leg Raise, Walking Lunge, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Hip mobility, side lifts

Standing Side Leg Raise

Abductors

Slow side lifts open the hip for side and roundhouse kicks with control.

How to do it

  1. Stand with hands on your hips or one hand on a support.
  2. Lift one straight leg sideways as far as feels smooth, toes pointing forward.
  3. Lower with control and repeat, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Toes point forward
  • Stay tall
  • Lift from the hip

Common mistakes

  • Leaning the torso away to lift higher: keep shoulders level.

Swap for: Leg Swings, Lateral Band Walk, Clamshell

Build a session with Standing Side Leg Raise

Mobility, travelling lunge, a plate overhead or hands free

Walking Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Long lunges stretch the front of the back hip, which helps every kick that extends behind you.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall; hold a light plate overhead or keep hands on hips.
  2. Step forward into a lunge until your back knee is just above the floor.
  3. Push up and step through into the next lunge.

Cues

  • Long step
  • Upright torso
  • Back knee hovers

Common mistakes

  • Short choppy steps that jam the front knee forward: lengthen the stride.

Swap for: Cardio Lunge, Dumbbell Forward Lunge, Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Walking Lunge

Activation for the standing leg

Every kick depends on the leg that stays on the floor. These switch on the side hip and glute that keep it steady.

Activation, side glutes

Clamshell

Abductors

Clamshells wake up the side glute that keeps the standing knee from caving as you pivot.

How to do it

  1. On your side, set knees bent and stacked and heels together.
  2. Lift your top knee while the feet stay touching.
  3. Lower slowly without letting your hips roll back.

Cues

  • Heels together
  • Hips stacked
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the top hip backward: keep it pointing forward.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Band Seated Hip Abduction, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Clamshell

Activation, side glutes

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Side steps with a band keep that muscle working while you stay in a ready stance.

How to do it

  1. Put a mini band above your knees or around your ankles and sit into a quarter squat.
  2. Step sideways with tension on the band the whole time.
  3. Take the same number of steps back the other way.

Cues

  • Stay in the quarter squat
  • Band never goes slack
  • Toes forward

Common mistakes

  • Dragging the trailing foot in close: keep feet apart.

Swap for: Clamshell, Band Standing Hip Abduction, Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

Activation, glutes one side at a time

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Glutes

One-leg bridges switch on the glute that drives back kicks and pushes you off the floor.

How to do it

  1. On your back, plant one foot flat and the other leg lifted; rest a light kettlebell on the working hip if you have one.
  2. Press the planted heel down and raise your hips until your body is straight from knee to shoulder.
  3. Lower slowly and finish the set before switching.

Cues

  • Push through the heel
  • Hips level
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting one hip drop: lower the height until both stay level.

Swap for: Donkey Kick, Dumbbell Glute Bridge, Clamshell

Build a session with Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Taekwondo primers: turns and hops

Finish with fast, light efforts: jumps with a turn for spinning kicks, one-leg hops for balance, and bounds for stepping in.

Sport primer, jump with a half turn

180 Jump Turn

Quads, Glutes

Half-turn jumps rehearse the spin and the landing of turning kicks.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width, then dip into a quarter squat.
  2. Jump and turn half a circle in the air, arms helping the rotation.
  3. Land facing the other way with soft knees, then turn back on the next jump.

Cues

  • Turn the head and shoulders first
  • Land balanced
  • Alternate directions

Common mistakes

  • Landing off balance and twisting the knee: start with smaller jumps.

Swap for: Jump Squat, Star Jump, Single-Leg Jump

Build a session with 180 Jump Turn

Sport primer, single-leg hops

Single-Leg Jump

Quads, Glutes, Calves

One-leg hops prepare the ankle and knee for kicking off a single foot.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot with a soft knee.
  2. Hop forward or in place, landing on the same foot.
  3. Stabilize for a moment, then hop again and switch legs.

Cues

  • Land soft
  • Knee in line with the toes
  • Pause between hops

Common mistakes

  • Knee caving inward on landing: shorten the hop.

Swap for: Skater Hop, Jump Squat, Single-Leg Box Jump

Build a session with Single-Leg Jump

Sport primer, lateral bounds

Skater Hop

Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Lateral bounds wake up the quick sideways steps of sparring.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend at the knee and hip.
  2. Push off sideways and land on the opposite foot, letting the trailing leg swing behind.
  3. Stick each landing for a moment, then bound back.

Cues

  • Stick the landing
  • Push sideways, not up
  • Soft knee

Common mistakes

  • Landing stiff-legged: bend the knee to absorb.

Swap for: Lateral Box Jump, Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Single-Leg Jump

Build a session with Skater Hop

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Before class or forms

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets42 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You are warming up for a class or poomsae practice.

Forms need range and balance more than speed. This version spends more time on swings and side raises and keeps the primers to balance hops. Everything stays light.

Class warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 5 0 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 2 × 30 5 0 s
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10–12 5 0 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer leg. 2 × 8–10 4 0 s
Walking LungePer leg. Hands on hips. 1 × 8–10 4 15 s
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 12–15 4 15 s
Single-Leg JumpPer leg. 2 × 5 3 20 s
How to run it
Raise drills in 30-second turns, then the mobility block twice, then clamshells and single-leg hops.
How to progress
Let the swing height grow over the weeks; keep the reps the same.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Before sparring or a tournament

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You are about to spar or compete and need speed and spins ready.

Sparring rewards quick feet and spinning kicks, so the primer block grows: jump turns, hops and bounds at rising pace. The activation stays to keep the standing leg ready.

Sparring warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 5 0 s
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 12 5 0 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 1 × 10 4 15 s
180 Jump TurnAlternate directions. 3 × 4 3 20 s
Skater HopPer side. 3 × 4–5 3 20 s
How to run it
Shorter raise, one pass of mobility, band walks, then 3 rounds of the primers.
How to progress
Start 15 minutes before your bout and repeat the primers if you wait.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Young students or a family class

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets12 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You coach younger students or train in a family class.

Kids need short, varied drills. This version keeps every block under a minute and uses simple moves they already know, with the glute bridge as the one floor drill.

Kids warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 30 5 10 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 30 5 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 8 5 0 s
Single-Leg Glute BridgePer side. Bodyweight. 1 × 6–8 4 15 s
Single-Leg JumpPer leg. 1 × 4 4 20 s
How to run it
Call each drill out and move on quickly. Keep the hops small.
How to progress
Add a second round when the group can do one round cleanly.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How long should a warm up be for taekwondo?

About 10 to 15 minutes. Longer warm-ups are fine on forms days; keep it short before sparring so you stay fresh.

What are good taekwondo warm up exercises?

High knees, butt kicks, jumping jacks, leg swings, standing side leg raises, walking lunges, clamshells, lateral band walks, single-leg glute bridges, jump turns and single-leg hops.

How do you warm up for high kicks?

Start with low leg swings and side raises and let the height grow with each rep. Kick high only once the swings reach that height easily.

Should I stretch before taekwondo?

Use moving drills before training and keep longer flexibility holds for after.

Do I need to warm up the standing leg?

Yes. Clamshells, band walks and single-leg bridges switch on the hip that keeps you balanced on one foot.