Taekwondo Amesbury

Taekwondo is typically much more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty nimble and fit you may prefer to partake in something a little bit gentler to improve your fitness levels in Amesbury. Children and younger people are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Amesbury, with a lot of fast movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily involves kicking manoeuvres, most notably fast kicking techniques, turning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts enthusiasts established schools known as "kwans", which blended a number of martial arts techniques.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Amesbury and with over sixty million others globally. Heading along to a local Amesbury Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved in this sport which has even been included in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. Whilst nobody would expect you to reach Olympic standard, you could certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Amesbury.

For the people of Amesbury who would like to learn a martial art, a major priority is the aspect of self-defence. As this is an important principle of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to see the appeal of this particular sport. With the additional benefit of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for others, getting involved in a local Amesbury Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

There's a fairly good chance that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never need to be used in the outside world, but it will unquestionably give you peace of mind knowing that they are there should you ever need them.

Your First Amesbury Taekwondo Class

If you have never done Taekwondo before you will be a bit concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. The majority of Taekwondo schools in Amesbury follow a similar structure, but there may be variations to the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, some technical training covering some hand attacks, kicks, blocking techniques and stances, an introduction to some forms, a few ideas on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and to finish off a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent spasms and cramping.

Everybody who's a registered member of a Taekwondo class in Amesbury or anywhere else in Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official governing body of the sport. By viewing British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to read information about first aid, coaches and referees, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, coaching courses, events, launching a new Taekwondo club, news, clubs and members, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Among the basic Taekwondo kicks that you will master initially include: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to defend against the different attacking movements, are called Makgi. Held in diverse positions, they engage the hand and different parts of the arm. Specific attacks call for particular "blocks", but blocks can also be changed into counter-attacking manoeuvres by the combination of reciprocal punches or kicks. The most used "blocks" (makgi) include: Low Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Nine Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

A standard Taekwondo tournament includes patterns, breaking and sparring, in the Olympics only sparring is involved. That said there are also some special events in particular tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo tournaments are strictly soft-contact affairs, while ITF contests allow some hand attacks to the head. There are additionally a few multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

In all competitions, events and contests being staged under the control of British Taekwondo, safety equipment like shin guards, blue/red trunk armour, hand guards, a red or blue head guard, forearm protectors, a groin guard and a gum shield is compulsory. The fast kicking tactics used in Taekwondo could cause harm and these measures help make the activity safer for its competitors.

In Summary

So, what do you want from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer will vary for different people. The majority of participants will simply wish to improve their levels of fitness, gain more self-confidence and meet new people. We're definitely not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, who knows? 👊