Taekwondo Biggin Hill

Many people in Biggin Hill would imagine that the high kicking, fast punching movements demanded by Taekwondo are more suitable for younger children. While the younger generation should find it easier to contend with the demands of Taekwondo, people of any age can practice the sport. However, so as to fully enjoy all the complexities of Taekwondo, it helps to be fairly agile.

Based primarily around high-kicking manoeuvres like turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking styles and head kicks, Taekwondo was formulated from the techniques of various martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools called "Kwans" during the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Changmu Kwan, Jido Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Songmu Kwan.

With over sixty million individuals participating in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has definitely become a popular activity, and if you really master the sport you might even one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part ever since the 2000 Sydney Games.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and doubtless this is one of the primary reasons that people in Biggin Hill join classes and engage with the sport. There has been a troubling escalation of violent practices over the last few years and this is particularly rampant in city and town centres throughout Kent and the British Isles in general. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and respect for other people, not such widespread qualities in Biggin Hill these days.

While its great to know they're there if you need them, with luck you won't ever have the need to use your newly discovered Taekwondo skills for defending yourself outside of your local club surroundings.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you've just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. Most Taekwondo schools in Biggin Hill follow a similar routine, but there may be some variation to the following. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to loosen stiff muscles and increase your heart rate, a little technical training covering some hand attacks, kicks, stances and blocking techniques, an introduction to some forms, a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

Everybody who's a registered member of a Taekwondo club in Biggin Hill or anywhere else in Great Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can learn about safe practices, first aid, beginning a new club, coaching courses, events, equality and safeguarding, news, clubs and members, referees and coaching, and more on the British Taekwondo website, and find out the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Perfecting Taekwondo will involve learning many disciplines and techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also called patterns or Poomse). These are types of technique, stance and direction which have to be memorized in order for students to move through the various dans (grades/belts).

Safety Equipment

Safety gear like a gum shield, hand protectors, forearm guards, a groin protector, shin protectors, blue/red body armour and a blue or red head guard are used in all contests supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is crucial thanks to the vigorous kicking which is part and parcel of this activity.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is renowned for its wide range of kicking techniques, more than any other martial art. Listed here are just a selection: Push Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Side Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Back Kick, Axe Kick, Crescent Kick, Front Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to fend off the different attacks, are called Makgi. Employing the hand and parts of the arm, they're held in specific positions. Each type of attack necessitates a specific sort of block, counter-attacking moves can be created by integrating a block with another punch or kick. The most important "blocks" (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In the art of taekwondo there's not really any kind of standardisation in regards to belts and ranking. It is all depending on which style you are looking at, because there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are normally divided into two groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior rankings consist of white to red, with anything from eight to twelve grades, while the senior/black belts generally have nine ranks.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are called "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest rank is Tenth Kup. As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a range of colours, so that the ranks are easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, specifically - white with a yellow stripe, yellow with a green stripe, green with a blue stripe, blue with a red stripe and red with a black stripe. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo newbies in Biggin Hill will start off with, they will then advance through the different coloured belts, eventually earning the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), after approximately three to four years of dedicated training.

After this has been completed, Taekwondo students in Biggin Hill become "black belt candidates" which involves them moving through yet another nine ranks (Dans) up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, putting it simply, there are three primary groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and demands many years of dedication.

Final Thoughts

We can pretty confidently guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you will gain more confidence, make more friends and improve your levels of fitness. If that's all that you get out of it, then that is amazing, you can call it a success! We're not all vying to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, still need to start with that initial step. Good luck with your adventure! 👊