Taekwondo Crowborough

While people of all ages in Crowborough can of course participate in Taekwondo, it is particularly suited to the younger generation since it can be quite physically demanding, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. Older adults may find it somewhat too taxing unless they are particularly fit and active. Quite a few of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Crowborough, started when they were younger. The less agile of you might find that Tai Chi which is a bit softer is more suitable.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently established of the martial arts and entails primarily kicking movements such as fast kicking styles, head-height kicks and turning/jumping kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were established by a group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

With over 60 million practitioners worldwide and quite a few in Crowborough, Taekwondo has become very popular. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Crowborough Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Crowborough.

People in Crowborough take up Taekwondo for many reasons but it is the self-defence aspect that appeals to most. And in these days of increased violence, especially in town and city centres, it is no surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. Learning to defend yourself while at the same time applying self-restraint and a respect for others is a key benefit of Taekwondo.

Such self-defence techniques may at some point prove useful in your day to day life, although it is more likely you will only be testing them within a supervised class environment. However it's a nice feeling knowing that you can always defend yourself when you have to.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have booked your first class but haven't attempted Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to prepare for. The following will give you an overview, but this may vary from school to school. 15 to 20 minutes of warm up exercises to loosen stiff muscles and increate your heart rate, some technical training involving learning some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), some ideas on sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and last but not least a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

The official body governing Taekwondo in Britain is British Taekwondo and any person wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Crowborough must also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to get loads of details of events, referees and coaching, coaching courses, starting a new Taekwondo club, equality and safeguarding, first aid, health and safety, clubs and members, news, and more, by exploring the British Taekwondo website.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

When you are signing up for Taekwondo classes in Crowborough you will be aiming to get some benefits to make the entire project worth the effort. And so we should look at some of the many benefits that you may get from practicing and learning Taekwondo. Help with self-defence strategies by helping you to recognize occasions in which self-defence could be required, and allowing you to turn these kinds of scenarios to your advantage, Develop discipline and willpower by comprehensively schooling your body and mind in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Beef up confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Increase your self-esteem by heightening your physical and mental fitness, Augment flexibility, agility and stamina through intense cardiovascular work-outs, Lessen stress using advanced breath control, Empower your mind and body by means of accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In the art of taekwondo there's really no standardization in regards to ranking and belts. It is all depending on what style you're reviewing, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they're typically divided into a couple of groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour ranks consist of white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 rankings, whilst the senior/black belts normally have 9 rankings.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety gear such as a blue/red head protector, hand guards, shin pads, forearm guards, a blue or red trunk guard (hogu), a mouth protector and a groin protector must be worn in all matches regulated by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is paramount because of the potent kicking that's an integral part of this activity.

To Summarize

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess we don't all want to be. Taekwondo is not purely about Olympic titles and National Championships. The majority of of us are happy to make new friends, meet different people and improve our fitness levels, and that's exactly how it ought to be. Yet, as with most things in life, what you get out of it will be based upon what you invest in it. Enjoy! 👊