Taekwondo Dalry

Because of its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is possibly more suited to the younger person in Dalry and is especially suitable for children as it is great for nurturing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults might find it somewhat too taxing unless they are particularly fit and active. Quite a lot of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Dalry, started when they were younger. The less nimble of you may find that Tai Chi which is a bit less strenuous, is more suitable.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts fanatics established some new schools which they named "kwans", practicing a combination of martial arts techniques. Kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, jumping/spinning kicks and fast kicking techniques are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known.Today Dalry Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million enthusiasts all over the world, and although you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you're still able to join a Taekwondo class or club to master what will no doubt turn out to be a rewarding and interesting activity.

For the men, women and children of Dalry who wish to learn a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. Since this is a central principle of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to appreciate the appeal of this specific sport. With the added reward of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for other people, getting involved in a local Dalry Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

There's a pretty good likelihood that your newly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in the outside world, but it will certainly give you peace of mind knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever need them.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If Taekwondo is not an activity that you have ever had a go at previously, you'll likely be wondering what you should be expecting from your first class should you make up your mind to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in Dalry have varying thoughts on this but roughly; you will take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you'll do a bit of technical training, you will learn some forms, you'll practice sparring strategies and finally you will warm-down to get your body back into a relaxed state again.

Anyone who joins a Taekwondo class in Dalry has to also register with British Taekwondo which is the regulating body of the sport in the British Isles. You can read about coaches and tournament referees, events, coaching courses, establishing a new Taekwondo club, news, safe practices, first aid, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and get the latest Taekwondo news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Beginners Taekwondo Dalry

Learners setting out on their Taekwondo experience in Dalry will first of all sign up for a beginners class. Beginners classes are fabulous, as there are no rigid demands and everything is done at a slow, casual pace. Learning and having fun are the primary goals in the beginning and students who are having a great time are inclined to learn much faster and digest considerably more of what they're being taught. Even Taekwondo masters began as clueless newbies, so take that initial step and who knows where you'll wind up!

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In relation to ranking, promotion and belts there isn't actually any real uniformity in Taekwondo, because there are many different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own unique system. There are however likenesses and they usually consist of two groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior levels usually have nine ranks and the junior, 8 to 12 levels.

In the UK there are a set of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are generally known as "Kup". The lowest is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. If you are curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is denoted by a number of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, 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 novices in Dalry will start out with, they'll then advance through the different colours, finally achieving the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), after approximately three to four years.

Taekwondo trainees in Dalry are called "black belt candidates" after they've worked their way through these rankings, and they will then be faced with proceeding through yet another 9 ranks (Dans) if they plan to achieve the consummate distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belt are the three principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group comprise; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process that will take a number of years.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo tournaments call for specific safety equipment to be worn to protect competitors from being injured as a result of the formidable kicks that occur. This safety gear includes: a red or blue head protector, hand guards, forearm protectors, blue/red body armour (hogu), a mouth protector, shin guards and a groin guard.

In Conclusion

What you get out of Taekwondo will be proportional to what you invest in it (as is true of life in general). Most of you will simply want to improve your fitness, meet different people and make new friends, some might wish to progress to competitions or tournaments or perhaps even the Olympics. But remember, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.