Taekwondo Durham

Owing to its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is perhaps more suitable for the younger generation in Durham and is especially suited to children as it's excellent for developing respect for others and self-discipline. More elderly people may find it somewhat too demanding unless they are especially fit and active. However, those who take up Taekwondo in Durham at a young age will find they can easily continue with it when they're older. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly consists of kicking manoeuvres and moves, most notably rapid kicking strategies, jumping/turning kicks and head-height kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists established schools known as "kwans", which mixed together a variety of martial arts techniques.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than 60 million practitioners worldwide, and whilst you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still sign up for a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will no doubt turn out to be a fascinating and worthwhile activity.

People in Durham learn Taekwondo for many reasons but it is the self-defence aspect that interests most. And its not surprising that this features highly on people's list of priorities when you consider the ever rising incidence of violence seen these days in town and city centres throughout Britain. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the main benefits of Taekwondo.

There's a very good chance that your newly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be proved in the outside world, but it will certainly give you reassurance knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever need them.

Your First Durham Taekwondo Lesson

Different Taekwondo clubs in and around Durham will have different guidelines for what enrollees should cover on their first class, however to give you an understanding of what you can expect most initial Taekwondo lessons will include things like a warm-up, some sparring, learning simple Poomse (forms), an introduction to kicks, stances, blocks and hand attacks (practical training) and a warm-down to stretch tired muscles and return the body to a state of harmony.

If you want to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Durham, you will also have to register with the sport's official regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By checking out British Taekwondo's website you can obtain details of safe practices, coaches and competition referees, clubs and members, coaching courses, events, first aid, starting a new club, news, safeguarding and equality, and many more Taekwondo related issues.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

There are a lot of different sorts of Taekwondo kicks, here are just a few of them: Crescent Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick, Side Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Back Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and defend against an inbound attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. They're held in particular positions and use the hand with different areas of the arm. Each type of attack calls for a particular sort of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with another kick or punch. The key "blocks" (makgi) include: Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Knife Hand Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

With there being many different types of Taekwondo there has never been any standardized system for assigning belts (levels). What exists is however relatively similar and comprises 2 belt groupings "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each one of these groupings is split into ranks, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and 9 for the seniors.