Taekwondo Galston

Since Taekwondo has pretty high physical requirements, it's perhaps more suitable for the younger generation in Galston. That isn't to say that older people cannot get involved in this kind of activity, but merely that there may be alternative martial arts which are more suited to the less agile of us. Tai Chi would be the perfect example.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly involves kicking moves and manoeuvres, in particular spinning/jumping kicks, head kicks and fast kicking styles. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts enthusiasts established schools known as "kwans", which merged various martial arts practices.

Popular throughout the world Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. Signing up for a local Galston Taekwondo class or club is a good way to get involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While noone would seriously expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Galston.

For the men, women and children of Galston who like the idea of learning a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. As this is a key principle of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to appreciate the attraction of this particular sport. With the additional bonus of developing self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for others, getting involved in a local Galston Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

There is a pretty decent likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be tested in your everyday life, but it will certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they are sitting in the background should you need them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

Different Taekwondo schools in the Galston area will have different viewpoints on what pupils should be covering on their very first class, however to give you a concept of what to expect most initial Taekwondo classes will incorporate a warm-up, some sparring, learning forms (Poomse), a quick introduction to stances, hand attacks, blocking techniques and kicks (practical training) and a warm-down to relax tired muscles and get the body back to a state of balance.

Taekwondo of course also has got its own official governing body, and in Britain it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing enroll with a Taekwondo club in Galston has to become a member of this organisation. You will be able to find a lot of details about members and clubs, news, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, starting a new Taekwondo club, coaches and referees, safe practices, events, first aid, and more, by dropping by at British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Belts

In Taekwondo there is really no standardisation when it comes to grades and belts. It's all dependent upon what style you are looking at, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo styles. They are however, normally divided into 2 groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour rankings consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve ranks, whilst the black/senior belts typically have nine ranks.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks (belts) that are known as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, just like most of the martial arts is indicated by a number of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, namely 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 Galston will begin with, they'll then progress through the colours, finally achieving the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), after around three to four years of dedicated training.

After this training has been completed, Galston Taekwondo trainees are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then need to earn a further 9 Dans if they're to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the ultimate distinction in this sport. So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the 3 main groups in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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.

Tournaments

Taekwondo tournaments are held across the globe in all of the diverse styles. There's generally not a lot of hard contact but sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Olympic and World Taekwondo competitions consist only of sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation tournaments certain hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other associations stage multi-discipline tournaments.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You will doubtless be fascinated to discover precisely what sort of benefits may be gained by attending Galston Taekwondo classes and engaging 100% in its practices. You may expect that you will: Improve flexibility, agility and stamina by way of extreme cardiovascular work-outs, Increase self-esteem by intensifying both physical and mental health, Grow in your confidence by motivating you to seize control of your life and succeed, Reduce stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Strengthen your mind and body through improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Develop discipline and willpower by thoroughly schooling your body and mind in the doctrines and tactics of Taekwondo, Teach you self-defence by helping you to recognise instances where self-defence could be needed, and empowering you to manipulate these situations to your advantage.

Safety Gear

Contests regulated by British Taekwondo rules require various pieces of protective equipment to be worn, these include: a groin guard, shin guards, a gum shield, forearm protectors, red or blue trunk armour, hand protectors and a red/blue head guard. This is crucial due to the powerful kicking attacks being practiced.