Taekwondo Haydock

Taekwondo is quite physically demanding, which means it may be considered more suitable for the younger rather than the older generation in Haydock. Its teachings of self-discipline and respect for others make it particularly good for children. Older adults who are not all that fit and active might find it a tad too taxing. However those who take up Taekwondo in Haydock at a young age will find they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. Tai Chi or something similarly softer might be more suitab le for the less agile of you.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts and entails mainly high-kicking moves such as rapid kicking strategies, head-height kicks and jumping/turning kicks. It began when schools known as "kwans" were established by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo has grown to become very popular in Haydock and around the globe, with more than 60 million practitioners worldwide. Registering with a local Haydock Taekwondo class or club is a good way to get involved with this sport which has even been a feature of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. Though you may not have any ambitions to be involved in Olympic competition, there's no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and naturally this is one of the main reasons that individuals in Haydock get involved in classes and take up the sport. There's been a disconcerting escalation of violent practices in recent times and this is especially rife in city and town centres around Merseyside and Great Britain as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and respect for others, not such common attributes in Haydock nowadays.

Such self-defence techniques may at some point come in handy in your day to day life, although it is much more likely you will solely be using them within a regulated class setting. Nevertheless it's an amazing feeling knowing the fact that you will always be able to successfully defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Haydock Taekwondo Class

If you've decided to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first class, you'll be curious as to what will happen. This could vary subject to which Haydock school you attend, but will generally involve the following. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, a bit of technical training involving learning some kicks, blocks, stances and hand attacks, some work on forms or patterns, some tips on sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and to round off a warm down to stretch tired muscles and relax.

If you would like to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Haydock, you'll also have to register with the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. By going to the British Taekwondo website you'll be able to obtain information about news, first aid, equality and safeguarding, clubs and members, events, referees and coaching, coaching courses, establishing a new club, health and safety, and a lot more Taekwondo related facts.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably best known for its acrobatic kicking manoeuvres, the following are a selection of the basic kicks you'll learn as a beginner: Front Kick, Back Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Side Kick, Push Kick, Axe Kick, Crescent Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: To defend against the many hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse selection of blocks (Makgi). Held in specific positions, they engage the hand and areas of the arm. Specific attacks call for specified blocks, but "blocks" can also be transformed into counter-attacking moves by combining reciprocal punches or kicks. The most important Taekwondo "blocks" (makgi) include: Low Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Rising Block and Single Forearm Block.

Tournaments and Competitions

Competitions are an important element of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all the various styles around the world stage tournaments where Taekwondo exponents get together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever permitted in any of these tournaments which mainly incorporate breaking, sparring and patterns (forms). Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, whilst specified hand attacks are permitted in ITF events.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

In all events, matches and competitions taking place under the authority of British Taekwondo, safety gear like a blue/red trunk protector (hogu), hand guards, shin protectors, a groin protector, a mouth guard, forearm protectors and a blue/red head guard is mandatory. The kicking techniques which are part of Taekwondo could potentially cause injury and this helps to make this activity less hazardous for its competitors.

In Conclusion

So, what are you hoping to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's an excellent question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will just look to gain more confidence, improve their levels of fitness and meet new people. We're certainly not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, who knows? 👊