Taekwondo Heathfield

Taekwondo is typically far more demanding physically than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty nimble and fit you might prefer to partake in something a bit gentler to improve your fitness in Heathfield. Children and younger people are certainly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Heathfield, with lots of fast paced movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently established of the martial arts and consists of mostly high-kicking moves such as rapid kicking styles, spinning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks. It started when schools known as "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity around the world with some sixty million people or more routinely taking classes. And it is by enrolling in a Taekwondo club or class that you are able to start your journey of learning this thrilling activity.

In these days of ever-increasing violence, it is no surprise that folks in locations like Heathfield are enrolling in self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary factors of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a deep respect for others around us, which are disciplines that are frequently lacking in modern day life.

There is a pretty decent chance that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in the outside world, but it will most certainly give you a secure feeling knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever need them.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you've never done Taekwondo before, you could be a bit anxious as to what should be expected on your very first class. This can vary from club to club but will usually comprise some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, some technical training including learning some blocking techniques, hand attacks, kicks and stances, learning a few Poomse (forms), an overview of sparring which will include the timing of attacks, timing and movement, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

The United Kingdom official regulating body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you want to join a Taekwondo class in Heathfield, you will also be required to become a member of this organization. By going to British Taekwondo's official website you will be able to read details on referees and coaching, coaching courses, events, news, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, clubs and members, starting a new club, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are a whole host of tournaments in Taekwondo associated with all the different styles. They largely involve breaking, sparring and patterns with hardly any hard contact. ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions do not permit substantial contact but may allow hand attacks aimed at the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic competitions allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

With there being various different disciplines of Taekwondo there's never really been any recognised arrangement for assigning belts (levels). What exists is however pretty similar and comprises a couple of belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groups is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours for juniors and 9 "blacks" for seniors.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what generally known as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like many of the martial arts is portrayed by a range of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Heathfield will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and proceed through the different coloured belts until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Taekwondo students in Heathfield are known as "black belt candidates" once they've succeeded with this challenge, and they will then have to move through another nine ranks (called Dans) if they want to achieve the ultimate distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. So, to put it simply, there are three main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which can take a considerable number of years to successfully progress through.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main features of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a small selection of the essential kicks: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the various attacking movements, are called Makgi. Employing the hands and areas of the arm, they're held in specific positions. Every "block" can be combined with a punch or kick to produce a counter-attacking manoeuvre, and each is meant for a certain type of attack. The primary Taekwondo "blocks" include: Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Nine Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo for Beginners

It doesn't matter what you're capable of or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at one time you were a complete novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We have all started at that point and can only learn and improve with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Heathfield are the place get started on that learning journey and to pick up the basics so that you can gain self-confidence and proceed with your exciting Taekwondo adventure. Almost all beginner classes are created to be fun and friendly, offering a gradual introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo principles and building a firm foundation for the future.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a pivotal part of Taekwondo and are crucial if you are going to master this fascinating martial art. A few basic forms have to be grasped from the beginning and more advanced forms will have to be mastered so as to move through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is characterized by a number of points such as stance, direction and technique.

Final Thoughts

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess we wouldn't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't purely about National Championships and Olympic titles. The majority of of us are content to improve our fitness, make new friends and meet different people, and that is exactly how it ought to be. Yet, as with most matters in life, what you get from it will be based upon what you put into it. Enjoy!