Taekwondo Helsby

Taekwondo is typically much more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty nimble and fit you might prefer to find something a bit gentler to improve your fitness in Helsby. Children and younger people are definitely an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Helsby, with lots of fast movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some new schools known as "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques. The emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, fast kicking styles and jumping/spinning kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".Today Helsby Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Helsby and throughout the UK. If you want to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, joining a Taekwondo club or class in Helsby is a good place to start. There is no reason why you cannot reach a high standard in this thrilling sport, even if you have no desire to compete in the Olympics.

For the people of Helsby who want to learn a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. Since this is a central concept of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the appeal of this particular sport. With the extra reward of learning self-restraint and having a deep respect for others, signing up for a local Helsby Taekwondo class seems to be a no brainer.

There's a fairly decent chance that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never need to be proven in your day to day life, but it will undoubtedly give you self-confidence knowing that they're there should you ever be in need of them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you make your mind up to register for a Taekwondo club in Helsby, the very first thing you will be thinking about is what will occur on the first class and what exactly will the coach expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in Helsby will formulate diverse routines for this first introductory lesson but you can anticipate doing a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood pumping, learn several Poomse (forms, cover some technical training (stances, blocking techniques, kicks and hand attacks), do a certain amount of sparring, and last but not least, a warm-down.

Anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Helsby must also register with British Taekwondo which is the governing body of the sport in Britain. You can find out about news, events, members and clubs, coaches and referees, health and safety, first aid, beginning a new club, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or get the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety equipment such as a gum shield, a red/blue head protector, hand guards, forearm guards, shin protectors, a groin protector and a blue/red trunk protector (hogu) are worn in all tournaments regulated by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is needed thanks to the forceful kicking that is an integral part of this activity.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Beginners in Taekwondo do not have to worry excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) in the early days, however they will have to learn some basic ones to start with and progress to more elaborate "forms" as they move up the various belts (grades/dans). A "form" is signified by specific elements of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Learning such sequences is an important part of mastering Taekwondo.

Tournaments

There are a wide variety of tournaments and competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They mostly involve patterns, breaking and sparring with not much "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation tournaments don't allow too much contact but may allow hand attacks aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic contests only allow sparring. Multi-style contests are also held.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

When getting involved in Taekwondo classes in Helsby you'll be expecting to get a few benefits to make the whole adventure worth the effort. So why don't we look into a few of the many positive benefits that you may gain by doing and learning Taekwondo. Improve stamina, agility and flexibility by way of intense cardiovascular effort, Toughen up your mind and body thru increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Beef up your confidence by inspiring you to take control of your life and succeed, Improve your self-esteem by intensifying both mental and physical powers, Reduces stress with controlled breathing, Teach you self-defence tactics by helping you to recognize scenarios in which self-defence might be needed, and enabling you to turn these types of situations to your advantage, More discipline and willpower by comprehensively educating your body and mind in the tactics and doctrines of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In regards to promotion, ranking and belts there isn't actually any real standardisation in Taekwondo, since there are various styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique system. There are however similarities and they typically comprise a couple of groupings of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior ranks generally have nine grades and the junior, eight to twelve levels.

In the UK there are a set of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. If you're interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is indicated by a range of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Helsby will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and proceed through the colours until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Helsby become "black belt candidates" which entails them progressing through an additional 9 ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt". Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division are; 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 considerable number of years.

Final Thoughts

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't purely about National Championships and Olympic titles. The majority of of us are happy to improve our levels of fitness, meet different people and make new friends, and that is how it ought to be. Yet, as with most things in life, what you get out of it will depend on what you put into it. Good luck and enjoy! 👊