Taekwondo Hetton-le-Hole

Due to its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Hetton-le-Hole and is especially suited to children as it's fantastic for developing self-discipline and respect for other people. Older adults may find it somewhat too demanding unless they are particularly active and fit. Even so, those who take up Taekwondo in Hetton-le-Hole at a young age will find that they can easily continue with it when they're older. The less agile of you might consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

With its origins in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently established of the martial arts and consists of mainly high-kicking moves such as head-height kicks, rapid kicking methods and turning/jumping kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were established by a group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Hetton-le-Hole and all over the world, with over sixty million practitioners worldwide. Enrolling in a local Hetton-le-Hole Taekwondo class or club is a great way to get involved in this sporting activity which has even been a part of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. Although you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there's certainly no reason why you shouldn't become a maestro of this thrilling martial art and have a bit of fun along the way.

In these days of increasing violence, it is little surprise that folks in places like Hetton-le-Hole are getting involved in self-defence classes 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 teaches self-restraint and a respect for others around us, which are traits that are frequently lacking in modern day life.

While its good to know they're there when you need them, hopefully you won't ever need to use your newly discovered Taekwondo skills for defending yourself outside of your local club environment.

Your First Hetton-le-Hole Taekwondo Lesson

Different Taekwondo schools in Hetton-le-Hole will have different guidelines for what pupils should cover on their very first lesson, however to give you an understanding of what you can expect most initial Taekwondo lessons will include a warm-up, some sparring, learning simple Poomse (forms), an overview of kicks, stances, blocks and hand attacks (practical training) and a warm-down to stretch tired muscles and return the body to a state of equilibrium.

The UK official governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you want to join a Taekwondo club in Hetton-le-Hole, you will also be required to register with this organization. You'll be able to find out about referees and coaching, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, starting a new club, members and clubs, news, safe practices, first aid, events, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and get the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

There are a multitude of tournaments and competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the different styles. They mostly include sparring, breaking and patterns with almost no "hard contact". ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions don't permit too much contact but do permit hand attacks towards the head. World Taekwondo and Olympic tournaments only allow sparring. Multi-style contests are also held.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The belt and ranking system can get rather complicated in Taekwondo as there is no uniform system across the various Taekwondo disciplines. Parallels do exist though, and commonly there are two distinct belt groupings, denoted as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of rankings in the junior group varies across the styles but is commonly somewhere between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior section normally has nine dans or belts.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are known as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like most of the martial arts is denoted by a range of 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 in Hetton-le-Hole starting out in Taekwondo will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the coloured belts until they attain the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo students in Hetton-le-Hole are considered to be "black belt candidates" which requires them to proceed through yet another nine ranks (Dans) right up until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, putting it simply, there are 3 primary groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division 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 group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Promotion Hetton-le-Hole, Taekwondo Belts Hetton-le-Hole).

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety gear like a blue or red head protector, a groin guard, forearm protectors, a red/blue trunk guard (hogu), shin protectors, a gum shield and hand guards must be worn in all competitions supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is required thanks to the vigorous kicks which are part and parcel of this activity.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Folks just starting out Taekwondo do not need to fret excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) at the outset, but they will have to get to grips with some basic ones to start with and move forward to more difficult "forms" as they progress up the belts (dans/grades). A form is signified by specific aspects of Taekwondo including stance, direction and technique. Learning these sequences is a crucial part of mastering Taekwondo.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

You will probably be intrigued to understand exactly what sort of benefits might be gained by taking part in Hetton-le-Hole Taekwondo training and partaking fully in its activities. You can expect to: Teach you self-defence by training you to recognize instances where self-defence may be necessary, and empowering you to turn these kinds of scenarios in your favour, Boost your confidence by helping you to succeed and to take control of your life, Develop discipline by methodically training your body and mind in the doctrines and techniques of Taekwondo, Toughen up your body and mind thru accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by heightening your mental and physical fitness, Reduce stress using advanced breath control, Supercharge agility, stamina and flexibility by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Students setting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Hetton-le-Hole will initially register for a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, since there's not any pressure and everything is carried out at a relaxed, slow pace. Having fun while learning is the main objective in the early stages and trainees who are having a great time are inclined to learn a lot faster and absorb considerably more of what they are being shown. Even Taekwondo masters started out as naive newbies, so take that very first step and you never know where you'll wind up!