Taekwondo Hounslow

Taekwondo is generally much more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty fit and agile you might prefer to partake in something a little bit gentler to improve your fitness in Hounslow. Children are clearly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Hounslow, with a lot 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 number of Korean martial artists in Seoul founded some new schools known as "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, mostly consists of kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, fast kicking methods and turning/jumping kicks.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Hounslow and all around the world, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Hounslow Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is 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 doubtless this is one of the main reasons that people in Hounslow get involved in classes and take up the sport. There has been a worrying increase in violent behaviour in recent years and this is particularly rampant in town and city centres around Greater London and the UK as a whole. The fantastic thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for others, not such common characteristics in Hounslow these days.

While its great to know they are there when you need them, with any luck you won't ever have the need to use your newly learned Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club environment.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never attempted Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what you should expect on your first class. The following will give you a good idea, but this will vary from school to school. An initial warm up lasting 15 to 20 minutes, a little technical training comprising some kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocks, an introduction to some forms, a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and to round off a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping,

Taekwondo also of course has got its own official regulating body, and in Great Britain it is British Taekwondo. Everyone wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Hounslow have to become registered members of this organisation. You can read about safe practices, coaches and referees, safeguarding and equality, launching a new club, news, first aid, coaching courses, events, members and clubs, and more on the British Taekwondo website, and get the latest news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

There are of course, plenty of benefits to be had from doing Taekwondo, and listed here are just a selection of the ones which might be interesting for you: Learn self-defence by helping you identify circumstances in which self-defence might be necessary, and empowering you to turn these circumstances in your favour, Increase concentration and self-esteem by raising both mental and physical health, Lessen anxiety and stress with controlled breathing, Develop discipline and willpower by exhaustively schooling your body and mind in the strategies and doctrines of Taekwondo, Empower your mind and body by accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Beef up confidence by inspiring you to seize control of your life and succeed, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility through strenuous cardiovascular effort.

Taekwondo Belts

Since there are various different types of Taekwondo there's never been any recognised arrangement for assigning belts (levels). What exists however is quite similar and involves a couple of belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groupings is divided into grades, 8 to 12 colours in the case of juniors and 9 "blacks" for seniors.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo competitions and tournaments are staged across the globe in all of the diverse styles. There's usually not a lot of hard contact but breaking, patterns and sparring. Olympic and WT contests comprise only sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions specific hand attacks are permitted to the head. Other organizations stage multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It does not matter who you are or what you're ranking is in Taekwondo, at one point you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We've all started out like this and are only able to develop and learn through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Hounslow are the right place get started on that learning process and to acquire the fundamentals so you can gain self-confidence and move forward in your exciting Taekwondo adventure. The majority of beginner classes are created to be friendly and fun, offering a slow introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo values and building a firm foundation for the future.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo contests call for specific safety equipment to be worn to protect contenders from injury due to the forceful kicks that are used. These safety products include: shin pads, blue/red body armour, a blue or red head guard, a groin protector, a gum shield, hand protectors and forearm protectors.

Summary

So, what do you want from Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer will vary for different people. Most participants will purely wish to improve their fitness levels, gain more confidence and meet new people. We are certainly not all going to reach the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, who knows? 👊