Taekwondo Lichfield

Whilst not wanting to deter any particular age group, it has to be said that Taekwondo is more suitable for younger people in Lichfield, being rather physically demanding. Its teachings of self-discipline and respect for others make it especially appropriate for children. Seniors may find it a bit too taxing unless they are particularly fit and active. People in Lichfield who take up Taekwondo when they may be young find it easy to continue when they become older. Something a bit less strenuous like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less nimble of you.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily comprises kicking manoeuvres and moves, in particular head kicks, jumping/turning kicks and rapid kicking strategies. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts specialists founded schools called "kwans", which mixed together a variety of martial arts practices.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Lichfield Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get yourself involved. 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 many folks in Lichfield, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these days of increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it's no surprise that this sits high up on people's list of priorities. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you're able to gain more confidence in your ability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect others and learn self-restraint.

There's a fairly decent likelihood that your newly learned Taekwondo skills will never need to be used in your day to day life, but it will unquestionably give you reassurance knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever be in need of them.

Your First Class

If you haven't tried Taekwondo before, you might be intrigued to know what is going to happen on your first class. There could be variations to the following, depending on which Lichfield Taekwondo school you go to, but you can roughly expect; A warm up of 15 to 20 minutes to increase your heart rate and loosen the muscles, some technical training involving learning some hand attacks, blocks, kicks and stances, learning the basic forms or patterns, a look at sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and to round off a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent cramping and spasms.

Any individual who joins a Taekwondo club in Lichfield has to also register with British Taekwondo which is the regulating body of the sport in the UK. By going to British Taekwondo's official website you can discover info regarding equality and safeguarding, clubs and members, news, coaches and referees, launching a new club, coaching courses, safe practices, events, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related issues.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When getting started with Taekwondo classes in Lichfield you will be wanting to get some benefits to make the entire enterprise worth the effort. Therefore let us take a look at a few of the benefits that you may get through learning and doing Taekwondo. Turbocharge stamina, agility and flexibility by way of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Strengthen your body and mind by means of enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Teach self-defence techniques by coaching you to understand situations in which self-defence could be necessary, and empowering you to control these kinds of scenarios to your advantage, More discipline and willpower by methodically educating your mind and body in the principles and strategies of Taekwondo, Beef up your confidence by encouraging you to seize control of your life and succeed, Reduces stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Increase self-esteem by intensifying your physical and mental health.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Perfecting the art of Taekwondo necessitates getting to grips with a number of disciplines and one of the pivotal aspects of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as patterns or Poomse). These are types of technique, direction and stance which have to be memorized in order for pupils to move through the various dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Belts

In the art of taekwondo there's really no form of standardization with regards to belts and grades. It's all dependent on what style you're looking at, as there are so many different Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are usually separated into a couple of groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour ranks range from white to red, with from eight to twelve levels, while the black/senior belts usually have 9 levels.

In Summary

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I reckon that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't purely about National Championships and Olympic titles. Most of us are happy to make new friends, improve our levels of fitness and meet different people, and that is precisely how it ought to be. However, as with most things in life, what you get out of it will be determined by what you invest in it. Enjoy! 👊