Taekwondo Otley

It should be asserted that Taekwondo can be fairly demanding physically, which could unnerve the less agile and more elderly people in Otley from getting involved. To be honest, the most common participants of Taekwondo classes are children and the younger generation, but certainly older people who are in good physical condition can easily be involved and benefit considerably from this activity.

Based mostly around kicking moves and manoeuvres like head-height kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking styles, Taekwondo was created from the practices of different martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" during the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Chungdo Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Otley and throughout the UK. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Otley Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Otley.

In these modern times of escalating violence, it's no surprise that folks in areas like Otley are taking up self-defence classes such as Taekwondo to help them to feel safer in their everyday life. The self-defence element is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a deep respect for other people, which are disciplines that are often missing in 21st century living.

Such self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in the outside world, though it is more likely you'll solely be putting them to the test within a supervised class environment. Yet it is an amazing feeling knowing the fact that you can always defend yourself if you need to.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you have made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first class, you will be wondering what will happen. This may vary depending on which Otley school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, some technical training including learning some blocking techniques, stances, hand attacks and kicks, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

If you wish to join a Taekwondo class in Otley, you'll also have to register with the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You'll be able to learn about coaching courses, members and clubs, health and safety, first aid, safeguarding and equality, events, referees and coaching, news, establishing a new Taekwondo club, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or find out the latest Taekwondo news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

The Main Taekwondo Kicks

Kicking techniques serve a major role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a handful of the more simple ones: Roundhouse Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Axe Kick, Crescent Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To repulse the various hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse assortment of blocks (Makgi). They're held in specific positions and employ the hand with different areas of the arm. Each form of attack calls for a specific kind of block, counter-attacking manoeuvres can be produced by integrating a block with another kick or punch. The most used Taekwondo blocks (makgi) include: Low Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block, Upper Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Forms

Mastering Taekwondo necessitates getting to grips with many techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of direction, stance and technique which must be memorized in order for students to move through the various dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The ranking and belt structure can get very complicated in Taekwondo because there isn't any uniform system throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Likenesses do exist however, and commonly there are 2 distinct belt groupings, denoted as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of rankings in the junior groupings varies through the disciplines but is generally somewhere between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior's section typically has 9 belts or dans.

Beginners Taekwondo Otley

Trainees starting out on their Taekwondo experience in Otley will initially enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are fabulous, as there is no pressure and everything's done at a slow and relaxed pace. Having fun while learning is the principal objective at the start and trainees who are enjoying themselves tend to learn a lot quicker and absorb significantly more of what they're being told. Even Taekwondo masters started off as clueless novices, so take that very first step and who knows where you'll wind up!

To Summarize

What you get out of Taekwondo are going to be proportional to what you put into it (as is true of life on the whole). Most of you will merely wish to make new friends, improve your fitness levels and meet different people, some may want to move on to competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we cannot all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.