Taekwondo Rayleigh

Images of young children doing energetic kicks and rapid punching manoeuvres, are what spring to mind at the mere mention of Taekwondo. While the younger and fitter generation should find it easier to cope with the physical demands of Taekwondo, people of every age group can practice the sport. Being fairly agile and fit is however a requirement of Taekwondo.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. The emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known, is on kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking techniques.Today Rayleigh Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Rayleigh and all over the world, with over 60 million students worldwide. If you want to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, heading along to a Taekwondo club or class in Rayleigh is an excellent place to start. There's no reason why you cannot become a master of this thrilling martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

It is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that generally is the most appealing to people in Rayleigh. You shouldn't be surprised by this, when you bear in mind the high incidence of violence seen in today's city centres. However, respecting others and having a good deal of self-restraint goes hand in hand with Taekwondo's self-defence principles.

Whilst it will instill you with self-confidence knowing that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are that you'll never need to use them outside of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First Class

If you have never dome Taekwondo before, you may be interested to know exactly what is likely to happen on your first class. This may vary depending on which Rayleigh school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase heart rate and loosen your muscles, some technical training covering some hand attacks, stances, blocks and kicks, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a few tips on sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent spasms and cramping.

Taekwondo of course also has its own official regulating body, and in the British Isles it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Rayleigh must become a member of this organisation. You will be able to learn about launching a new club, news, events, coaches and competition referees, equality and safeguarding, first aid, clubs and members, coaching courses, health and safety, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find out the latest news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

The benefits that can be acquired by participating in Taekwondo lessons in Rayleigh are many and varied, among the most advantageous are: Reduces stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Improve self-esteem by maximizing both mental and physical powers, Grow in confidence by motivating you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Teach self-defence by helping you understand circumstances in which self-defence might be required, and empowering you to control these scenarios to your advantage, Supercharge flexibility, agility and stamina through extreme cardiovascular exertion, Strengthen your mind and body by means of improved physical coordination and mental discipline, Greater discipline and willpower by methodically training your body and mind in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Perfecting Tae kwon do calls for getting to grips with many techniques and disciplines and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as patterns or Poomse). These are sequences of technique, stance and direction which have to be memorized in order for pupils to move through the different dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Taekwondo there's not really any kind of standardisation in relation to belts and grades. It's all dependent on which style you are looking at, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo styles. They are however, typically separated into two groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour ranks consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve rankings, while the senior/black belts typically have nine ranks.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo contests are staged across the globe in all the various styles. There's generally not a whole lot of hard contact but breaking, patterns and sparring. Olympic and World Taekwondo contests comprise only sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions certain hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other organizations stage multi-discipline tournaments.

Beginners Taekwondo Rayleigh

Even the finest exponents of Taekwondo in Rayleigh began their journey as rookies, therefore there's no disgrace in being a complete beginner at this sport, or any other activity for that matter. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginner class is to teach just a few basics, increase confidence and build a firm foundation moving forward. Most important of all is that it should be fun, students having fun will learn faster and be more committed.