Taekwondo Stevenage

It should be said that Taekwondo can be fairly physically demanding, which can intimidate the less agile and more elderly people in Stevenage from taking this up. To be honest, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but certainly older people who are in excellent physical condition can easily get involved and benefit considerably from this sport.

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

Taekwondo has grown to be very popular in Stevenage and all around the world, with more than sixty million participants worldwide. Signing up for a local Stevenage Taekwondo club or class is a good way to become involved in this activity which has even been included in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. Whilst you might not have any goals to get involved in Olympic competition, there is certainly no reason why you cannot become a master of this remarkable martial art and have a bit of fun along the way.

In these days of ever-increasing violence, it's no surprise that individuals in locations like Stevenage are enrolling in self-defence training such as Taekwondo to help them to feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary factors of Taekwondo but it also teaches self-restraint and a deep respect for other people, which are qualities that are largely absent in modern day life.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be put to the test outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however being aware that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

For those of you who've never attempted Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be curious to know what to expect from your first class. Most Taekwondo schools in Stevenage follow a similar routine, but there could be variations to the following. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to increase heart rate and loosen your muscles, a bit of technical training covering some blocking techniques, stances, hand attacks and kicks, learning some forms (or Poomse), some ideas on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and last but not least a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo class in Stevenage or anywhere else in the British Isles, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official governing body of the sport. By checking out British Taekwondo's official website you will be able to discover info on events, safeguarding and equality, launching a new club, clubs and members, first aid, news, coaching courses, safe practices, coaches and tournament referees, and a lot more Taekwondo related facts.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

There are needless to say, plenty of benefits to be gained from practicing Taekwondo, and the following are just a few which may be of interest to you: Improve self-esteem and concentration by heightening your physical and mental health, Build your confidence by pushing you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Teach self-defence strategies by training you to recognize situations in which self-defence may be required, and allowing you to manipulate such scenarios in your favour, Empower your mind and body by enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Increase flexibility, stamina and agility through intense cardiovascular work-outs, More self-discipline by extensively schooling your mind and body in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Reduces stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In Tae kwon do there is really no form of standardisation when it comes to belts and ranking. It is all depending on what style you are considering, as there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles and rules. They are however, generally split into 2 groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour ranks range from white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 grades, while the black/senior belts generally have 9 ranks.

Stevenage Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Stevenage had to start as novices, so there's no disgrace in being a complete beginner at Taekwondo, or for that matter any other activity. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide just a few basics, improve self-confidence and develop a firm foundation for the future. Most importantly of all is that it should be fun, students having a good time will learn faster and be more committed.