Taekwondo Tayport

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be fairly physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Tayport, it is especially good for children who will become self-disciplined and respecting of others. Older adults trying Taekwondo for the first time often find it too tough, unless they have kept themselves active. However people in Tayport who take up Taekwondo at an early age, will find that carrying it on into older adulthood is not difficult. If you consider yourself among the less nimble, you could always try something like Tai Chi which is much less strenuous.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). Some new schools called "kwans" were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics, combining a number of various martial arts techniques. In Taekwondo the emphasis is on kicking, especially jumping/spinning kicks, fast kicking methods and head kicks.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Tayport and with more than 60 million others throughout the world. Joining your local Taekwondo class or club in Tayport is an easy way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While reaching Olympic standard may be beyond your capabilities, there's no reason why you can't become a Taekwondo master.

In these days of increasing violence, it's no surprise that individuals in places like Tayport are getting involved in self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a deep respect for other people, which are qualities that are frequently missing in 21st century living.

These self-defence techniques may in due course prove to be useful in your everyday life, although it is far more likely you'll solely be using them within a controlled class environment. Yet it is a wonderful feeling knowing that you will always be able to successfully defend yourself when you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If Taekwondo is not a sport that you've ever tried before, you'll doubtless be curious about what to expect from your first lesson if you make up your mind to join. Different Taekwondo schools in the Tayport area have varying ideas about this but in brief; you will take part in a 15-20 minute warm-up, you will do some technical training, you'll learn some forms, you'll practice sparring methods and lastly you'll warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state once more.

The governing official body for Taekwondo in the British Isles is British Taekwondo and any individual wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Tayport must also become a member of British Taekwondo. By visiting the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to find info on members and clubs, equality and safeguarding, coaches and referees, news, events, coaching courses, beginning a new Taekwondo club, safe practices, first aid, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are needless to say, a number of benefits to be had from taking part in Taekwondo, and the following are just an idea of the ones that may be interesting for you: Grow in your confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by way of strenuous cardiovascular work-outs, Better discipline and willpower by comprehensively schooling your body and mind in the tactics and concepts of Taekwondo, Strengthen your body and mind by way of enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Reduce stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Teach you self-defence by helping you to realize instances where self-defence may be needed, and allowing you to turn such circumstances to your advantage, Increase concentration and self-esteem by elevating your physical and mental powers.

Competitions and Tournaments

A standard Taekwondo tournament includes sparring, breaking and patterns, in the Olympics only sparring is involved. That being said there can also be some special categories in specific tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo contests are purely soft-contact events, whilst International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions permit some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are in addition a number of multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Tournaments controlled by British Taekwondo policies require various pieces of protective equipment to be worn, these include things like: shin protectors, a gum shield, a blue or red head guard, forearm guards, a groin guard, red or blue trunk armour and hand guards. This is vital because of the forceful kicking attacks being practiced.

Taekwondo Belts

The ranking and belt system can get a bit bewildering in Taekwondo because there's no recognised structure across the different Taekwondo styles. Analogies can be found however, and generally there are 2 separate belt groupings, signified as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (colours). The number of ranks in the junior groupings varies over the styles but is normally somewhere between eight and twelve belts, while the senior group typically has nine dans or belts.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you're eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is portrayed by a number of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, namely white with a yellow stripe, yellow with a green stripe, green with a blue stripe, blue with a red stripe and red with a black stripe. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Tayport will begin with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and move up through the different colours until they earn the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

As soon as this training regime has been accomplished, Tayport Taekwondo trainees are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then need to progress through an additional 9 ranks or Dans if they are to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate accolade in this sport. Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and demands many years of dedication and training.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also referred to as patterns or Poomse) are characterized by specified elements such as technique, direction and stance. From the start of your Taekwondo experience you'll learn some of the basic forms, and so as to progress through the various rankings (belts) you will have to master some more advanced ones.

In Summary

So, what are you hoping to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer will vary for different people. Most participants will just wish to gain more confidence, improve their fitness and meet new people. We are not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, you never know? 👊