Taekwondo Thetford

Due to its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Thetford and is particularly suited to children as it's excellent for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults could find it somewhat too challenging unless they are especially active and fit. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Thetford at a young age will discover they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less agile of you might consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its origins in Korea in 1945. Some schools called "kwans", incorporating various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts enthusiasts. The focus of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known, is on kicking manoeuvres, in particular turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking techniques and head-height kicks. Nowadays Thetford Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

With over 60 million people taking part in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has certainly become a popular and worthwhile pastime, and if you become really expert at the sport you might possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part ever since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

It is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that generally has the most appeal to people in Thetford. You should not be surprised by this, when you take into account the high incidence of violence seen in today's town and city centres. In fact one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

Your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be tested outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however being aware that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Thetford Taekwondo Lesson

For those of you who have never done Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be intrigued to know just what to expect from your first class. There might be variations to the following, depending on which Thetford Taekwondo school you go to, but you can pretty much expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, some technical training which will involve learning some hand attacks, blocking techniques, stances and kicks, learning some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to loosen up and stretch muscles.

Any person wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Thetford must also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in the United Kingdom. By exploring British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to find details of clubs and members, events, coaches and referees, health and safety, news, starting a new Taekwondo club, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You will doubtless be interested to find out about precisely what type of benefits could be obtained by attending Thetford Taekwondo lessons and participating fully in its activities. You could expect that you will: Help with self-defence strategies by helping you recognise instances where self-defence could be needed, and allowing you to turn these scenarios in your favour, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by sharpening your mental and physical health, More discipline by extensively schooling your body and mind in the techniques and concepts of Taekwondo, Reduces stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Empower your body and mind through increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Boost your confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Augment stamina, agility and flexibility by way of strenuous cardiovascular effort.

Taekwondo Kicks

Some of the basic Taekwondo kicks you will learn to begin with include: Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to repulse the various attacking movements, are called Makgi. Held in various positions, they use the hands and sections of the arm. Specific attacks require specified "blocks", but blocks can also be transformed into counter-attacks by linking retaliatory punches or kicks. The most used blocks include: Rising Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Nine Block and Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In regards to ranking, promotion and belts there's not actually any standardization in Taekwondo, as there are many different styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own specific system. There are however likenesses and they normally comprise two groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively, . The senior ranks normally have 9 levels and the junior, between 8 and 12 levels.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are a whole host of tournaments and competitions in Taekwondo involving all the various styles. They primarily comprise sparring, breaking and patterns (forms) with very little "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) tournaments don't allow excessive contact but do allow hand attacks to the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety gear like shin protectors, a mouth protector, a groin guard, forearm protectors, hand guards, a red or blue head protector and a red or blue body guard (hogu) are used in all competitions supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is crucial on account of the forceful kicking which is part and parcel of this sport.

Conclusion

So, what do you want from Taekwondo? Well, that is a good question, and the answer will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will simply wish to gain more confidence, improve their fitness levels and meet new people. We're certainly not all going to reach the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, who knows? 👊