Taekwondo Troon

Taekwondo is generally a lot more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and agile you might prefer to partake in something a bit gentler to improve your fitness in Troon. Younger children are clearly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Troon, with a lot of fast movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. Some new schools called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics. Kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, rapid kicking strategies and turning/jumping kicks are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known.Today Troon Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Troon and all around the world, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Troon Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. There is no reason why you cannot reach a high standard in this thrilling sport, even if you have no desire to compete in the Olympics.

For a lot of people in Troon, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that holds the most appeal. And in these days of increased violence, especially in city and town centres, it really is little surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your ability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect those around you and learn self-restraint.

Although it will instill you with confidence knowing that you have such self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the likelihood is you'll never have to use them outside of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. This may vary depending on which Troon school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training which will involve learning some stances, blocks, hand attacks and kicks, learning some forms (or Poomse), a few ideas on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

If you would like to join a Taekwondo class in Troon, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can get a lot of information regarding news, coaching courses, first aid, health and safety, events, equality and safeguarding, coaches and tournament referees, beginning a new Taekwondo club, clubs and members, and more, by dropping by at British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are a lot of different kicking techniques which are used when practicing Taekwondo. Here are just a few of the best known: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Blocks: To defend against the many hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse array of "blocks". They're held in particular positions and enlist the hand with parts of the arm. Each and every block can be combined with a punch or kick to produce a counter-attacking movement, and each is suitable for a specific attack. The main Taekwondo "blocks" (makgi) include: Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Low Block and Rising Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The ranking and belt system can get very confusing in Taekwondo since there's no recognised system across the various Taekwondo disciplines. Analogies do exist however, and generally there are 2 distinct belt groupings, denoted as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of rankings in the junior section varies through the styles but is normally between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior's section normally has 9 dans or belts.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks which are known as "Kup", these ranks go from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a number of colours, so the ranks can be easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, specifically - 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. Students in Troon getting started in Taekwondo will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and progress through the coloured belts until they reach the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Troon become "black belt candidates" which entails them moving through an additional nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt". So, to put it simply, there are 3 main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which takes many years to successfully progress through.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Competitions controlled by British Taekwondo rules demand that various items of protective gear be worn, these include: a groin guard, forearm protectors, hand guards, a mouth guard, shin protectors, a red/blue trunk guard (hogu) and a red/blue head protector. This is a must owing to the formidable kicking movements being practiced.