Taekwondo Twyford

Whilst people of any age in Twyford can of course participate in Taekwondo, it is especially suited to the younger generation since it can be quite physically demanding, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. It can sometimes be too taxing for older adults except when they are exceptionally active and fit. People in Twyford who take up Taekwondo when they are young find it simple to continue when they become older. The less nimble of you might like to consider something less demanding like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly involves high-kicking manoeuvres and moves, in particular head kicks, jumping/turning kicks and rapid kicking techniques. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts specialists established schools known as "kwans", which mixed together a variety of martial arts techniques.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Twyford and all across the globe, with more than sixty million practitioners worldwide. This sport has even been included in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you would like to get involved, signing up for your local Twyford Taekwondo club or class is a good place to start. Whilst the odds of you reaching Olympic standard are fairly slim, there is no reason at all why you cannot master this exhilarating martial art.

The thing about Taekwondo that seems to most appeal to people in Twyford is the self-defence aspect of it. And its not surprising that this is on people's list of priorities when you consider the rising levels of violence seen these days in town and city centres throught the United Kingdom. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be proven outside of an organised Taekwondo class, however being aware of the fact that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Twyford Taekwondo Lesson

If you have made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first lesson, you will be wondering what will happen. The following will give you an example, but this will vary depending on which Twyford school you attend. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase heart rate, some technical training involving learning some hand attacks, blocking techniques, stances and kicks, an introduction to some forms, some ideas on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

If you would like to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Twyford, you'll also have to register with the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. By heading to British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to find facts about first aid, coaching courses, beginning a new club, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, health and safety, news, referees and coaching, events, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

The Popular Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is renowned for its powerful kicks, here are the important ones: Crescent Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Front Kick, Axe Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Push Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the different attacking moves, are called Makgi. Held in particular positions, they involve the hands and sections of the arm. Each kind of attack calls for a specific style of block, counter-attacks can be created by integrating a block with a retaliatory punch or kick. The most used "blocks" (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Low Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Rising Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Taekwondo tournaments and competitions are held across the globe in all the diverse styles. There's normally not a lot of hard contact but breaking, sparring and patterns (forms). Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments comprise only sparring, in ITF contests specific hand attacks are allowed to the head. Other associations hold multi-discipline tournaments.

Final Thoughts

The benefits that you acquire from Taekwondo will be proportional to what you put into it (as is the case with life on the whole). The majority of you will only wish to make new friends, meet different people and improve your fitness levels, some might wish to move on to competitions or tournaments or perhaps even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we can't all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊