Taekwondo Wootton Bassett

Due to its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more appropriate for the younger generation in Wootton Bassett and is especially suited to kids because it is excellent for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults might find it somewhat too demanding unless they're especially fit and active. However, those who persue Taekwondo in Wootton Bassett from a young age will discover they can easily continue with it when they're older. The less nimble of you could consider participating in something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some new schools which they called "kwans", incorporating various martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, largely involves kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, jumping/turning kicks and rapid kicking techniques.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has more than sixty million practitioners. If you would like to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, joining a Taekwondo class or club in Wootton Bassett is a great place to start. While reaching Olympic standard may be beyond your capabilities, there isn't any reason why you can't become a Taekwondo master.

Of all the many benefits of learning this sport, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo that the people of Wootton Bassett find most alluring. This isn't difficult to believe when you think about the high levels of violence experienced in town centres day after day. Learning to defend yourself while at the same time exercising self-restraint and respect for others is a key principle of Taekwondo.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never need to be put to the test outside the regulated environment of an organised Taekwondo class, however being aware that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Class

Different Taekwondo schools in and around Wootton Bassett will have different ideas about what learners should be covering on their very first lesson, but to give you an idea of what to expect most first Taekwondo lessons will involve a warm-up, some sparring, learning simple Poomse (forms), an overview of kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocking techniques (technical training) and a final warm-down to stretch tired muscles and return the body to a state of harmony.

If you want to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Wootton Bassett, you will also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can find a lot of facts about first aid, equality and safeguarding, news, clubs and members, referees and coaching, safe practices, coaching courses, beginning a new club, events, and more, by going to the British Taekwondo website.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

When you are signing up for Taekwondo classes in Wootton Bassett you'll be hoping to get a few benefits to make the whole project worthwhile. And so we should look into a few of the many benefits that you may gain by learning and doing Taekwondo. Better self-discipline by extensively educating your body and mind in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo, Toughen up your mind and body thru increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Help with self-defence by helping you to recognise occasions where self-defence may be required, and empowering you to manipulate such scenarios to your advantage, Increase stamina, flexibility and agility by means of extreme cardiovascular effort, Build up your confidence by encouraging you to seize control of your life and succeed, Increase feelings of self-esteem by elevating your mental and physical fitness, Reduce stress and anxiety using advanced breath control.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a significant role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to defend against the various attacking moves, are called Makgi. Held in various positions, they use the hand and different parts of the arm. Each form of attack calls for a particular sort of block, counter-attacks can be created by integrating a block with another punch or kick. The main blocks include: Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Rising Block, Palm Block and Upper Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The belt and ranking system can get very complicated in Taekwondo because there's no standardized system across the diverse Taekwondo disciplines. Parallels can be found however, and normally there are two separate belt groupings, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of levels in the junior group varies over the styles but is typically somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior groupings generally has 9 belts or dans.

Taekwondo Competitions

There are a wide variety of tournaments and competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They mostly include sparring, breaking and patterns with hardly any hard contact. International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions do not permit substantial contact but may permit hand attacks aimed at the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic contests allow only sparring. Multi-style contests also take place.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo controlled competitions require specific safety gear to be worn to protect contenders from being injured due to the formidable kicking that transpires. These safety items include: a mouth protector, a groin guard, forearm protectors, blue/red body armour, hand protectors, shin guards and a red/blue head guard.