Taekwondo Aldenham

Since Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it is possibly more suited to the younger generation in Aldenham. That isn't to say that the older generation cannot participate in this particular activity, but merely that there might be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less nimble among us. Tai Chi would be the perfect example.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily involves high-kicking manoeuvres and moves, most notably head-height kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking methods. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts enthusiasts founded schools called "kwans", which blended various martial arts practices.

With over 60 million people taking part in Taekwondo classes all around the globe, this has certainly become an extremely popular and worthwhile activity, and if you really master the martial art you might possibly one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it has been a part ever since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

For many people in Aldenham, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. 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.

There is a fairly good chance that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in your everyday life, but it will certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they're there should you ever be in need of them.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo before, you could be a bit anxious as to what to expect on your very first class. This will vary from club to club but will typically involve all or some of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase heart rate, a bit of technical training including learning some stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocks, learning a few forms (or Poomse), a brief introduction to sparring including timing, movement and the timing of attacks, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

British Taekwondo is the regulating body of the sport within Britain, and membership of this organization is mandatory if you wish to sign up with any Taekwondo club in Aldenham or nearby. You can get lots of info regarding safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, news, coaching courses, referees and coaching, starting a new club, health and safety, events, first aid, and more, by viewing British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

Because there are various different styles of Taekwondo there's never been any standard system for assigning belts (ranks). What exists is however relatively similar and is made up of two belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groupings is divided into grades, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine for seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, similar to the vast majority of the martial arts is portrayed by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo newbies in Aldenham will start out with, they'll then move up through the different colours, finally reaching the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which will take about three to four years of dedication.

Once this training regime has been accomplished, Aldenham Taekwondo trainees advance to "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional nine Dans if they're to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate accolade in this sport. So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the 3 primary divisions in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group go from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which takes many years.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo contests call for certain safety equipment to be worn to protect contenders from being injured due to the powerful kicking that occurs. These safety solutions include: hand guards, a groin protector, a gum shield, a red or blue trunk guard (hogu), shin pads, forearm protectors and a red/blue head protector.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When enrolling in Taekwondo classes in Aldenham you will be hoping to get some benefits to make the whole thing worth the effort. So let us investigate some of the benefits that you could acquire through learning and doing Taekwondo. Strengthen your mind and body by means of improved physical coordination and mental discipline, Better discipline by methodically training your body and mind in the doctrines and strategies of Taekwondo, Help with self-defence by helping you recognise instances where self-defence might be needed, and enabling you to control these scenarios in your favour, Augment agility, flexibility and stamina by way of extreme cardiovascular effort, Boost confidence by helping you to take control of your life and succeed, Reduces stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Improve concentration and self-esteem by intensifying your mental and physical powers.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main elements of Taekwondo is kicking, listed here is a selection of the basic kicks: Hook or Whip Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick, Front Kick, Axe Kick, Roundhouse Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to repulse the different attacks, are called Makgi. Held in diverse positions, they engage the hands and different sections of the arm. Each type of attack necessitates a specific kind of block, counter-attacking moves can be created by integrating a block with a retaliatory punch or kick. The principal Taekwondo blocks (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Low Block, Nine Block and Double Knife Hand Block.