Taekwondo Banstead

As Taekwondo has quite high physical requirements, it is possibly more suited to the younger generation in Banstead. That is not to say that the older generation cannot participate in this kind of activity, but just that there could be alternative martial arts which are more suitable for the less agile of us. Tai Chi would be the perfect example.

Based mainly around high-kicking manoeuvres and moves like head kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking styles, Taekwondo was developed from the practices of various diverse martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" in the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" had the names Changmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Jido Kwan.

Taekwondo has grown to be very popular in Banstead and all around the world, with more than sixty million participants worldwide. Registering with a local Banstead Taekwondo club or class is an excellent way to become involved with this sporting activity which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. Whilst you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there's certainly no reason why you cannot become an expert at this remarkable martial art and have some fun in the process.

For a lot of people in Banstead, it is the self-defence element of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And in these times of increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it really is little surprise that this aspect sits high on people's list of priorities. It is a primary factor of Taekwondo that you're able to become more confident in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect those around you and practice self-restraint.

There's a pretty decent likelihood that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your day to day life, but it will most certainly give you peace of mind knowing that they are there should you need them.

Your First Lesson

For those of you who've never tried Taekwondo before, you'll no doubt be interested to know just what to expect from your first lesson. There might be variations to the following, depending on which Banstead Taekwondo school you go to, but you can more or less expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, some technical training which will involve learning some stances, kicks, hand attacks and blocks, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a few ideas on sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

The regulating body for Taekwondo in the UK is British Taekwondo and any individual wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Banstead must also register with British Taekwondo. By going to the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to discover info regarding coaching courses, events, clubs and members, safe practices, coaches and competition referees, safeguarding and equality, first aid, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, and many more Taekwondo related issues.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

When you are getting started with Taekwondo classes in Banstead you'll be looking to get a few benefits to make the whole thing worthwhile. And so let us investigate a few of the benefits that you might get from doing and learning Taekwondo. Empower your body and mind by increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Teach self-defence strategies by helping you realize instances where self-defence might be required, and enabling you to control these types of scenarios to your advantage, Improve self-esteem and concentration by elevating your physical and mental health, Develop self-discipline by comprehensively schooling your mind and body in the techniques and principles of Taekwondo, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility by way of intensive cardiovascular effort, Lessen anxiety with controlled breathing, Build confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to seize control of your life.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking structure can get rather confusing in Taekwondo since there is no standardized structure across the diverse Taekwondo styles. Parallels do exist however, and commonly there are 2 separate belt groupings, represented as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of rankings in the junior group varies over the disciplines but is commonly somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior group generally has nine belts or dans.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are called "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like most of the martial arts is portrayed by a range of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Banstead will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and proceed through the various coloured belts until they earn the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After this training has been successfully completed, Banstead Taekwondo trainees are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they must then earn a further nine ranks or Dans if they are to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate distinction. Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of dedication.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo has pretty much the largest assortment of kicks in all the recognized martial arts. Listed here are some: Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To divert and stop an incoming attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. Using the hand and areas of the arm, they are held in specific positions. Specific attacks necessitate particular "blocks", but "blocks" can also be changed into counter-attacks by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The most important "blocks" in Taekwondo include: Nine Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Upper Block and Double Knife Hand Block.