Taekwondo Bidford-on-Avon

Due to its more physical elements, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Bidford-on-Avon and is particularly suitable for children as it's terrific for nurturing self-discipline and respect for others. Seniors who are not all that active and fit might find it a tad too taxing. People in Bidford-on-Avon who take up Taekwondo when they may be young find it simple to continue when they become older. The less agile of you might find that Tai Chi which is a bit less demanding, is more suitable.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly comprises high-kicking manoeuvres, most notably jumping/spinning kicks, fast kicking methods and head kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists established schools called "kwans", which merged a number of martial arts techniques.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million practitioners all around the world, and although you may not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you can still sign up for a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will no doubt turn out to be a worthwhile and fascinating pastime.

It seems that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. And in these days of increased violence, especially in town and city centres, it is no surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. However, exercising self-restraint and a respect for others goes hand in hand with the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

While its nice to know they are there when you need them, hopefully you will not ever need to use your newly perfected Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club surroundings.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you've never tried Taekwondo previously, you may be a bit anxious as to what should be expected on your very first lesson. This can vary from club to club but will normally comprise all or some of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, a little practical training including learning some blocks, stances, kicks and hand attacks, learning some Poomse (forms), an overview of sparring including movement, timing and attack timing, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within Britain, and membership of this organization is mandatory if you would like to join any Taekwondo class in Bidford-on-Avon or nearby. You will be able to find plenty of info regarding health and safety, news, first aid, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, clubs and members, starting a new Taekwondo club, events, coaches and referees, and more, by viewing British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is famous for its powerful kicks, listed here are the important ones: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and avert an incoming Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are used. Engaging the hands and different areas of the arm, they're held in various positions. Each kind of attack calls for a specific type of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with another punch or kick. The primary blocks include: Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Low Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Safety Gear

Safety equipment like a gum shield, a red or blue trunk guard (hogu), a groin protector, hand guards, shin pads, forearm protectors and a red/blue head protector are worn in all competitions regulated by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is paramount because of the formidable kicks that are part and parcel of this activity.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In terms of ranking, promotion and belts there is not actually any standardisation in Taekwondo, since there are various styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however parallels and they usually consist of 2 groupings of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior levels typically have 9 tiers and the junior, between 8 and 12 levels.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are called "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you're curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is indicated by a range of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" 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 in Bidford-on-Avon starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the colours until they achieve the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

Taekwondo students in Bidford-on-Avon become known as "black belt candidates" once they've successfully completed this process, and they'll then need to proceed through yet another nine ranks (Dans) if they wish to achieve the consummate accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the three primary divisions in the Taekwondo belt order. 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 dedicated training. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Bidford-on-Avon, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Rankings Bidford-on-Avon, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).