Taekwondo Burwell

While people of any age in Burwell can obviously participate in Taekwondo, it is particularly suited to the younger generation as it can be rather physically demanding, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. It could prove too challenging for some older adults, but should not be a problem for those who are already fit and active. Quite a lot of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Burwell, got involved in the sport when they were younger. Something a bit less strenuous like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some new schools known as "kwans", merging a number of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, primarily involves kicking manoeuvres, especially spinning/jumping kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking techniques.

Popular around the globe Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. Signing up for your local Taekwondo class or club in Burwell is an easy way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While reaching Olympic standard may be beyond your capabilities, there isn't any reason why you cannot still become a Taekwondo master.

For a lot of folks in Burwell, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And in these times of increasing violence, particularly in town and city centres, it really is little surprise that this aspect sits high on people's priority lists. It is a key element of Taekwondo that you are able to become more confident in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect those around you and practice self-restraint.

There is a very good likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be proven in your day to day life, but it will certainly give you reassurance knowing that they're there should you ever need them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you decide to register for Taekwondo training in Burwell, the very first thing you'll need to know is what will happen on the very first class and exactly what will the teacher be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Burwell will compile diverse routines for this initial introductory lesson but you should be expecting to do a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to get the blood circulating and loosen your muscles, learn several Poomse (forms, cover some practical training (hand attacks, stances, blocking techniques and kicks), do a small amount of sparring, and last but not least, a warm-down.

Everybody who is a member of a Taekwondo club in Burwell or any place else in Great Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You will be able to find a lot of details about referees and coaching, events, first aid, clubs and members, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, beginning a new Taekwondo club, health and safety, news, and more, by dropping by at British Taekwondo's website.

The Main Taekwondo Kicks

Some of the basic Taekwondo kicking manoeuvres that you'll master early on include: Roundhouse Kick, Push Kick, Side Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Back Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the different attacking movements, are called Makgi. Held in diverse positions, they use the hands and different areas of the arm. Each "block" can be combined with a punch or kick to create a counter-attacking move, and each is meant for a certain type of attack. The most important "blocks" (makgi) in Taekwondo include: Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Competitions governed by British Taekwondo policies demand that specific pieces of protective gear be used, these include: a red/blue body guard (hogu), hand guards, a blue/red head guard, forearm guards, a groin protector, a gum shield and shin guards. This is important on account of the vigorous kicking movements being practiced.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a pivotal element of Taekwondo and are crucial to learn if you are to excel at this fascinating sporting activity. Several basic forms should be learned at the beginning and more elaborate forms have to be mastered so as to advance through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is characterized by various facets such as stance, technique and direction.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In the art of taekwondo there's not really any form of uniformity in relation to grades and belts. It is all subject to which style you happen to be looking at, because there are so many different Taekwondo styles. They are however, normally separated into a couple of groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve ranks, whilst the black/senior belts normally have 9 ranks.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized 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 denoted by a range of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, namely 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Burwell will begin with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and progress through the colours until they accomplish the First Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe)

When this training regime has been completed, Burwell Taekwondo students are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through a further nine Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate distinction. Therefore, putting it simply, there are three main groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group 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 a number of years.