Taekwondo Calne

Taekwondo is an ideal sport for children in Calne, because it advocates self-discipline and a respect for others. Its more physical elements make it more appropriate for younger people. It could prove too taxing for some older adults, but should not be an issue for those who are already active and fit. However those who take up Taekwondo in Calne at a young age will find they can comfortably carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you might like to consider something less strenuous like Tai Chi.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently developed of the martial arts and consists of primarily high-kicking movements such as jumping/spinning kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking styles. It started when schools known as "kwans" were established by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity worldwide with some sixty million people regularly taking part in classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you are able to start your journey of learning this unique martial art.

Although there is a great deal to be gained by mastering Taekwondo, it is the self-defence aspect that most Calne people are interested in. And its not a surprise that this is on people's list of priorities when you take into account the ever increasing amounts of violence seen these days in city and town centres throughout the UK. Actually one of the main benefits of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst respecting others and exercising a degree of self-restraint.

While it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are you will never have to test them outside of an organised Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you elect to register for Taekwondo training in Calne, the first thing you'll be thinking about is what will happen on the initial lesson and exactly what will the tutor be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Calne area will develop diverse routines for this initial lesson but you can expect to do a 15 minute warm-up to get the blood flowing and loosen your muscles, learn a few forms (Poomse), cover some technical training (hand attacks, blocking techniques, kicks and stances), do a small amount of sparring, and lastly, warm-down.

The body governing Taekwondo in the UK is British Taekwondo and any individual wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Calne must also become a member of British Taekwondo. You can get lots of info on coaches and referees, health and safety, beginning a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, first aid, events, members and clubs, news, safeguarding and equality, and more, by viewing the official British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Belts

The ranking and belt system can get quite bewildering in Taekwondo because there isn't any uniform system across the different Taekwondo disciplines. Similarities do exist however, and commonly there are two separate belt groups, denoted as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of levels in the junior section varies through the styles but is usually somewhere between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior's section usually has 9 belts or dans.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks (belts) which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, much like most of the martial arts is portrayed by a range of different 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Calne will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the different coloured belts until they earn the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

Taekwondo students in Calne are considered to be "black belt candidates" once they've worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then need to proceed through an additional 9 ranks (Dans) if they wish to achieve the consummate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, putting it simply, there are three main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which can take a number of years to successfully progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Ranks Calne, Taekwondo Belts Calne, Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Belt Order).

Tournaments and Competitions

There are an array of competitions in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They mainly involve sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking with very little "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) contests do not allow too much contact but sometimes permit hand attacks to be aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic contests allow only sparring. Multi-style competitions are also held.

Taekwondo Forms

Perfecting the art of Taekwondo will involve learning a number of disciplines and one of the key parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as patterns or Poomse). These are sequences of direction, technique and stance which must be memorized in order for pupils to progress through the different dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When signing up for Taekwondo classes in Calne you will be looking to get a few benefits to make the entire thing worthwhile. And so let's examine some of the many positive benefits that you could get by practicing and learning Taekwondo. Better self-discipline by extensively schooling your body and mind in the principles and strategies of Taekwondo, Empower your mind and body via increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Boost your confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to take control of your life, Help with self-defence techniques by showing you how to recognize instances in which self-defence could be needed, and enabling you to control these situations in your favour, Improve self-esteem by heightening your mental and physical fitness, Increase stamina, agility and flexibility by way of intense cardiovascular exertion, Reduces stress and anxiety using advanced breath control.

Summary

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we wouldn't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't purely about Olympic titles and National Championships. Most of us are content to meet different people, make new friends and improve our fitness levels, and that's exactly how it should be. Yet, as with most things in life, what you get out of it will be based upon what you put into it. Good luck and enjoy!