Taekwondo Chalford

As a result of its more physical attributes, Taekwondo is maybe more suited to the younger person in Chalford and is especially suitable for kids as it's great for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults might find it a bit too challenging unless they are especially active and fit. However, those folks who take up Taekwondo in Chalford from a young age will find that they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts and involves mainly kicking movements such as fast kicking styles, turning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks. It began when schools called "kwans" were founded by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

With over 60 million individuals participating in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has unquestionably become a popular and beneficial activity, and if you become really good at this martial art you might possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been a part ever since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

For a lot of people in Chalford, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo which has the most appeal. And in these days of ever increasing violence, especially in city and town centres, it is no surprise that this aspect sits high on people's priority lists. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you're able to gain more confidence in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect others and learn self-restraint.

These self-defence techniques may at some point come in useful in the outside world, although it is more likely that you'll solely be testing them within a controlled class setting. Yet it is a reassuring feeling knowing the fact that you can always successfully defend yourself if you have to.

Your First Chalford Taekwondo Class

If Taekwondo is not a sport that you've ever had a go at before, you will doubtless be wondering what you should be expecting from your first class should you decide to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in Chalford have varying ideas about this but roughly; you'll take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you'll do some technical training, you will learn some forms, you'll practice sparring techniques and finally you will warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state once again.

The United Kingdom's official governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you wish to sign up with a Taekwondo class in Chalford, you will also be required to register with this respected organization. By heading to British Taekwondo's website you will be able to discover information about news, safeguarding and equality, coaches and tournament referees, first aid, clubs and members, events, starting a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, safe practices, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

In all matches, events and competitions being staged under the control of British Taekwondo, safety gear like a red or blue head guard, a blue or red trunk protector (hogu), hand protectors, forearm guards, a groin guard, a mouth guard and shin protectors is mandatory. The fast kicking tactics used in Taekwondo may cause injuries and this preventative measure helps make the activity less hazardous for its competitors.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

When it comes to belts, ranking and promotion there is not actually any real uniformity in Taekwondo, as there are many different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however analogies and they typically consist of a couple of groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior rankings usually have 9 ranks and the junior, between 8 and 12 grades.

In the UK there are a set of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are called "Kup". The lowest is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a number of different colours, so that the ranks are easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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 Chalford will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the coloured belts until they attain the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Chalford are considered to be "black belt candidates" which sees them proceeding through another nine ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" status. So, the bottom line is, there are 3 principal divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belt, Senior Belt 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 takes many years to progress through.

Beginners Classes

Students starting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Chalford will initially enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, since there's not any pressure and everything is done at a slow and casual pace. Learning and having fun are the key goals in the early stages and students who are having a good time have a tendency to learn a lot faster and digest significantly more of what they're being shown. Even Taekwondo masters started off as naive novices, so take that initial step and you never know where you will finish up!

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll undoubtedly be intrigued to find out about precisely what kind of benefits could be achieved by attending Chalford Taekwondo instruction and partaking 100% in its practices. You could expect to: Better discipline and willpower by comprehensively educating your body and mind in the doctrines and strategies of Taekwondo, Lessen stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Increase concentration and self-esteem by sharpening both physical and mental health, Teach self-defence strategies by helping you to understand scenarios in which self-defence may be necessary, and allowing you to turn these situations in your favour, Supercharge stamina, flexibility and agility through strenuous cardiovascular effort, Beef up confidence by motivating you to seize control of your life and succeed, Strengthen your mind and body through enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination.

Final Thoughts

We can practically guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you are going to improve your fitness levels, gain self-confidence and make new friends. If that is all that you get out of it, then that is great, and you can call it an achievement! We aren't all looking to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, still need to start with that initial step. Good luck with your adventure!