Taekwondo Chandler's Ford

Due to its somewhat more physical elements, Taekwondo is maybe more suited to the younger person in Chandler's Ford and is particularly suitable for children as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Unless they are particularly active and fit, seniors might find it too physically taxing. For those people who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the experience into older adulthood shouldn't be a problem. The less agile of you might find that Tai Chi which is a bit less demanding, is more to your liking.

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

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in Chandler's Ford is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Chandler's Ford.

It would seem that the most alluring element of Taekwondo is self-defence. And if you consider the high levels of violence in town centres these days, this is hardly surprising. However, respecting others and having a good deal of self-restraint goes hand in hand with the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

While it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have those self-defence skills in your locker, the likelihood is you will never be required to test them outside of an organised Taekwondo class.

Your First Chandler's Ford Taekwondo Class

If you've made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are preparing for your first class, you'll be curious about what will happen. There may be variations to the following, subject to which Chandler's Ford Taekwondo school you attend, but you can more or less expect; A warm up of 15-20 minutes to loosen stiff muscles and increase heart rate, a little technical training comprising some blocks, hand attacks, kicks and stances, a look at patterns or forms, a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Chandler's Ford, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By visiting British Taekwondo's website you will be able to find info regarding safe practices, first aid, safeguarding and equality, events, coaches and referees, clubs and members, establishing a new club, coaching courses, news, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking system can get pretty confusing in Taekwondo since there's no uniform structure throughout the different Taekwondo styles. Parallels can be found however, and typically there are 2 distinct belt groupings, signified as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior section varies across the styles but is commonly somewhere between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior group typically has nine belts or dans.

In the UK there are a set of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are generally known as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a range of colours, so that the ranks can be 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Chandler's Ford will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the various colours until they earn the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Chandler's Ford become "black belt candidates" which involves them moving through yet another 9 ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" status. So, the bottom line is, there are 3 primary groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group comprise; 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which takes a considerable number of years.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is widely recognized for its powerful kicking movements, the following are the standard ones: Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Back Kick, Push Kick, Axe Kick, Side Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Crescent Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacking movements, are called Makgi. Held in specific positions, they engage the hand and parts of the arm. Specific attacks necessitate specified "blocks", but blocks can also be changed into counter-attacking movements by the combination of reciprocal punches or kicks. The most important blocks (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Low Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block and Nine Block.

Tournaments

Contests are a significant part of the overall Taekwondo experience, and all of the various styles around the world hold competitions where Taekwondo exponents get together to battle it out. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these contests which primarily comprise sparring, patterns and breaking. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and World Taekwondo tournaments, whilst certain hand attacks are permitted in ITF events.

Taekwondo for Beginners

As with any sport or activity we need to start someplace, and Taekwondo is no exception. Even the elite Chandler's Ford Taekwondo exponents were complete beginners at one time. So, exactly what can you expect as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees enough training to teach them the basics and allow them to gain confidence as they progress. The ideal beginners class needs to be fun as well as instructional, when students are having fun they're much more engrossed and will learn quicker.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

When getting started with Taekwondo classes in Chandler's Ford you will be intending to get some benefits to make the entire undertaking worthwhile. And so let us take a look at some of the many benefits that you may get through learning and practicing Taekwondo. Better self-discipline by comprehensively schooling your mind and body in the doctrines and techniques of Taekwondo, Reduce anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Toughen up your mind and body by way of accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Build up your confidence by pushing you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Increase self-esteem and concentration by sharpening both mental and physical health, Help with self-defence tactics by helping you understand occasions where self-defence might be needed, and empowering you to manipulate these kinds of situations in your favour, Augment flexibility, agility and stamina by way of strenuous cardiovascular work-outs.