Taekwondo Costessey

Because Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it's perhaps more suitable for the younger generation in Costessey. That is not to say that older people cannot get involved in this particular activity, but just that there may be alternative martial arts that are more suitable for the less agile among us. Tai Chi is the perfect example.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its origins in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts enthusiasts established some exciting new schools which they called "kwans", practicing a blend of martial arts techniques. The main focus of Taekwondo, as it ultimately became known, is on kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/turning kicks, head-height kicks and rapid kicking methods. Now Costessey Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

With more than sixty million people taking part in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has certainly become a popular activity, and if you really master the martial art you may possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been a part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

For the men, women and children of Costessey who want to learn a martial art, a major priority is the aspect of self-defence. Since this is a pivotal principle of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the attraction of this specific sport. With the added reward of learning self-restraint and having a deep respect for other people, registering for a local Costessey Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Hopefully you'll never have the need to use your newly acquired Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club environment, but it is great to know they're there if you need them.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you've never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you could be somewhat anxious as to what to expect on your very first lesson. This varies from club to club but will normally consist of some or all of these. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, some technical training including learning some stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks, learning some Poomse (forms), an overview of sparring including movement, attack timing and timing, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

The official body regulating Taekwondo in the UK is British Taekwondo and any person wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Costessey must also register with British Taekwondo. By heading to British Taekwondo's website you can find details on clubs and members, first aid, coaches and referees, news, coaching courses, events, equality and safeguarding, safe practices, launching a new club, and many more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When you are registering for Taekwondo classes in Costessey you'll be hoping to get some benefits to make the entire undertaking worth the effort. And so let us look at a few of the many positive benefits that you could get by learning and practicing Taekwondo. Enhance concentration and self-esteem by heightening both mental and physical health, Build confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to take control of your life, Empower your body and mind by means of enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Teach you self-defence by helping you realize circumstances where self-defence might be necessary, and allowing you to manipulate these types of scenarios to your advantage, Augment agility, flexibility and stamina by way of strenuous cardiovascular exertion, Develop discipline by comprehensively educating your mind and body in the doctrines and strategies of Taekwondo, Reduce anxiety using advanced breath control.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It does not matter what you're capable of or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at one stage you were a complete novice, knowing nothing and fearing failure. We have all started out at that point and are only able to learn and develop through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Costessey are the best place to start that learning process and to acquire the basics so that you can build self-confidence and move forward in your Taekwondo quest. Most beginner classes are set up to be friendly and fun, offering a slow introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo principles and building a solid foundation moving forward.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Taekwondo forms (also called Poomse or patterns) are characterized by specified facets such as direction, stance and technique. From the start you'll be taught a few of the basic forms, and so as to advance through the various grades (belts) you'll have to master some more complicated ones.

The Popular Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a key role in Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To divert and stop an incoming Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (called Makgi) are employed. Held in various positions, they engage the hands and sections of the arm. Every block can be combined with a punch or kick to produce a counter-attack, and each is appropriate for a specific attack. The principal "blocks" include: Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Rising Block and Knife Hand Block.

Safety Gear

British Taekwondo controlled competitions require certain safety gear to be worn to safeguard competitors from personal injury as a result of the powerful kicking that occurs. These safety products include: a red or blue trunk protector (hogu), shin guards, a groin protector, a mouth guard, hand guards, forearm protectors and a blue/red head protector.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In relation to ranking, promotion and belts there's not actually any standardization in Taekwondo, because there are various styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own specific system. There are however likenesses and they generally consist of a couple of groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior levels typically have nine tiers and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks (belts) which are known as "Kup", these ranks go from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, like many of the martial arts is denoted by a number of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Costessey will commence with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and progress through the colours until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

Taekwondo trainees in Costessey are considered as "black belt candidates" after they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then be faced with progressing through a further nine ranks (called Dans) if they wish to achieve the consummate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into 3 sections; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. 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 division 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which will take many years.

Competitions and Tournaments

A regular Taekwondo tournament incorporates sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking, in the Olympics only sparring is involved. With that being said there may also be some unique categories in certain tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo contests are solely soft-contact affairs, whilst ITF tournaments permit some hand attacks aimed at the head. There are in addition several multi-discipline competitions.