Taekwondo Cottingham

Taekwondo is an ideal sport for children in Cottingham, because it encourages self-discipline and a respect for others. Its more physical elements make it more suited to younger people. It can sometimes be too tough for older adults unless they are exceptionally fit and active. Carrying their Taekwondo experience through into older adulthood shouldn't however be a problem for those who start when they're younger. If you are less nimble you could always try something a bit less demanding such as Tai Chi or Yoga.

With its origins in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts and involves mainly high-kicking moves such as jumping/spinning kicks, fast kicking strategies and head kicks. It began when schools called "kwans" were set up by a group of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

With over sixty million individuals participating in Taekwondo instruction all around the globe, this has certainly become an extremely popular and worthwhile pastime, and if you really master the sport you may possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and undoubtedly this is one of the primary reasons that folks in Cottingham join classes and engage with the sport. There's been a troubling escalation of violent behaviour over the last few years and this is especially prevalent in town and city centres around East Yorkshire and the British Isles as a whole. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such familiar qualities in Cottingham nowadays.

While its good to know they are there when you need them, hopefully you won't ever have the need to use your newly discovered Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club surroundings.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

Different Taekwondo clubs in the Cottingham area will have different ideas about what learners should cover on their first lesson, but to give you an understanding of what you should expect most initial Taekwondo lessons will incorporate a warm-up, some sparring, learning basic patterns (Poomse), a brief introduction to stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks (practical training) and a warm-down to stretch tired muscles and return the body to a state of balance.

Anyone who joins a Taekwondo club in Cottingham has to also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official regulating body of the sport in the UK. You will be able to learn about first aid, health and safety, events, referees and coaching, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, launching a new club, news, clubs and members, and more on the official British Taekwondo website, or get the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Perfecting Taekwondo necessitates getting to grips with many techniques and disciplines and one of the pivotal aspects of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of stance, technique and direction which have to be memorized in order for participants to progress through the different dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Tae kwon do there's not really any form of standardisation in regards to belts and ranking. It all depends upon which style you are considering, because there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. They are however, normally split into a couple of groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior ranks consist of white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 ranks, whilst the senior/black belts generally have 9 ranks.

Taekwondo for Beginners

It matters not what you're ranking is or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at some stage you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing absolutely nothing. We have all started like this and can only learn and develop through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Cottingham are the place get started on that learning process and to pick up the basics so that you can build self-confidence and proceed with your exciting Taekwondo adventure. The majority of beginner classes are geared up to be fun and friendly, delivering a slow introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo principles and developing a solid base moving forward.