Taekwondo Crowle

Whilst not wanting to deter any particular age group, it has to be said that Taekwondo is more suited to younger people in Crowle, being rather physically demanding. Its encouragement of self-discipline and respect for others make it especially appropriate for children. Unless they are particularly active and fit, seniors might find it too physically tough. However people that take up Taekwondo in Crowle when they are younger will find they can comfortably carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you may find that Tai Chi which is a bit less demanding, is more suitable.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly features high-kicking moves and manoeuvres, most notably fast kicking methods, turning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts enthusiasts established schools known as "kwans", which blended a variety of martial arts practices.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has more than sixty million practitioners. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everybody, and joining a local Crowle Taekwondo class or club is the best way to get yourself involved. Whilst the odds of you reaching Olympic standard are pretty slim, there isn't any reason at all why you can't master this thrilling martial art.

For many folks in Crowle, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo which has the most appeal. And in these times of increased violence, especially in city and town centres, it is no surprise that this features high on people's priority lists. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect those around you and practice self-restraint.

Your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never need to be put to the test outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however being aware of the fact that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you've just booked your very first Taekwondo lesson, you'll be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an example, but this will vary subject to which Crowle school you go to. A 15 to 20 minute warm up to loosen your muscles and increase heart rate, a bit of technical training comprising some stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocking techniques, learning some forms (or Poomse), a few ideas on sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch muscles.

British Taekwondo is the official governing body of the sport within Great Britain, and membership of this organization is mandatory should you wish to sign up with any Taekwondo club in Crowle or nearby. You can get plenty of facts about first aid, members and clubs, referees and coaching, safeguarding and equality, events, news, safe practices, coaching courses, launching a new Taekwondo club, and more, by going to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

In all competitions, matches and events being held under the authority of British Taekwondo, safety gear like forearm guards, shin guards, a groin guard, hand guards, a blue/red trunk guard (hogu), a mouth protector and a blue or red head guard is mandatory. The kicking manoeuvres which are part of Taekwondo could cause harm and this all helps make the activity less dangerous for its competitors.

The Eight Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Among the best known Taekwondo kicks that you will master to begin with include: Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to repulse the various attacking movements, are known as Makgi. Held in specific positions, they use the hand and different areas of the arm. Each and every "block" can be combined with a punch or kick to create a counter-attack, and each one is appropriate for a specific attack. The most used blocks (makgi) include: Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Rising Block, Upper Block and Low Block.

Tournaments and Competitions

Competitions and tournaments are a significant element of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all the different styles around the world hold competitions and tournaments where Taekwondo exponents get together to compete. Hard contact is rarely permitted in any of these competitions which mostly comprise breaking, patterns and sparring. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT tournaments, whilst specified hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation events.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

When it comes to ranking, belts and promotion there is not actually any real standardisation in Taekwondo, because there are various styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however similarities and they usually consist of a couple of groupings of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior grades generally have nine levels and the junior, eight to twelve ranks.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are known as "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest rank is Tenth Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, much like most of the martial arts is indicated by a number of 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. Students in Crowle getting started in Taekwondo will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the colours until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Once this training has been successfully completed, Crowle Taekwondo students are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then need to progress through an additional 9 Dans if they're to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the consummate accolade. Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into 3 sections; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of dedicated training.

In Conclusion

The benefits that you acquire from Taekwondo will be proportional to what you put into it (as is true of life in general). Many of you will merely wish to make new friends, meet different people and improve your fitness levels, some might want to move on to competitions or tournaments or possibly even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.