Taekwondo Croxley Green

Since Taekwondo has fairly high physical requirements, it is perhaps more suited to the younger people of Croxley Green. That's not to say that the older generation cannot take part in this kind of activity, but just that there might be alternative martial arts which are more appropriate for the less nimble of us. Tai Chi would be the perfect example.

With its beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently established of the martial arts and involves mainly kicking moves such as rapid kicking methods, jumping/turning kicks and head kicks. It started when schools known as "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo has become extremely popular in Croxley Green and all across the globe, with over 60 million participants worldwide. Becoming a member of a local Croxley Green Taekwondo class or club is a great way to become involved with this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. Whilst you might not have any dreams to take part in Olympic competition, there's no reason why you cannot become an expert at this intriguing martial art and have a bit of fun in the process.

It is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that generally has the most appeal to people in Croxley Green. This is not hard to believe when you take into account the high levels of violence experienced in town and city centres on a daily basis. However, exercising self-restraint and a respect for others goes hand in hand with the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

With any luck you will never need to use your newly perfected Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club environment, however it is great to know they are there if you need them.

Your First Class

For those of you who've never attempted Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be intrigued to know what to expect from your first class. This could vary subject to which Croxley Green school you attend, but will usually involve the following. An initial warm up lasting 15 to 20 minutes, a little technical training comprising some blocks, kicks, stances and hand attacks, a look at some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and last but not least a warm down to stretch muscles and loosen up.

Any individual who joins a Taekwondo club in Croxley Green has to also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official regulating body of the sport in Great Britain. You'll be able to find out about first aid, health and safety, events, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, coaches and referees, launching a new club, news, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find out the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Forms

Taekwondo forms (also known as Poomse or patterns) are distinguished by specific elements such as technique, stance and direction. From the start of your Taekwondo experience you will be taught a few of the basic forms, and in order to progress through the rankings (belts) you'll need to learn some more advanced ones.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

When you are getting involved in Taekwondo classes in Croxley Green you'll be aiming to get some benefits to make the whole adventure worth the effort. And so let's consider some of the many positive benefits that you could acquire from practicing and learning Taekwondo. Help with self-defence techniques by helping you to realize instances where self-defence may be necessary, and empowering you to control these types of circumstances to your advantage, Empower your body and mind by way of increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by heightening your mental and physical fitness, Reduce anxiety with controlled breathing, Build up your confidence by motivating you to seize control of your life and succeed, Better discipline and willpower by comprehensively educating your mind and body in the tactics and principles of Taekwondo, Increase flexibility, agility and stamina by way of intensive cardiovascular exertion.

Beginners Classes

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Croxley Green had to start as rookies, therefore it is no disgrace to be a total beginner at Tae kwon do, or for that matter any other activity. The goal of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide a few basics, increase confidence and build a solid base for the future. Most importantly of all is that it should be enjoyable, students having fun are going to learn quicker and be better invested.

Taekwondo Belts

In the art of taekwondo there's really no standardization with regards to belts and ranking. It's all determined by what style you are considering, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are typically divided into two groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior ranks consist of white to red, with anything from eight to twelve ranks, while the senior/black belts commonly have nine levels.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are referred to as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, much like many 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, specifically 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 in Croxley Green starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and move up through the colours until they accomplish the 1st Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Croxley Green are considered as "black belt candidates" which requires them to proceed through another 9 ranks (Dans) until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt". Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into three divisions; Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; 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 will take a considerable number of years to successfully progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Rankings Croxley Green, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Croxley Green, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is perhaps best known for its acrobatic kicking manoeuvres, the following are some of the standard kicks you'll learn as a beginner: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacks, are called Makgi. They are held in particular positions and enlist the hand with different areas of the arm. Specific attacks necessitate specified "blocks", but "blocks" can also be changed into counter-attacking manoeuvres by combining retaliatory kicks or punches. The primary blocks include: Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Rising Block and Upper Block.