Taekwondo Drayton

While not wanting to discourage any particular age group, it should be said that Taekwondo is more suited to younger people in Drayton, being quite physically demanding. Its encouragement of self-discipline and respect for others make it especially appropriate for children. Seniors could find it somewhat too taxing unless they are particularly active and fit. Quite a lot of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Drayton, got involved in the sport when they were younger. If you consider yourself amongst the less nimble, you could always try something like Tai Chi which is much softer.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. In Taekwondo the emphasis is on kicking, especially turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking methods and head-height kicks.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Drayton and with over sixty million others around the globe. Heading along to your local Taekwondo club or class in Drayton is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. Whilst the likelihood of you getting to Olympic standard are fairly slim, there is no reason at all why you cannot master this exhilarating martial art.

For the men, women and children of Drayton who like the idea of learning a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. Considering that this is an important concept of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to appreciate the attraction of this particular sport. With the additional benefit of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for those around you, registering for a local Drayton Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

There's a fairly good chance that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your everyday life, but it will certainly give you reassurance knowing that they are sitting in the background should you need them.

What to Expect From Your First Class

Different Taekwondo schools in the Drayton area will have different guidelines for what learners should be covering on their first class, however to give you a perception of what you should expect most first Taekwondo classes will include things like a warm-up, some sparring, learning Poomse (forms), a brief introduction to blocking techniques, hand attacks, kicks and stances (practical training) and a final warm-down to relax tired muscles and return the body to a state of balance.

The body regulating Taekwondo in the British Isles is British Taekwondo and anyone wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Drayton must also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to find lots of details about coaching courses, events, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, first aid, news, beginning a new club, coaches and tournament referees, health and safety, and more, by popping along to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Newcomers just starting out Taekwondo don't have to stress too much about forms (patterns, Poomse) at the outset, but they will have to get to grips with some important ones to start with and move forward to more intricate "forms" as they progress through the various belts (dans/grades). A form is denoted by certain areas of Taekwondo including technique, stance and direction. Getting to grips with such sequences is an important part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

The benefits which can be acquired by participating in Taekwondo instruction in Drayton are numerous, amongst the most significant are: Reduces anxiety with controlled breathing, Increase agility, flexibility and stamina through intense cardiovascular work-outs, Empower your body and mind by enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Improve feelings of self-esteem by maximizing both physical and mental fitness, Learn self-defence by helping you identify occasions where self-defence could be needed, and allowing you to turn these kinds of situations in your favour, Greater discipline and willpower by methodically schooling your mind and body in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Build up confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to seize control of your life.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a key role in Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the more basic ones: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To repulse the numerous hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse selection of blocks. They're held in various positions and use the hands with different sections of the arm. Every "block" can be merged with a punch or kick to produce a counter-attack, and each one is meant for a specific attack. The primary "blocks" include: Nine Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Low Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The belt and ranking structure can get a bit confusing in Taekwondo as there is no standard system across the various Taekwondo disciplines. Likenesses can be found though, and typically there are 2 distinct belt groups, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of rankings in the junior group varies across the disciplines but is typically between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior section commonly has 9 dans or belts.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo which are referred to as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. If you are interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is indicated by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Drayton will begin with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and progress through the various colours until they achieve the First Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe)

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Drayton are considered to be "black belt candidates" which entails them proceeding through a further nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" status. So, Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt are the three principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order. 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 group 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication.