Taekwondo Earby

Images of young children doing rapid punches and energetic kicking manoeuvres, are what come to mind at the mere mention of Taekwondo. There's no doubt that the younger generation are more equipped to contend with the physical demands of this high energy sport, but this isn't to say that people of all ages can't participate. Being relatively fit is however a prerequisite of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly involves high-kicking manoeuvres and moves, most notably head-height kicks, fast kicking strategies and jumping/spinning kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts enthusiasts founded schools known as "kwans", which combined various martial arts practices.

Taekwondo has become extremely popular in Earby and around the globe, with over sixty million participants worldwide. Joining a local Earby Taekwondo club or class is a great way to get involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. Though you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there's certainly no reason why you cannot become a maestro of this remarkable martial art and have a bit of fun in the process.

In these times of escalating violence, it is hardly surprising that people in places like Earby are taking up self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but it also teaches self-restraint and a deep respect for those around us, which are characteristics that are largely missing in modern day life.

There is a fairly good chance that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in your day to day life, but it will most certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they're there should you need them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you come to a decision to register for Taekwondo training in Earby, the very first thing you'll want to know is what will transpire on the first lesson and precisely what will the coach be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Earby will develop differing routines for this first introductory lesson but you can count on performing a 15-20 minute warm-up to get the blood flowing and loosen your muscles, learn some simple forms (Poomse), go through some technical training (kicks, hand attacks, blocks and stances), do a bit of sparring, and to finish, a warm-down.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Earby, you will also have to register with the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can read about news, coaching courses, first aid, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, beginning a new club, coaches and tournament referees, events, health and safety, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and get the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo has pretty much the biggest variety of kicking movements in all the recognized martial arts. Here are some: Back Kick, Push Kick, Side Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick. Blocks: To defend against and stop an inbound Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are used. They're held in various positions and engage the hand with different parts of the arm. Each block can be combined with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each one is suitable for a particular attack. The most used blocks (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Low Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In regards to ranking, belts and promotion there is not actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, because there are a number of styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own system in place. There are however similarities and they generally consist of 2 groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior rankings usually have 9 ranks and the junior, between 8 and 12 tiers.

In the UK there are a series of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are known as "Kup". The lowest is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a number of colours, so the ranks are easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Earby will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and move up through the different coloured belts until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (First Kup)

Taekwondo trainees in Earby are called "black belt candidates" after they've worked their way through these rankings, and they will then have to move through yet another 9 ranks (called Dans) if they want to achieve the ultimate accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into 3 sections; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group 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 a number of years.

Beginners Classes

With any activity or sport we have to start somewhere, and Taekwondo is not any different. Even the the most brilliant Earby Taekwondo exponents were complete novices at one point. So, exactly what can you expect as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees enough instruction to teach them the basic principles and enable them to develop self-confidence as they move forward. The perfect beginners class needs to be fun as well as educational, when folks are having fun they're more invested and are going to learn much faster.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Safety equipment such as a mouth protector, a groin protector, forearm guards, a blue/red head protector, hand guards, red or blue trunk armour (hogu) and shin guards are used in all tournaments overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is necessary owing to the powerful kicking that is part and parcel of this activity.