Taekwondo Felpham

On account of its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is maybe more suited to the younger person in Felpham and is especially suited to children as it's excellent for developing self-discipline and respect for other people. Older adults may find it a bit too demanding unless they are especially active and fit. However, those who take up Taekwondo in Felpham from a young age will discover they can easily carry it on when they are older. The less agile of you could think about something gentler like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some new schools which they called "kwans", incorporating many different martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, primarily consists of high-kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, rapid kicking methods and spinning/jumping kicks.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Felpham and all around the world, with more than 60 million practitioners worldwide. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Felpham Taekwondo class or club is the easiest way to get yourself involved. While the chances of you reaching Olympic standard are quite slim, there's no reason at all why you can't master this exciting martial art.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the main reasons that individuals in Felpham sign up to classes and take up the sport. There's been a disconcerting escalation of violent behaviour in recent times and this is particularly prevalent in town and city centres around West Sussex and Great Britain as a whole. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for others, not such common characteristics in Felpham these days.

These self-defence techniques may at some time prove useful in your day to day life, although it's much more likely that you will only be using them within a supervised class environment. However it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself when you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

Different Taekwondo schools in the Felpham area will have different viewpoints on what learners should cover on their first lesson, but to give you an understanding of what to expect most initial Taekwondo classes will incorporate a warm-up, some sparring, learning basic Poomse (forms), a quick introduction to stances, hand attacks, blocks and kicks (practical training) and a final warm-down to relax tired muscles and get the body back to a state of harmony.

Anybody who joins a Taekwondo club in Felpham has to also register with British Taekwondo which is the governing body of the sport in the British Isles. By viewing British Taekwondo's website you'll be able to obtain info on beginning a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, news, coaches and referees, events, equality and safeguarding, health and safety, clubs and members, first aid, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

There are of course, many benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and here are just an idea of the ones that may be of interest to you: Help with self-defence strategies by helping you recognize scenarios where self-defence could be necessary, and enabling you to manipulate these types of circumstances to your advantage, Lessen stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Increase feelings of self-esteem by raising both mental and physical health, Increase stamina, flexibility and agility through strenuous cardiovascular work-outs, Strengthen your body and mind via increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Build your confidence by inspiring you to seize control of your life and succeed, Greater discipline by comprehensively schooling your body and mind in the strategies and doctrines of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also referred to as Poomse or patterns) are categorized by specific aspects such as technique, stance and direction. From the outset you will be taught some of the important forms, and in order to move through the various levels (belts) you'll need to master some more technical ones.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a key role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Push Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Axe Kick, Crescent Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the various attacking moves, are called Makgi. They are held in specific positions and use the hands with parts of the arm. Every "block" can be merged with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each one is meant for a specific attack. The principal blocks (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Nine Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Tournaments

Competitions and tournaments are an important part of the overall Taekwondo experience, and all of the various styles across the world hold tournaments where Taekwondo masters come together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever allowed in any of these competitive events which mainly comprise breaking, patterns and sparring. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, while some hand attacks are permitted in ITF events.

In Summary

What you get from Taekwondo are going to be directly related to what you invest in it (as applies with life in general). Most of you will purely want to meet different people, improve your fitness and make new friends, some might aspire to move on to competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊