Taekwondo Godstone

It needs to be said that Taekwondo can be quite physically demanding, which might discourage the older and less nimble folks in Godstone from taking this up. To be honest, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and younger people, but unquestionably older people who're in decent physical condition can easily get involved and benefit considerably from this activity.

The discipline was developed in Korea in 1945, though it was not given the name Taekwondo until the 1950's. This blend of various martial arts techniques were practiced in some exciting new schools in Seoul called "kwans", set up by a group of Korean martial artists. The main focus of Taekwondo, as it ultimately became known, is on kicking movements, especially spinning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking strategies and head kicks. Now Godstone Taekwondo classes observe this tradition.

The number of Taekwondo enthusiasts globally, now exceeds sixty million. Heading along to a local Godstone Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get involved in this sport which has even been in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While reaching Olympic standard may be aiming a bit high, there's no reason why you can't become a Taekwondo master.

For many people in Godstone, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that is the most appealing. And its no surprise that this features highly on people's list of priorities when you consider the rising amounts of violence seen these days in town and city centres throughout Britain. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time respecting others and exercising self-restraint is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be put to the test outside of an organised Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If Taekwondo isn't an activity that you have ever done previously, you'll likely be curious about what you should be expecting from your first lesson if you make your mind up to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in the Godstone area have varying thoughts on this but roughly; you will take part in a 15-20 minute warm-up, you will do a certain amount of technical training, you'll learn some patterns (forms), you will practice sparring methods and finally you'll perform a warm-down to get your body back into a state of relaxation again.

Anybody who joins a Taekwondo club in Godstone has to also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official regulating body of the sport in Britain. By viewing British Taekwondo's official website you will be able to discover info regarding coaching courses, members and clubs, equality and safeguarding, starting a new Taekwondo club, news, events, safe practices, first aid, referees and coaching, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Belts

In regards to ranking, belts and promotion there isn't actually any real standardization in Taekwondo, because there are a number of styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however similarities and they typically comprise 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior ranks normally have 9 levels and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. As with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of colours, so the ranks are easily identified. 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Godstone will begin with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and move up through the various colours until they attain the First Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt)

Once this training has been accomplished, Godstone Taekwondo trainees become known as "black belt candidates", and they then need to progress through a further nine Dans or ranks if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the ultimate accolade in this sport. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into three groupings; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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 training and dedication.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Tournaments regulated by British Taekwondo rules require various items of protective equipment to be worn, these include: a mouth guard, hand guards, a blue or red head protector, shin guards, a red or blue body protector (hogu), a groin guard and forearm protectors. This is important due to the forceful kicking movements being practiced.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably most recognized for its nimble-footed kicking, here are just a few of the standard kicks that you will learn as a novice: Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the various attacking movements, are called Makgi. They are held in particular positions and enlist the hand with different parts of the arm. Certain attacks call for specified "blocks", but "blocks" can also be transformed into counter-attacking manoeuvres by linking reciprocal punches or kicks. The key "blocks" include: Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block and Upper Block.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You'll probably be intrigued to discover exactly what kind of benefits might be obtained by attending Godstone Taekwondo lessons and engaging 100% in its practices. You may expect to: Lower stress and anxiety using advanced breath control, Greater self-discipline by exhaustively training your mind and body in the concepts and techniques of Taekwondo, Toughen up your mind and body via accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Build up your confidence by pushing you to seize control of your life and succeed, Turbocharge flexibility, agility and stamina through intensive cardiovascular exertion, Learn self-defence by training you to realize situations where self-defence may be needed, and enabling you to turn these kinds of circumstances in your favour, Enhance your self-esteem by sharpening your physical and mental powers.

Competitions

There are an array of competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They mostly include breaking, sparring and patterns with almost no hard contact. ITF contests do not allow substantial contact but do permit hand attacks aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic competitions allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

In Summary

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll improve your fitness levels, make new friends and gain more confidence. If that is all you get out of it, then that is great, you can call it a success! We're not all vying to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, need to start with that initial step. Good luck with your quest! 👊