Taekwondo Harrow

Due to its more physical attributes, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger person in Harrow and is especially suited to children because it is excellent for developing respect for others and self-discipline. More elderly people might find it somewhat too demanding unless they are particularly fit and active. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Harrow at a young age will find that they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could think about something gentler like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently created of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some new schools known as "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, mainly entails kicking manoeuvres, particularly spinning/jumping kicks, fast kicking methods and head-height kicks.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has made it even more popular worldwide with some sixty million people actively attending classes. And it is by signing up to a Taekwondo club or class that you are able to begin your journey of learning this exciting art.

Of all the many benefits of doing this sport, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that the people of Harrow consider most interesting. And if you consider the increased levels of violence in city centres these days, this is hardly surprising. However, exercising self-restraint and a respect for others goes hand in hand with the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

There's a very good likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in the outside world, but it will certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever need them.

Your First Class

Different Taekwondo schools in and around Harrow will have different thoughts on what students should be covering on their first class, but to give you an idea of what to expect most first Taekwondo lessons will involve a warm-up, some sparring, learning patterns (Poomse), an introduction to kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks (practical training) and a final warm-down to relax weary muscles and get the body back to a state of balance.

Taekwondo of course also has its own governing body, and in the UK it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Harrow must become a member of this organisation. You'll be able to read about safe practices, coaching courses, coaches and tournament referees, events, equality and safeguarding, first aid, news, clubs and members, starting a new club, and more on British Taekwondo's website, and get the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll doubtless be fascinated to understand exactly what type of benefits might be gained by attending Harrow Taekwondo lessons and engaging fully in its activities. You could expect that you will: Teach you self-defence techniques by helping you recognise situations where self-defence might be required, and enabling you to turn such scenarios in your favour, Build confidence by motivating you to succeed and to take control of your life, Greater discipline by exhaustively training your mind and body in the techniques and doctrines of Taekwondo, Empower your body and mind thru improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Augment flexibility, agility and stamina through intensive cardiovascular effort, Improve self-esteem and concentration by heightening your physical and mental powers, Lower anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises.

The Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a major role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a selection of the more basic ones: Back Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Side Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Axe Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to repulse the different attacking moves, are called Makgi. Engaging the hands and areas of the arm, they're held in specific positions. Each kind of attack necessitates a particular sort of block, counter-attacks can be produced by combining a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The principal blocks (makgi) include: Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Rising Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Learners starting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Harrow will at first sign up for a beginners class. Beginners classes are fantastic, because there are no rigid demands and everything is carried out at a casual, slow pace. Learning and having fun are the main objectives at first and trainees who are enjoying themselves have a tendency to learn much quicker and digest significantly more of what they're being taught. Even Taekwondo masters started off as naive newbies, so take that first step and you never know where you'll end up!

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Mastering the art of Taekwondo necessitates getting to grips with a number of techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are types of technique, stance and direction which must be memorized in order for pupils to move through the different dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The ranking and belt system can get quite confusing in Taekwondo because there isn't any standardized system throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Parallels do exist though, and usually there are 2 distinct belt groups, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of ranks in the junior group varies over the disciplines but is usually between eight and twelve belts, while the senior's section typically has nine dans or belts.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are referred to as "Kup". The lowest is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of different colours, so the ranks can be 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 in Harrow starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and advance through the coloured belts until they achieve the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

When this training has been accomplished, Harrow Taekwondo students are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then need to progress through a further nine ranks or Dans if they're to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the consummate distinction. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the three principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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 takes a considerable number of years to successfully progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belts Harrow, Taekwondo Ranks Harrow).