Taekwondo High Wycombe

Because Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it's possibly more suited to the younger people of High Wycombe. That's not to say that older people cannot participate in this particular activity, but merely that there might be other martial arts that are more suitable for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be the perfect example.

The name Taekwondo was only coined in the 1950's, although the sport started life in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some exciting new schools known as "kwans", mixing various martial arts techniques. Kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and fast kicking styles are the main focus of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known. Today High Wycombe Taekwondo classes observe this tradition.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in High Wycombe is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. There is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

For the people of High Wycombe who want to learn a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. Considering that this is a key concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to see the appeal of this particular sport. With the additional benefit of learning self-restraint and having a deep respect for others, signing up for a local High Wycombe Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

There is a pretty good likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never need to be proven in your everyday life, but it will most certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever be in need of them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo before, you may be a little concerned as to what to expect on your very first class. This varies from club to club but will typically involve some or all of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of technical training involving learning some kicks, stances, blocks and hand attacks, studying a few forms (or Poomse), an overview of sparring including the timing of attacks, timing and movement, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

Any person wanting to join a Taekwondo class in High Wycombe must also register with British Taekwondo which is the official regulating body of the sport in Great Britain. You can find lots of information on events, health and safety, coaching courses, members and clubs, starting a new Taekwondo club, coaches and tournament referees, news, first aid, equality and safeguarding, and more, by popping along to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In regards to belts, ranking and promotion there's not actually any real uniformity in Taekwondo, since there are various styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique arrangement. There are however likenesses and they generally consist of 2 groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" represented by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior grades typically have nine ranks and the junior, 8 to 12 levels.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo that are generally known as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, like many of the martial arts is denoted by a range of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo beginners in High Wycombe will start off with, they'll then move up through the coloured belts, eventually earning the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which can take around three to four years of training and lessons.

When this training has been accomplished, High Wycombe Taekwondo trainees are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then have to progress through a further nine Dans if they are to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the ultimate accolade in this sport. Therefore, to put it simply, there are three primary sections in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; 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 will take a number of years to progress through.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a pivotal element of Taekwondo and are crucial if you are to excel at this popular sport. Some basic Taekwondo forms need to be grasped from the beginning and more complicated forms have to be mastered in order to advance through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is distinguished by a number of points such as technique, stance and direction.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo matches require specific safety gear to be worn to safeguard contenders from injury due to the potent kicks that occur. This safety equipment includes: forearm guards, hand protectors, a gum shield, shin pads, a red or blue head protector, a groin guard and a red or blue body protector (hogu).

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll probably be interested to understand exactly what sort of benefits could be gained by taking part in High Wycombe Taekwondo lessons and partaking 100% in its activities. You can expect that you will: Beef up your confidence by inspiring you to seize control of your life and succeed, Teach self-defence strategies by helping you to recognize occasions in which self-defence could be needed, and allowing you to turn these kinds of circumstances in your favour, Improve self-esteem and concentration by heightening your physical and mental fitness, Increase stamina, agility and flexibility by means of intense cardiovascular exertion, Develop discipline by thoroughly educating your mind and body in the tactics and doctrines of Taekwondo, Strengthen your mind and body by increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Lessen stress by doing deep breathing exercises.

The Taekwondo Kicks

Among the best known Taekwondo kicks you will master initially include: Push Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and deflect an inbound Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are employed. Held in specific positions, they engage the hand and sections of the arm. Certain attacks necessitate particular blocks, but blocks can also be transformed into counter-attacks by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The most important Taekwondo "blocks" include: Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Palm Block and Single Forearm Block.