Taekwondo Holland-on-Sea

It has to be asserted that Taekwondo can be very challenging physically, which could discourage the less agile and more elderly folks in Holland-on-Sea from getting involved. To be fair, the most common participants of Taekwondo classes are kids and younger people, but unquestionably older people who are in decent physical condition can easily be involved and get benefits from this activity.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts and consists of mainly high-kicking moves such as fast kicking strategies, head kicks and jumping/turning kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million enthusiasts worldwide, and although you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you can still register for a Taekwondo class or club to master what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fulfilling and intriguing pastime.

For the men, women and children of Holland-on-Sea who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. Since this is a pivotal concept of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to see the appeal of this specific sport. With the additional bonus of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for others, signing up for a local Holland-on-Sea Taekwondo class seems to be a no brainer.

While it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are you'll never have to test them outside the monitored environment of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Lesson

If you have never done Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. This may vary depending on which Holland-on-Sea school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, some technical training which will involve learning some hand attacks, stances, blocking techniques and kicks, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a few ideas on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

Taekwondo of course also has got its own regulating body, and in Britain it is British Taekwondo. Anyone wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Holland-on-Sea must become a member of this organisation. By viewing British Taekwondo's website you will be able to read info on clubs and members, first aid, coaches and tournament referees, equality and safeguarding, news, events, safe practices, coaching courses, beginning a new Taekwondo club, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Matches controlled by British Taekwondo policies demand that various items of protective gear be worn, these include: a blue or red head guard, a groin protector, a mouth guard, hand protectors, shin pads, forearm protectors and a blue/red trunk guard (hogu). This is vital on account of the powerful kicking actions being practiced.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The ranking and belt system can get quite bewildering in Taekwondo as there isn't any standardized system throughout the various Taekwondo disciplines. Similarities do exist though, and commonly there are 2 distinct belt groups, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of rankings in the junior groupings varies over the disciplines but is normally somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior groupings typically has nine belts or dans.

In the UK there are a series of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are known as "Kup". The lowest is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. If you're curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is portrayed by a range of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo beginners in Holland-on-Sea will commence with, they will then move up through the coloured belts, finally reaching the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), after around three to four years of dedication.

Taekwondo students in Holland-on-Sea become "black belt candidates" once they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then be faced with proceeding through an additional nine ranks (Dans) if they wish to achieve the supreme distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. So, putting it simply, there are three main groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; 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 group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of dedication and training.