Taekwondo Houghton Regis

Taekwondo is typically much more demanding physically than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty fit and nimble you might prefer to partake in something a little gentler to improve your fitness in Houghton Regis. Younger children are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Houghton Regis, with lots of fast movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently established of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul founded some schools which they called "kwans", incorporating many different martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, mostly involves kicking manoeuvres, particularly head-height kicks, rapid kicking styles and spinning/jumping kicks.

With over 60 million people taking part in Taekwondo instruction all around the globe, this has unquestionably become a popular pastime, and if you become really expert at this martial art you may even one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it's been a part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

It is the self-defence element of Taekwondo that generally has the most appeal to people in Houghton Regis. This is no surprise when you take into account the ever rising levels of violence seen in city centres nowadays. Learning to defend yourself while applying self-restraint and a respect for others is a key benefit of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be put to the test outside the regulated atmosphere of an actual Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you may be somewhat anxious as to what can be expected on your first class. This will be different from school to school but will typically involve all or some of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of technical training including learning some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocks, discovering some forms, an overview of sparring which will include movement, the timing of attacks and timing, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

The body regulating Taekwondo in Great Britain is British Taekwondo and any person wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Houghton Regis has to also become a member of British Taekwondo. You will be able to find out about launching a new Taekwondo club, news, first aid, events, safe practices, referees and coaching, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, coaching courses, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find the latest news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

The benefits which can be achieved by participating in Taekwondo sessions in Houghton Regis are countless, amongst the most significant are: Better self-discipline by exhaustively educating your body and mind in the principles and tactics of Taekwondo, Beef up confidence by helping you to succeed and to take control of your life, Reduced stress using advanced breath control, Empower your mind and body by way of enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Improve agility, flexibility and stamina by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Teach self-defence strategies by coaching you to understand situations in which self-defence could be required, and enabling you to turn these circumstances in your favour, Improve feelings of self-esteem by intensifying your mental and physical health.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are lots of different kicking moves that are used when practicing Taekwondo. Here are a few of the most widely used: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Blocks: To defend against the various hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse assortment of blocks (Makgi). Engaging the hands and parts of the arm, they are held in various positions. Each and every "block" can be coordinated with a kick or punch to produce a counter-attacking manoeuvre, and each is appropriate for a certain type of attack. The primary Taekwondo "blocks" (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Double Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key element of Taekwondo and are vital if you are going to master this exciting activity. Some basic forms have to be learned at the beginning and more advanced forms must be perfected in order to move through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is characterized by various aspects such as technique, direction and stance.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

Because there are a number of types of Taekwondo there has never really been any recognised arrangement for assigning belts (grades). What exists is however relatively similar and involves 2 belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groupings is split into levels, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine for the seniors.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

Taekwondo tournaments are held all over the world in all the various styles. There's normally not much hard contact but patterns (forms), breaking and sparring. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) competitions comprise only sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests specific hand attacks are allowed to the head. Other organisations stage multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo controlled tournaments call for specific safety equipment to be worn to protect competitors from getting injured as a result of the forceful kicks that are used. These safety items include: hand protectors, forearm protectors, a gum shield, a blue or red head protector, blue/red trunk armour, a groin protector and shin pads.