Taekwondo Huyton

If you were to ask people in Huyton what their thoughts were on Taekwondo, many would say it is an activity for younger children. While the younger and fitter generation might find it easier to contend with the physical demands of Taekwondo, people of every age group can practice the sport. Being relatively fit is however a requirement of Taekwondo.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently created of the martial arts and entails mainly kicking movements such as fast kicking techniques, turning/jumping kicks and head kicks. It began when schools known as "kwans" were set up by a group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity around the world with some sixty million people regularly taking part in classes. And it's by enrolling in a Taekwondo club or class that you can begin your adventure of learning this fascinating activity.

For many folks in Huyton, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And in these times of increasing violence, especially in city and town centres, it's little surprise that this aspect sits high up on people's priority lists. It is a key factor of Taekwondo that you are able to become more confident in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect other people and learn self-restraint.

Your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will more than likely never have to be tested outside the monitored atmosphere of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however being aware of the fact that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you've never had a go at Taekwondo before, you might be somewhat anxious as to what should be expected on your first lesson. This will vary from club to club but will normally consist of some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen up muscles and increase the heart rate, a little practical training including learning some stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks, learning a few forms, an introduction to sparring which will include the timing of attacks, timing and movement, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

If you would like to join a Taekwondo class in Huyton, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can get plenty of information on safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, news, first aid, health and safety, coaching courses, beginning a new Taekwondo club, coaches and tournament referees, events, and more, by going to the official British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Tournaments are an important part of the Taekwondo experience, and all of the various styles across the world hold contests where Taekwondo exponents gather together to compete. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these competitions which primarily comprise patterns, breaking and sparring. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT tournaments, whilst some hand attacks are tolerated in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) events.

Taekwondo Belts

The ranking and belt structure can get quite bewildering in Taekwondo as there isn't any recognised arrangement across the diverse Taekwondo disciplines. Analogies do exist though, and generally there are two separate belt groupings, signified as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior section varies through the styles but is typically between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior's groupings normally has 9 dans or belts.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are called "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th 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 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Huyton will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and advance through the colours until they accomplish the First Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt)

Taekwondo students in Huyton become "black belt candidates" once they have successfully completed this process, and they'll then need to proceed through an additional 9 ranks (Dans) if they aim to achieve the greatest distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the three main sections in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. 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 division 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 demands many years of training and dedication.

Safety Gear

Tournaments regulated by British Taekwondo policies require various pieces of protective equipment to be worn, these include: blue/red body armour, a mouth protector, forearm protectors, hand protectors, shin guards, a blue or red head guard and a groin protector. This is vital on account of the forceful kicking attacks being practiced.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Novices just starting out Taekwondo do not have to fret excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) initially, but they'll have to learn some important ones to begin with and progress to more elaborate "forms" as they progress up the various belts (dans/grades). A form is denoted by particular areas of Taekwondo including stance, technique and direction. Learning such sequences is a vital part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the principal elements of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a selection of the most widely used kicking movements: Push Kick, Side Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Axe Kick, Hook or Whip Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the different attacks, are called Makgi. They are held in various positions and enlist the hand with different areas of the arm. Certain attacks call for specified "blocks", but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacking movements by the combination of retaliatory kicks or punches. The primary blocks include: Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Rising Block and Upper Block.