Taekwondo Kirkby-in-Ashfield

Owing to its more physical attributes, Taekwondo is possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and is particularly suited to children as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults might find it somewhat too challenging unless they're especially fit and active. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Kirkby-in-Ashfield from a young age will find they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could consider something gentler like Tai Chi.

The discipline was developed in Korea in 1945, though it was not given the name Taekwondo until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. The emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking methods and head-height kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Kirkby-in-Ashfield and with over 60 million others worldwide. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Kirkby-in-Ashfield Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

The thing about Taekwondo that seems to most interest people in Kirkby-in-Ashfield is the self-defence aspect of it. And in these times of increased violence, especially in town centres, it's not a surprise that this sits at the top of people's list of priorities. In fact one of the main benefits of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising a degree of self-restraint and having respect for others.

While it is a great experience to practice and master these self-defence techniques in the protected environment of your local Kirkby-in-Ashfield Taekwondo club, with any luck you'll never be required to use them in the outside world.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

Different Taekwondo schools in the Kirkby-in-Ashfield area will have different viewpoints on what enrollees should cover on their initial class, but to give you a concept of what you should expect most initial Taekwondo classes will include a warm-up, some sparring, learning patterns (Poomse), an introduction to kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks (practical training) and a warm-down to relax weary muscles and get the body back to a state of harmony.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within the British Isles, and membership of this organisation is mandatory if you would like to join any Taekwondo club in Kirkby-in-Ashfield or nearby. By visiting British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to obtain facts about events, clubs and members, referees and coaching, starting a new Taekwondo club, first aid, health and safety, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, news, and a lot more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Forms are a pivotal element of Taekwondo and are crucial if you are to excel at this captivating sporting activity. Some basic forms need to be grasped from the outset and more complicated forms must be mastered so as to advance through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is distinguished by various factors such as direction, technique and stance.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're signing up for Taekwondo classes in Kirkby-in-Ashfield you'll be aiming to get a few benefits to make the whole adventure worthwhile. So why don't we consider a few of the many positive benefits that you may gain through learning and doing Taekwondo. Reduced anxiety using advanced breath control, Develop discipline and willpower by exhaustively educating your mind and body in the techniques and doctrines of Taekwondo, Supercharge flexibility, agility and stamina through extreme cardiovascular effort, Help with self-defence by helping you to recognise scenarios in which self-defence could be required, and empowering you to manipulate these scenarios in your favour, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by raising both physical and mental health, Build up confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Empower your mind and body via accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main components of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a selection of the standard kicking techniques: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and avert an inbound Taekwondo attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. They're held in various positions and enlist the hands with different areas of the arm. 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 key blocks (makgi) include: Low Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block and Palm Block.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo matches require certain safety equipment to be worn to safeguard contenders from personal injury as a result of the forceful kicking that occurs. This safety gear includes: hand guards, a groin guard, a red/blue head protector, a red/blue body guard (hogu), shin protectors, forearm guards and a mouth guard.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The belt and ranking system can get quite complicated in Taekwondo since there's no standardized system across the various Taekwondo disciplines. Similarities do exist though, and typically there are two distinct belt groups, denoted as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior group varies through the disciplines but is commonly somewhere between eight and twelve belts, while the senior's section generally has nine belts or dans.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks (belts) which are referred to as "Kup", these ranks range from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a number of different colours, so that the ranks can be easily recognised. 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Kirkby-in-Ashfield will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the colours until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Kirkby-in-Ashfield are considered as "black belt candidates" which involves them proceeding through a further nine ranks (Dans) right up until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" status. Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into three groupings; Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process that will take many years. (Tags: Taekwondo Rankings Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Belt Order Taekwondo).

Conclusion

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we wouldn't all want to be. Taekwondo is not purely about Olympic titles and National Championships. Most of us are happy to meet different people, improve our fitness levels and make new friends, and that's how it should be. Yet, as with most matters in life, what you get out of it will depend upon what you put into it. Good luck! 👊