Taekwondo Kiveton Park

It must be asserted that Taekwondo can be very physically challenging, which can intimidate the older and less nimble folks in Kiveton Park from getting involved. To be fair, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are children and younger people, but certainly older individuals who are in decent physical condition can easily take part and benefit from this activity.

With its beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts and involves primarily high-kicking movements such as turning/jumping kicks, fast kicking techniques and head kicks. It began when schools called "kwans" were established by a group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity throughout the world with some sixty million people or more actively taking classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you can start your journey of learning this exciting activity.

For the men, women and children of Kiveton Park who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. Since this is a key principle of Taekwondo, it is easy to appreciate the appeal of this unique sport. With the extra reward of learning self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for other people, getting involved in a local Kiveton Park Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Although it will instill you with confidence knowing that you have those self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are you'll never be required to use them outside the controlled environment of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you decide to register for a Taekwondo club in Kiveton Park, the first thing you will want to know is what will happen on the first class and what precisely will the coach expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Kiveton Park area will develop diverse routines for this first lesson but you can count on doing a 20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood coursing, learn some simple forms (Poomse), cover some technical training (stances, blocks, hand attacks and kicks), do a certain amount of sparring, and last of all, warm-down.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within the British Isles, and membership of this organization is mandatory if you wish to join any Taekwondo class in Kiveton Park or nearby. By exploring the official British Taekwondo website you can discover information regarding coaching courses, first aid, news, events, clubs and members, coaches and referees, equality and safeguarding, health and safety, starting a new Taekwondo club, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are a lot of different Taekwondo kicking manoeuvres, here are just a selection of them: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacks, are called Makgi. They are held in specific positions and use the hand with different sections of the arm. Each form of attack necessitates a particular kind of block, counter-attacks can be created by integrating a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The main Taekwondo blocks include: Palm Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block, Single Forearm Block, Low Block and Rising Block.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

The benefits which may be achieved by taking part in Taekwondo lessons in Kiveton Park are countless, among the most noteworthy are: Build up your confidence by motivating you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Help with self-defence tactics by showing you how to recognise situations where self-defence might be necessary, and allowing you to manipulate these types of situations in your favour, Enhance self-esteem and concentration by heightening your mental and physical health, Strengthen your body and mind by means of increased physical coordination and mental discipline, More discipline by thoroughly schooling your mind and body in the concepts and tactics of Taekwondo, Lower stress and anxiety using advanced breath control, Turbocharge agility, flexibility and stamina by way of extreme cardiovascular exertion.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The ranking and belt structure can get very confusing in Taekwondo as there is no recognised structure across the different Taekwondo disciplines. Likenesses do exist though, and typically there are 2 separate belt groupings, signified as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of levels in the junior groupings varies across the styles but is generally between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior section commonly has nine dans or belts.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. As with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a number of colours, so that the ranks are easily identified. 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo novices in Kiveton Park will start out with, they can then move up through the different coloured belts, finally attaining the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take about 3-4 years.

As soon as this training has been successfully completed, Kiveton Park Taekwondo trainees advance to "black belt candidates", and they must then earn a further nine ranks if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the ultimate accolade in this sport. Therefore, Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt are the 3 main classifications in the Taekwondo belt order. 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 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication and training.

In Conclusion

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I reckon that we wouldn't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't just about National Championships and Olympic medals. Most of us are content to make new friends, improve our levels of fitness and meet different people, and that's how it ought to be. Yet, as with many things in life, what you get out of it will be based upon what you put into it. Good luck!