Taekwondo Lechlade

As Taekwondo has quite high physical requirements, it is perhaps more suited to the younger people of Lechlade. That is not to say that the older generation cannot get involved in this popular activity, but just that there could be alternative martial arts which are more suited to the less nimble of us. Tai Chi would be a perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently created of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul founded some new schools known as "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, mainly consists of kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, fast kicking strategies and turning/jumping kicks.

These days an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million followers all over the world, and even though you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you're still able to register for a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will undoubtedly prove to be a worthwhile and fascinating pastime.

For the men, women and children of Lechlade who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a major priority is the aspect of self-defence. Because this is a pivotal concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to appreciate the appeal of this specific sport. With the added reward of developing self-restraint and having a deep respect for others, registering for a local Lechlade Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

There is a very good likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be tested in your day to day life, but it will undoubtedly give you self-confidence knowing that they are there should you ever be in need of them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If Taekwondo is not a sport that you've ever had a go at before, you will most likely be wondering what to expect from your first lesson should you make your mind up to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in Lechlade have different ideas about this but in brief; you'll take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you'll do a certain amount of technical training, you'll learn some forms (patterns), you'll practice sparring tactics and last but not least you'll perform a warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state once again.

The regulating body for Taekwondo in Great Britain is British Taekwondo and any person wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Lechlade must also register with British Taekwondo. By checking out the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to obtain info regarding establishing a new club, equality and safeguarding, first aid, news, clubs and members, health and safety, coaching courses, coaches and competition referees, events, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo for Beginners

With any sport or activity we've got to start somewhere, and Taekwondo's exactly the same. Even the foremost Lechlade Taekwondo masters were complete novices at one time. So, what can you expect as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their pupils ample instruction to teach them the fundamentals and enable them to gain confidence as they move forward. An ideal beginners class must be enjoyable as well as educational, when individuals are having fun they're far more committed and are going to learn much faster.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're signing up for Taekwondo classes in Lechlade you'll be aiming to get a few benefits to make the entire project worth the effort. So we should examine a few of the many benefits that you could gain by practicing and learning Taekwondo. Lower stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Beef up your confidence by pushing you to take control of your life and succeed, Increase concentration and self-esteem by sharpening both mental and physical health, Better discipline and willpower by methodically schooling your mind and body in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by means of intense cardiovascular effort, Strengthen your body and mind by way of increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Teach you self-defence by helping you recognise instances in which self-defence may be required, and allowing you to manipulate these kinds of scenarios to your advantage.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Forms are a pivotal element of Taekwondo and are essential if you're to excel at this exciting activity. A few basic Taekwondo forms must be learned from the outset and more elaborate forms will have to be mastered in order to advance through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is characterised by various facets such as direction, stance and technique.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo competitions require certain safety gear to be worn to protect contenders from personal injury due to the formidable kicks that are used. These safety products include: a red or blue head protector, shin pads, forearm guards, a groin protector, hand protectors, a mouth guard and blue or red trunk armour.

Taekwondo Belts

Because there are a number of types of Taekwondo there's never really been any standard arrangement for assigning belts (promotion). What does exist however is relatively similar and comprises two belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groups is divided into ranks, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine for seniors.

Ranks 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. If you're interested in 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo rookies in Lechlade will commence with, they'll then advance through the different colours, finally achieving the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which will take about three to four years of lessons and training.

After this training has been accomplished, Lechlade Taekwondo trainees become known as "black belt candidates", and they then have to progress through a further 9 ranks or Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the ultimate distinction. So, to put it simply, there are three main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which can take a number of years to progress through.

Final Thoughts

Precisely what you acquire from Taekwondo are going to be directly related to what you put into it (as is true of life on the whole). Many of you will purely wish to make new friends, meet different people and improve your fitness levels, some may want to take part in competitions or tournaments or possibly even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.