Taekwondo Lightwater

Because of its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is maybe more appropriate for the younger person in Lightwater and is especially suited to children as it is fantastic for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults might find it somewhat too strenuous unless they are especially fit and active. However, those who persue Taekwondo in Lightwater from a young age will find that they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some exciting new schools known as "kwans", blending various martial arts techniques. Kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking methods, head kicks and jumping/turning kicks are the main focus of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known. Today Lightwater Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

These days an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than 60 million followers all around the world, and although you may not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games medalist, you are still able to sign up for a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and fulfilling pastime.

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

Your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be put to the test outside the controlled setting of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however knowing that you've got them will instill you with self-confidence.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you've booked your first lesson but haven't tried Taekwondo before, you might be wondering what to prepare for. The following will give you a pretty good idea, but this will vary from school to school. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase heart rate, some technical training comprising some kicks, hand attacks, blocks and stances, a look at some forms (Poomse), some ideas on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and to finish off a warm down to loosen up and stretch muscles.

Taekwondo also of course has got its own official regulating body, and in the UK it is British Taekwondo. Everyone wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Lightwater must become members of this organisation. By heading to British Taekwondo's official website you can find info on health and safety, events, establishing a new club, first aid, news, coaches and tournament referees, coaching courses, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicking moves play a major role in Taekwondo, here are a selection of the more simple ones: Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the various attacks, are called Makgi. They're held in various positions and enlist the hand with different parts of the arm. Each type of attack calls for a specific sort of block, counter-attacks can be produced by integrating a block with another punch or kick. The most used "blocks" include: Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block and Double Forearm Block.

Beginners Classes

Students setting out on their Taekwondo experience in Lightwater will at first register for a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, since there are no rigid demands and everything is carried out at a slow, relaxed pace. Learning and having fun are the principal goals in the early stages and trainees who are having a great time tend to learn a lot quicker and absorb significantly more of what they are being told. Even Taekwondo masters started out as naive novices, so take that first step and you never know where you'll finish up!

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Safety gear like shin pads, a groin protector, a gum shield, hand protectors, forearm guards, a blue or red trunk guard (hogu) and a blue or red head guard are used in all tournaments overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is paramount on account of the formidable kicks that are an integral part of this activity.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are important if you're going to excel at this popular martial art. Several basic Taekwondo forms must be grasped at the beginning and more complex forms have to be mastered in order to progress through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is distinguished by various factors such as technique, direction and stance.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

With regards to ranking, promotion and belts there's not actually any real uniformity in Taekwondo, because there are many different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own arrangement in place. There are however similarities and they usually consist of 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior rankings normally have nine grades and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are known as "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 denoted by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Lightwater will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and progress through the various colours until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (First Kup)

Taekwondo trainees in Lightwater are considered as "black belt candidates" after they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then need to proceed through an additional 9 ranks (Dans) if they wish to achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the 3 principal classifications in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; 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 group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and demands many years of dedication. (Tags: Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Ranks Lightwater, Taekwondo Belts Lightwater).