Taekwondo Liverpool

While people of any age in Liverpool can obviously participate in Taekwondo, it is particularly suited to the younger generation since it can be fairly demanding physically, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. Older adults might find it somewhat too challenging unless they are particularly active and fit. For those people who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the adventure into adulthood shouldn't be an issue. If you consider yourself amongst the less agile, you could always try something like Tai Chi which is much less strenuous.

Based largely around kicking manoeuvres like jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and fast kicking strategies, Taekwondo was created from the techniques of various martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools called "Kwans" in the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" had the names Mooduk Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Songmu Kwan and Jido Kwan.

With over sixty million individuals participating in Taekwondo sessions all over the world, this has certainly become a popular pastime, and if you become really expert at this sport you may even one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part ever since the 2000 Sydney Games.

For a lot of folks in Liverpool, it is the self-defence element of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these times of ever increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it really is little surprise that this features high up on people's list of priorities. It is a primary factor of Taekwondo that you're able to gain more confidence in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect other people and learn self-restraint.

While it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are you'll never have to test them outside the monitored setting of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Lesson

For those of you who've never done Taekwondo before, you'll no doubt be interested to know what to expect from your first class. There might be variations to the following, depending on which Liverpool Taekwondo school you go to, but you can roughly expect; A warm up of 15-20 minutes to increase your heart rate and loosen the muscles, some technical training which will involve learning some blocks, stances, hand attacks and kicks, an introduction to some forms, a few ideas on sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch weary muscles and relax.

Any individual who joins a Taekwondo class in Liverpool must also register with British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in the United Kingdom. You can find lots of details of launching a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, news, health and safety, events, coaches and tournament referees, equality and safeguarding, members and clubs, first aid, and more, by visiting British Taekwondo's website.

Tournaments

Tournaments are a significant aspect of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all the diverse styles all over the world stage competitions and tournaments where Taekwondo exponents gather together to compete. Hard contact is hardly ever allowed in any of these competitions which mostly comprise patterns (forms), breaking and sparring. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and World Taekwondo tournaments, whilst some hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In relation to promotion, ranking and belts there's not actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, as there are a number of styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own specific arrangement. There are however similarities and they usually comprise a couple of groupings of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior rankings normally have 9 levels and the junior, eight to twelve ranks.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what generally known as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, much like the vast majority of the martial arts is indicated by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Liverpool will start out with the White Belt (10th Kup), and progress through the different coloured belts until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

Taekwondo trainees in Liverpool are considered as "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they'll then have to move through another 9 ranks (called Dans) if they aim to achieve the greatest accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; 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 involves many years of dedication and training. (Tags: Belt Order Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Promotion Liverpool, Taekwondo Belts Liverpool).

Safety Equipment

In all tournaments, events and contests being staged under the patronage of British Taekwondo, safety equipment such as hand protectors, shin pads, blue/red body armour (hogu), a red or blue head protector, a groin protector, forearm protectors and a gum shield is mandatory. The kicking movements which are part of Taekwondo may cause serious injuries and these precautions help make the sport less risky for its competitors.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You will no doubt be intrigued to find out about precisely what kind of benefits may be obtained by attending Liverpool Taekwondo instruction and partaking 100% in its practices. You may expect to: Learn self-defence by helping you identify occasions in which self-defence might be necessary, and enabling you to control such scenarios to your advantage, Improve self-esteem and concentration by intensifying your physical and mental health, Build confidence by motivating you to take control of your life and succeed, Empower your mind and body by improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Supercharge stamina, flexibility and agility by means of intense cardiovascular exertion, Reduces anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Develop self-discipline by thoroughly schooling your body and mind in the doctrines and techniques of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is famous for its powerful kicks, here are the important ones: Axe Kick, Side Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Back Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the different attacks, are known as Makgi. Held in various positions, they engage the hands and different sections of the arm. Each type of attack necessitates a specific kind of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with a retaliatory punch or kick. The principal "blocks" include: Rising Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block, Palm Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It doesn't matter who you are or what you're ranking is in Taekwondo, at one stage you were a complete novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We've all started out at that point and are only able to learn and improve through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Liverpool are the best place to begin that learning journey and to pick up the necessary basics so that you can build self-confidence and move forward in your exciting Taekwondo quest. Most beginner classes are created to be friendly and fun, offering a gradual introduction to the basic Taekwondo values and developing a firm base moving forward.

Summary

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo is not purely about Olympic titles and National Championships. The majority of of us are content to improve our fitness, make new friends and meet different people, and that's how it should be. However, as with most matters in life, what you get from it will depend upon what you invest in it. Enjoy!