Taekwondo Livesey

As a result of its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is possibly more suited to the younger person in Livesey and is especially suitable for children because it's fantastic for developing self-discipline and respect for other people. More elderly people could find it somewhat too demanding unless they are particularly fit and active. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Livesey at a young age will find that they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less agile of you could think about something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. Some innovative new schools called "kwans" were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts devotees, incorporating a number of various martial arts techniques. The main focus of Taekwondo, as it later became known, is on kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking strategies, head kicks and jumping/turning kicks. Now Livesey Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

With more than 60 million people taking part in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has unquestionably become a popular and beneficial pastime, and if you become really good at this sport you might possibly one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part ever since the 2000 Sydney Games.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and doubtless this is one of the principal reasons that folks in Livesey sign up to classes and get involved in the sport. There's been a disconcerting escalation of violent conduct in recent times and this is particularly rampant in town and city centres around Lancashire and the nation in general. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such common attributes in Livesey nowadays.

While it is a great experience to practice and master these self-defence skills in the controlled environment of your local Livesey Taekwondo club, hopefully you'll never be required to use them in the world outside.

What to Expect From Your First Class

Different Taekwondo clubs in Livesey will have different thoughts on what students should be covering on their initial lesson, but to give you an understanding of what to expect most first Taekwondo lessons will include things like a warm-up, a bit of sparring, learning simple forms (Poomse), a brief introduction to kicks, hand attacks, blocks and stances (technical training) and a warm-down to relax tired muscles and get the body back to a state of relaxation.

Everybody who's a registered member of a Taekwondo class in Livesey or anywhere else in the United Kingdom, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can learn about referees and coaching, first aid, members and clubs, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, coaching courses, health and safety, events, equality and safeguarding, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or get the latest news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Tournaments

A standard Taekwondo tournament includes sparring, patterns and breaking, in the Olympics only sparring is involved. Having said that there may also be some special categories in certain tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT (World Taekwondo) contests are solely soft-contact affairs, while ITF contests allow some hand attacks aimed at the head. There are also several multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking system can get rather complicated in Taekwondo since there's no standard structure throughout the diverse Taekwondo styles. Analogies can be found however, and usually there are two distinct belt groupings, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of grades in the junior section varies through the styles but is typically between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior's groupings typically has nine belts or dans.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like many of the martial arts is denoted by a range of different colours, these colours are 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Livesey will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and move up through the various coloured belts until they earn the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Livesey are known as "black belt candidates" which sees them moving through an additional nine ranks (Dans) right up until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" status. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into three sections; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division comprise; 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 go from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which will take many years.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo controlled matches require specific safety equipment to be worn to safeguard contenders from being injured due to the vigorous kicks that are used. These safety products include: red/blue body armour, shin protectors, a gum shield, a groin protector, forearm protectors, hand protectors and a blue/red head protector.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

There are of course, a lot of benefits to be gained from doing Taekwondo, and here are just a selection of the ones that may be attractive to you: Reduces anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility by way of extreme cardiovascular work-outs, Develop self-discipline by thoroughly schooling your body and mind in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Boost confidence by motivating you to seize control of your life and succeed, Learn self-defence by helping you to recognise instances in which self-defence could be necessary, and empowering you to control these kinds of circumstances in your favour, Empower your body and mind by increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Increase self-esteem and concentration by elevating your mental and physical powers.

In Conclusion

So, what are you looking to get from Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will simply wish to meet new people, improve their fitness levels and gain more confidence. We are definitely not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, you never know? 👊