Taekwondo London Colney

As a result of its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is perhaps more suitable for the younger person in London Colney and is particularly suitable for kids as it is wonderful for developing respect for others and self-discipline. More elderly people may find it somewhat too demanding unless they're especially active and fit. However, those folks who persue Taekwondo in London Colney from a young age will find they can easily continue with it when they are older. The less agile of you might consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its origins in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts lovers established some exciting new schools which they named "kwans", practicing a blend of martial arts techniques. The focus of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known, is on kicking movements, in particular jumping/turning kicks, fast kicking styles and head-height kicks. Nowadays London Colney Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity throughout the world with some 60 million people or more actively participating in classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo class or club that you are able to start your quest of mastering this fascinating martial art.

For many folks in London Colney, it is the self-defence element of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And in these days of increased violence, particularly in town and city centres, it's no surprise that this aspect features high up on people's list of priorities. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you are able to gain more confidence in your capability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect other people and practice self-restraint.

While its great to know they are there when you need them, with a bit of luck you will not ever be required to use your newly perfected Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club environment.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have never dome Taekwondo before, you may be interested to know exactly what is likely to happen on your first class. There may be variations to the following, depending on which London Colney Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training comprising some hand attacks, blocks, stances and kicks, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

British Taekwondo is the official regulating body of the sport within the United Kingdom, and membership of this organization is compulsory should you wish to sign up with any Taekwondo class in London Colney or nearby. You can read about events, beginning a new Taekwondo club, first aid, news, equality and safeguarding, clubs and members, coaching courses, safe practices, coaches and tournament referees, and more on the official British Taekwondo website, or find out the latest news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Newcomers just starting out Taekwondo do not have to stress excessively about forms (patterns, Poomse) at the outset, however they'll have to familiarise themselves with some basic ones to begin with and advance to more challenging forms as they progress through the belts (grades/dans). A "form" is signified by certain elements of Taekwondo including stance, direction and technique. Learning these sequences is a key part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Safety Equipment

Safety equipment such as a red or blue head protector, hand protectors, a gum shield, a groin protector, red/blue body armour (hogu), forearm guards and shin pads are used in all competitions regulated by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is paramount because of the potent kicking that's part and parcel of this sport.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You will undoubtedly be fascinated to discover precisely what sort of benefits may be obtained by attending London Colney Taekwondo instruction and partaking 100% in its practices. You may expect to: Improve feelings of self-esteem by maximizing both physical and mental powers, Teach self-defence tactics by training you to identify situations where self-defence may be required, and allowing you to turn such situations to your advantage, Develop discipline by methodically educating your mind and body in the concepts and tactics of Taekwondo, Reduced stress with controlled breathing, Toughen up your mind and body by improved physical coordination and mental discipline, Grow in your confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Augment flexibility, agility and stamina through intense cardiovascular work-outs.

Competitions and Tournaments

There are a whole host of competitions and tournaments in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They mostly comprise sparring, patterns and breaking with little or no hard contact. ITF competitions do not allow excessive contact but do permit hand attacks to the head. World Taekwondo and Olympic tournaments only allow sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The ranking and belt system can get pretty confusing in Taekwondo since there isn't any recognised arrangement throughout the different Taekwondo styles. Parallels can be found though, and normally there are two distinct belt groupings, denoted as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of ranks in the junior groupings varies through the styles but is normally between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior group typically has nine dans or belts.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are referred to as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like the vast majority of the martial arts is portrayed by a range 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo novices in London Colney will start out with, they'll then advance through the coloured belts, finally attaining the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), after approximately 3-4 years.

As soon as this training has been successfully completed, London Colney Taekwondo students are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then have to earn a further nine Dans (ranks) if they are to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the consummate distinction. Therefore, the bottom line is, there are three primary divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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 takes a considerable number of years to progress through.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It matters not what you're capable of or who you are in Taekwondo, at some stage you were a total novice, knowing nothing and fearing failure. We've all started like this and can only develop and learn through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in London Colney are the right place to start that learning process and to pick up the basics so that you can gain self-confidence and move forward in your Taekwondo adventure. The majority of beginner classes are created to be fun and friendly, offering a slow introduction to the basic Taekwondo principles and developing a firm foundation moving forward.

Summary

We can pretty much guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll gain more confidence, improve your levels of fitness and make more friends. If that's all you take away from it, then all well and good, you can call it a success! We're not all striving to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, have to begin with the very first step. Good luck on your journey! 👊