Taekwondo Looe

When discussing Taekwondo, many people in Looe assume that this is a sport for young children. The truth is though, that people of all ages are able to take part in this sport despite its high physical demands. You will however get much more enjoyment out of Taekwondo if you are fairly agile and fit.

With its origins in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently established of the martial arts and consists of mainly kicking moves such as jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and rapid kicking styles. It began when schools called "kwans" were founded by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

With over sixty million fitness enthusiasts participating in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has unquestionably become an extremely popular activity, and if you really master this martial art you may possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been a part ever since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

For the people of Looe who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a major priority is the element of self-defence. Since this is a key principle of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to appreciate the attraction of this specific sport. With the additional bonus of learning self-restraint and having a deep respect for others, registering for a local Looe Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

While it will instill you with confidence being aware that you have such self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the chances are you will never be required to use them outside the regulated atmosphere of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you haven't done Taekwondo before, you may be curious to know what is likely to happen on your first class. This may vary from school to school but will usually involve all or some of the following. A 15 to 20 minute warm up to loosen the muscles and increase heart rate, a bit of technical training comprising some stances, kicks, blocks and hand attacks, an introduction to patterns or forms, a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and to finish off a warm down to loosen up and stretch tired muscles.

British Taekwondo is the regulating body of the sport within the UK, and membership of this organization is compulsory if you wish to join any Taekwondo club in Looe or nearby. You will be able to find a lot of facts about events, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, news, coaching courses, clubs and members, referees and coaching, launching a new Taekwondo club, first aid, and more, by heading to the British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo for Beginners

As with any sport or activity we need to begin somewhere, and Taekwondo is no different. Even the highest ranking Looe Taekwondo exponents were complete newbies at one point. So, what can you expect as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their pupils sufficient instruction to teach them the basics and enable them to gain confidence as they move forward. An ideal beginners class must be fun as well as educational, when individuals are having fun they are much more invested and are going to learn faster.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The ranking and belt system can get a bit bewildering in Taekwondo as there's no standardized system throughout the different Taekwondo styles. Likenesses can be found though, and usually there are 2 distinct belt groups, represented as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of levels in the junior groupings varies over the styles but is normally between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior group generally has nine belts or dans.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are represented 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, like the vast majority of the martial arts is denoted by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. Beginners in Looe starting out in Taekwondo will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the colours until they attain the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Looe become "black belt candidates" which entails them moving through an additional nine ranks (Dans) up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt" status. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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 will take a number of years to progress through.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When registering for Taekwondo classes in Looe you'll be wanting to get a few benefits to make the whole project worth the effort. And so we should take a look at a few of the many benefits that you may acquire by learning and doing Taekwondo. Supercharge flexibility, stamina and agility by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Greater self-discipline by thoroughly training your body and mind in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo, Toughen up your body and mind by way of increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Lower stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Boost your confidence by helping you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Teach you self-defence by training you to understand occasions where self-defence could be necessary, and enabling you to manipulate these types of circumstances in your favour, Improve self-esteem by intensifying both mental and physical health.

In Summary

So, what are you hoping to get from Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer will be different for individual people. Most participants will simply look to improve their fitness levels, gain more confidence and meet new people. We're certainly not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, you never know?