Taekwondo Lymm

Taekwondo is generally much more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty fit and agile you might prefer to partake in something a little bit gentler to boost your fitness in Lymm. Children and younger people are definitely an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Lymm, with a lot of fast paced movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, mostly involves kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/turning kicks, fast kicking techniques and head-height kicks.Today Lymm Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Lymm and all around the world, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in Lymm is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. There is no reason why you cannot reach a high standard in this thrilling sport, even if you have no desire to compete in the Olympics.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the main reasons that people in Lymm sign up to classes and engage with the sport. There's been a worrying increase in violent practices in recent times and this is particularly rife in city and town centres around Cheshire and the UK in general. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also teaches self-discipline and respect for others, not such familiar qualities in Lymm nowadays.

While it will instill you with self-confidence knowing that you have these self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the chances are that you will never be required to test them outside of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Lesson

If you have never tried Taekwondo before, you could be a little apprehensive as to what can be expected on your very first class. This will vary from club to club but will usually involve some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of practical training including learning some blocking techniques, hand attacks, kicks and stances, learning a few Poomse (forms), an overview of sparring including timing, the timing of attacks and movement, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

The regulating body for Taekwondo in the British Isles is British Taekwondo and any person wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Lymm has to also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to get a lot of info on first aid, establishing a new Taekwondo club, safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, events, referees and coaching, coaching courses, safe practices, news, and more, by going to British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

The benefits that can be gained by participating in Taekwondo sessions in Lymm are many and varied, among the most advantageous are: Toughen up your mind and body thru increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Beef up your confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Develop self-discipline by comprehensively training your body and mind in the strategies and doctrines of Taekwondo, Learn self-defence by training you to recognize instances in which self-defence may be necessary, and allowing you to manipulate these kinds of scenarios in your favour, Enhance your self-esteem by elevating both mental and physical powers, Supercharge stamina, flexibility and agility by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Reduce anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also called Poomse or patterns) are characterized by certain activities such as direction, technique and stance. From the beginning you'll be taught a few of the standard forms, and so as to move through the grades (belts) you will need to learn some more advanced ones.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In the art of taekwondo there is not really any form of standardisation when it comes to belts and grades. It is all determined by what style you're looking at, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are normally split into two groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings range from white to red, with from eight to twelve ranks, whilst the senior/black belts generally have 9 rankings.

Competitions and Tournaments

Tournaments and competitions are an important aspect of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all the diverse styles all over the world hold contests where Taekwondo masters come together to compete. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these competitive events which mostly incorporate patterns (forms), sparring and breaking. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) tournaments, whilst specified hand attacks are permitted in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.