Taekwondo Melbourne

On account of its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is maybe more suitable for the younger generation in Melbourne and is particularly suited to children as it is excellent for developing self-discipline and respect for other people. Older adults might find it a bit too challenging unless they're especially fit and active. However, those who persue Taekwondo in Melbourne at a young age will find they can easily carry it on when they're older. The less agile of you might consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly comprises high-kicking manoeuvres, most notably fast kicking styles, head-height kicks and turning/jumping kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists founded schools called "kwans", which blended a number of martial arts techniques.

Taekwondo now has more than 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become extremely popular in Melbourne and throughout the UK. Signing up for a local Taekwondo club or class in Melbourne is a great way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. Whilst nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you could certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Melbourne.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the principal reasons that individuals in Melbourne sign up to classes and take up the sport. There's been a disturbing escalation of violent practices in recent times and this is especially common in town and city centres around Derbyshire and Britain in general. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and respect for other people, not such widespread characteristics in Melbourne these days.

These self-defence techniques may at some time prove useful in the outside world, although it is much more likely that you will solely be testing them within a supervised class setting. However it's a nice feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself if you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you've just booked your very first Taekwondo lesson, you will be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an example, but this will vary subject to which Melbourne school you attend. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, a bit of technical training covering some stances, hand attacks, blocking techniques and kicks, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a look at sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and last but not least a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping,

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo class in Melbourne or any place else in the UK, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official governing body of the sport. By heading to the British Taekwondo website you can obtain details on events, safe practices, members and clubs, starting a new club, equality and safeguarding, first aid, coaching courses, coaches and referees, news, and a lot more Taekwondo related facts.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're registering for Taekwondo classes in Melbourne you will be looking to get some benefits to make the whole venture worthwhile. So we should examine some of the many benefits that you could get through learning and doing Taekwondo. Help with self-defence strategies by helping you realize circumstances where self-defence could be necessary, and allowing you to control such circumstances in your favour, Strengthen your mind and body by accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Boost confidence by pushing you to seize control of your life and succeed, Greater discipline and willpower by extensively schooling your mind and body in the principles and tactics of Taekwondo, Reduces anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by intensifying your physical and mental powers, Increase stamina, agility and flexibility by means of strenuous cardiovascular work-outs.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are many different types of Taekwondo there's never really been any uniform arrangement for assigning belts (ranks). What exists however is fairly similar and is made up of two belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is divided into levels, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and 9 "blacks" for the seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks (belts) that are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of different colours, so the ranks can be easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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 rookies in Melbourne will begin with, they'll then move up through the colours, eventually attaining the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which can take around 3-4 years of dedication.

When this training regime has been completed, Melbourne Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they then have to earn a further nine ranks or Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate distinction. So, to put it simply, there are 3 principal groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, namely 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 many years to progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Ranks Melbourne, Taekwondo Belts Melbourne, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

Some Taekwondo Kicks

Among the basic Taekwondo kicks that you will master initially include: Axe Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Crescent Kick, Side Kick, Push Kick, Back Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the different attacking moves, are called Makgi. Held in particular positions, they employ the hand and areas of the arm. Specific attacks require specified "blocks", but "blocks" can also be changed into counter-attacks by combining reciprocal punches or kicks. The most important blocks in Taekwondo include: Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block and Nine Block.

Summary

We can pretty much guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you will improve your fitness, gain self-confidence and make more friends. If that is all you take away from it, then that is great, and you can call it an achievement! We aren't all aiming to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, still need to begin with that very first step. Good luck with your adventure!