Taekwondo Nailsworth

Taekwondo is typically a lot more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and nimble you may prefer to find something a little gentler to improve your fitness in Nailsworth. Younger children are certainly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Nailsworth, with a lot of fast movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

The discipline was developed in Korea in 1945, though it was not given the name Taekwondo until the 1950's. Some new schools called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking styles, head-height kicks and jumping/spinning kicks.Today Nailsworth Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

With over 60 million people engaged in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has certainly become a 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 an integral part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and of course this is one of the main reasons that folks in Nailsworth get involved in classes and engage with the sport. There has been a disturbing increase in violent behaviour over the last few years and this is especially rampant in town and city centres throughout Gloucestershire and the British Isles in general. The fantastic thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and respect for others, not such common attributes in Nailsworth these days.

These self-defence techniques may at some point come in useful in your day to day life, though it is far more likely you will solely be putting them to the test within a controlled class environment. Yet it is a wonderful feeling knowing that you can always successfully defend yourself when you have to.

Your First Lesson

If you have booked your first lesson but have never done Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. This may vary depending on which Nailsworth school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, some technical training which will involve learning some kicks, blocking techniques, hand attacks and stances, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a few ideas on sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

If you want to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Nailsworth, you will also have to register with the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By checking out British Taekwondo's official website you can discover info regarding coaching courses, events, news, establishing a new club, health and safety, clubs and members, first aid, safeguarding and equality, coaches and referees, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety gear like forearm protectors, a blue/red trunk protector (hogu), shin guards, hand protectors, a blue/red head guard, a groin protector and a mouth protector have to be worn in all matches controlled by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is necessary because of the formidable kicks that are part and parcel of this sport.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In Tae kwon do there's really no form of uniformity with regards to ranking and belts. It all hinges on what style you're reviewing, since there are so many different Taekwondo styles and rules. They are however, typically separated into a couple of groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve rankings, while the senior/black belts commonly have nine levels.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what generally known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you're eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is denoted by a range of different colours i.e. 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Nailsworth will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and advance through the various coloured belts until they achieve the First Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe)

Taekwondo trainees in Nailsworth are considered to be "black belt candidates" once they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then be faced with proceeding through yet another nine ranks (or Dans) if they aim to achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, putting it simply, there are 3 main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of training and dedication.

Competitions and Tournaments

A typical Taekwondo competition incorporates patterns, sparring and breaking, in the Olympics only sparring is included. Having said that there can also be a few special categories in specific competitions such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo contests are strictly soft-contact affairs, whilst International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) contests allow some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are additionally a few multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the best exponents of Taekwondo in Nailsworth set out as rookies, so there is no shame in being a complete beginner at Tae kwon do, or for that matter any other activity. The objective of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide a few basics, boost confidence and develop a firm foundation moving forward. Most importantly of all is that it needs to be fun, students having a good time will learn faster and be better committed.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are essential to learn if you're going to master this captivating martial art. Some basic "forms" must be grasped at the start and more complicated forms have to be perfected in order to advance through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is characterised by a number of facets such as technique, direction and stance.