Taekwondo Neston

It has to be asserted that Taekwondo can be fairly physically demanding, which may unnerve the older and less agile folks in Neston from taking this up. To be honest, the most frequent participants of Taekwondo classes are children and younger people, but certainly older people who are in decent physical health can easily take part and benefit considerably from this activity.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently established of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some schools which they called "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, mainly entails high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly fast kicking styles, head-height kicks and turning/jumping kicks.

Taekwondo has grown to become really popular in Neston and all across the globe, with more than sixty million participants worldwide. Registering with a local Neston Taekwondo club or class is a good way to become involved in this sporting activity which has even been a part of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. Whilst you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there's no reason why you should not become a maestro of this challenging martial art and have a bit of fun along the way.

Of all the numerous benefits of doing this sport, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo that the people of Neston find most interesting. This isn't difficult to believe when you take into account the elevated levels of violence experienced in town and city centres day after day. Learning to defend yourself while at the same time respecting others and exercising self-restraint is a key principle of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will more than likely never have to be put to the test outside the controlled atmosphere of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however being aware of the fact that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Neston Taekwondo Class

If you elect to register for a Taekwondo class in Neston, the first thing you'll need to know is what will transpire on the very first lesson and exactly what will the trainer expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Neston area will contrive diverse routines for this first lesson but you should be expecting to do a 15-20 minute warm-up to get the blood circulating and loosen your muscles, learn some simple forms (Poomse), cover some practical training (stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocks), do some sparring, and last but not least, a warm-down.

British Taekwondo is the official regulating body of the sport within Britain, and membership of this organization is compulsory should you wish to join any Taekwondo class in Neston or nearby. By exploring the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to discover information regarding events, news, starting a new Taekwondo club, health and safety, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, coaches and tournament referees, coaching courses, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are needless to say, quite a few benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and listed here are just a few which might be interesting for you: Supercharge agility, flexibility and stamina through extreme cardiovascular work-outs, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by raising both mental and physical fitness, Build up confidence by motivating you to succeed and to take control of your life, Better discipline by exhaustively schooling your mind and body in the doctrines and tactics of Taekwondo, Reduced anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Strengthen your mind and body by way of accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Help with self-defence by helping you identify instances in which self-defence could be required, and enabling you to control these types of situations to your advantage.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a major role in Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To fend off the many kicks and hand attacks there are an equally diverse assortment of "blocks". Held in various positions, they employ the hand and areas of the arm. Each and every block can be combined with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attacking move, and each one is suitable for a specific attack. The primary blocks include: Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block and Rising Block.

Competitions

Contests are an important element of the Taekwondo experience, and all the different styles across the globe stage tournaments and competitions where Taekwondo exponents come together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever permitted in any of these competitive events which primarily comprise sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, whilst some hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.

Safety Equipment

Safety gear such as a groin protector, a blue/red head guard, forearm guards, hand protectors, shin pads, a gum shield and a red or blue body guard (hogu) are worn in all tournaments overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is needed thanks to the forceful kicks that are part and parcel of this sport.

Final Thoughts

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