Taekwondo Newark-on-Trent

It needs to be asserted that Taekwondo can be very physically demanding, which may discourage the less agile and more elderly people in Newark-on-Trent from becoming involved. To be honest, the most frequent participants of Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but obviously older individuals who are in decent physical health can easily participate and get benefits from this sport.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul founded some schools known as "kwans", merging many different martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, mainly involves high-kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking techniques, head kicks and jumping/turning kicks.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you want to get involved, joining a local Newark-on-Trent Taekwondo club or class is a good place to start. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Newark-on-Trent.

For many people in Newark-on-Trent, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And in these days of increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it's no surprise that this features high on people's priority lists. It is a key element of Taekwondo that you're able to gain more confidence in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect others and learn self-restraint.

While it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have those self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are that you will never need to use them outside of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you've decided to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first lesson, you will be wondering what will happen. The majority of Taekwondo schools in Newark-on-Trent follow a similar structure, but there could be some variation to the following. 15 to 20 minutes of warm up exercises to increase heart rate and loosen stiff muscles, some technical training covering some blocks, hand attacks, kicks and stances, learning some forms (or Poomse), some tips on sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and last but not least a warm down to stretch weary muscles and relax.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within Great Britain, and membership of this organization is mandatory if you wish to join any Taekwondo club in Newark-on-Trent or nearby. You will be able to get plenty of info regarding events, coaching courses, members and clubs, coaches and referees, health and safety, news, launching a new club, first aid, equality and safeguarding, and more, by popping along to the British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

There are needless to say, many benefits to be gained from participating in Taekwondo, and here are just a few which may be tempting for you: Beef up your confidence by pushing you to seize control of your life and succeed, Turbocharge agility, stamina and flexibility through intensive cardiovascular exertion, Empower your body and mind via enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Reduce anxiety with controlled breathing, Learn self-defence by helping you recognize circumstances in which self-defence might be needed, and empowering you to control such scenarios in your favour, More self-discipline by methodically training your mind and body in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Improve self-esteem by raising your physical and mental powers.

The Popular Taekwondo Kicks

Kicking techniques serve a significant role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a handful of the more simple ones: Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To fend off the various hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse range of blocks (Makgi). Held in diverse positions, they engage the hands and sections of the arm. Each form of attack calls for a particular kind of block, counter-attacking moves can be produced by integrating a block with another punch or kick. The most used blocks include: Double Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block and Upper Block.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

There are a wide variety of tournaments and competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They mostly involve sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking with very little hard contact. International Taekwon-Do Federation contests don't permit substantial contact but do allow hand attacks to the head. World Taekwondo and Olympic competitions only allow sparring. Multi-style contests are also held.

Taekwondo for Beginners

As with any sport or activity we have to start somewhere, and Taekwondo is just the same. Even the uppermost Newark-on-Trent Taekwondo exponents were complete novices at one point. So, what can you expect as a total beginner at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its enrollees enough coaching to give them the basics and enable them to develop confidence as they move forward. The ideal beginners class needs to be fun as well as instructional, when people are enjoying themselves they are a lot more invested and are going to learn faster.