Taekwondo Newhaven

As Taekwondo has quite high physical demands, it's perhaps more suitable for the younger people of Newhaven. That is not to say that older individuals can't be involved in this popular activity, but merely that there may be alternative martial arts that are more suited to the less agile of us. Tai Chi is the perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts fanatics established some new schools which they named "kwans", practicing a combination of martial arts techniques. Kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and fast kicking methods are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known.Today Newhaven Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

With over sixty million fitness enthusiasts taking part in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has certainly become an extremely popular and worthwhile activity, and if you become really good at the martial art you might possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

In these times of increasing violence, it is hardly surprising that individuals in places like Newhaven are getting involved in self-defence classes like Taekwondo to help them to feel safer in their everyday life. The self-defence aspect is one of the key factors of Taekwondo but it also encourages self-restraint and a deep respect for others around us, which are disciplines that are frequently absent in this modern age.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will more than likely never have to be tested outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If Taekwondo is not a sport that you have ever done previously, you'll most likely be curious about what you should expect from your initial class should you decide to join. Different Taekwondo schools in the Newhaven area have varying ideas about this but in brief; you'll take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you will do a certain amount of technical training, you will learn some patterns (forms), you are going to practice sparring techniques and last but not least you will perform a warm-down to help your body get back into a state of relaxation.

If you want to join a Taekwondo class in Newhaven, you will also have to become a member of the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. You'll be able to read about clubs and members, safeguarding and equality, first aid, coaching courses, news, events, health and safety, coaches and tournament referees, establishing a new club, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The belt and ranking system can get a bit bewildering in Taekwondo because there's no uniform structure throughout the various Taekwondo disciplines. Likenesses do exist though, and usually there are 2 distinct belt groups, signified as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior group varies through the disciplines but is typically between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior groupings commonly has 9 belts or dans.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, much like many of the martial arts is denoted by a number of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, specifically 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 beginners in Newhaven will commence with, they can then move up through the different coloured belts, eventually earning the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), after around 3-4 years of dedicated training.

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Newhaven are known as "black belt candidates" which requires them to move through another nine ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, the bottom line is, there are three main groups in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which takes a number of years.

Safety Equipment

In all events, contests and competitions taking place under the auspices of British Taekwondo, safety gear such as a blue/red head protector, forearm guards, shin guards, a blue or red body protector (hogu), a mouth guard, hand guards and a groin protector is compulsory. The kicking tactics used in Taekwondo can easily cause injuries and this preventative measure helps to make this activity less hazardous for its competitors.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Beginners in Taekwondo do not have to worry excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) in the early days, however they'll have to learn some basic ones for starters and progress to more intricate "forms" as they move up the belts (grades/dans). A "form" is indicated by certain areas of Taekwondo including direction, technique and stance. Learning such techniques is a vital part of mastering Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo contests are held around the world in all of the various styles. There's usually not much hard contact but sparring, breaking and patterns (forms). Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) tournaments consist only of sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation competitions specific hand attacks are allowed to the head. Various other bodies stage multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo has pretty much the biggest assortment of kicks in all of the recognized martial arts. Here are some: Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacks, are known as Makgi. They're held in particular positions and employ the hand with different sections of the arm. Certain attacks require specified "blocks", but blocks can also be transformed into counter-attacking moves by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The most used blocks (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Low Block, Rising Block and Palm Block.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

As with any activity or sport we have to start someplace, and Taekwondo is no different. Even the the best of the Newhaven Taekwondo exponents were complete rookies at one time. So, what should you expect as a total novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees sufficient instruction to teach them the fundamentals and enable them to build confidence as they progress. The perfect beginners class ought to be enjoyable as well as instructional, when people are enjoying themselves they're much more engaged and are going to learn faster.