Taekwondo Newport-on-Tay

Because of its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is possibly more appropriate for the younger person in Newport-on-Tay and is particularly suited to children because it is excellent for developing respect for others and self-discipline. More elderly individuals may find it somewhat too demanding unless they're especially active and fit. However, those who persue Taekwondo in Newport-on-Tay from a young age will discover that they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly features kicking manoeuvres and moves, most notably fast kicking techniques, spinning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists founded schools called "kwans", which merged various martial arts practices.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million enthusiasts all over the world, and although you might not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still join a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and rewarding activity.

For a lot of folks in Newport-on-Tay, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these days of increased violence, particularly in city and town centres, it is no surprise that this aspect sits high on people's list of priorities. It is a primary factor of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect other people and learn self-restraint.

Such self-defence techniques may at some time prove useful in the outside world, though it is more likely you will only be using them within a controlled class environment. Yet it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you can always defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never done Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. There may be variations to the following, depending on which Newport-on-Tay Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A warm up lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, a little technical training comprising some stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks, an introduction to some forms, some tips on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to stretch tired muscles and relax.

The United Kingdom's governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you wish to sign up to Taekwondo class in Newport-on-Tay, you'll also be required to become a member of this respected organization. By heading to British Taekwondo's official website you can read info on first aid, coaching courses, health and safety, starting a new Taekwondo club, clubs and members, news, events, safeguarding and equality, referees and coaching, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

When it comes to ranking, promotion and belts there isn't actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, since there are various different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however parallels and they generally comprise 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior grades normally have 9 grades and the junior, between 8 and 12 levels.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are referred to as "Kup". The highest rank is First Kup and the lowest (beginners) is Tenth Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to most of the martial arts is indicated by a range 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. Students in Newport-on-Tay starting out in Taekwondo will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and advance through the coloured belts until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

As soon as this training regime has been successfully completed, Newport-on-Tay Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional 9 Dans or ranks if they are to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme distinction. So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the three principal sections in the Taekwondo belt order. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group comprise; 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which will take many years. (Tags: Taekwondo Rankings Newport-on-Tay, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Newport-on-Tay).

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You'll probably be intrigued to learn about precisely what kind of benefits might be obtained by taking part in Newport-on-Tay Taekwondo sessions and partaking fully in its activities. You can expect to: Empower your mind and body by means of accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Boost confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Improve concentration and self-esteem by raising both mental and physical powers, Reduced anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Greater self-discipline by comprehensively training your body and mind in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo, Help with self-defence by helping you understand occasions where self-defence may be required, and allowing you to control these circumstances to your advantage, Turbocharge stamina, agility and flexibility by way of strenuous cardiovascular work-outs.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

As with any activity or sport we've got to begin someplace, and Taekwondo is exactly the same. Even the the most brilliant Newport-on-Tay Taekwondo masters were complete rookies at one time. So, what should you expect as a complete beginner at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its enrollees enough training to teach them the basic principles and enable them to develop confidence as they move forward. The ideal beginners class must be fun as well as educational, when individuals are enjoying themselves they're more committed and are going to learn much faster.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Beginners in Taekwondo don't have to fret too much about forms (Poomse, patterns) at the outset, however they'll have to learn some important ones to start with and advance to more complicated "forms" as they progress up the various belts (grades/dans). A form is signified by specified elements of Taekwondo including direction, technique and stance. Getting to grips with such techniques is a crucial part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Competitions and Tournaments

Competitions are an important aspect of the Taekwondo experience, and all the diverse styles across the world hold contests where Taekwondo masters come together to battle it out. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these competitive events which mostly incorporate breaking, patterns and sparring. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT tournaments, while certain hand attacks are permitted in International Taekwon-Do Federation events.