Taekwondo North Weald Bassett

Taekwondo is generally far more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty agile and fit you may prefer to partake in something a little gentler to improve your fitness in North Weald Bassett. Children and younger people are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in North Weald Bassett, with a lot of fast paced movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly features kicking moves and manoeuvres, most notably head kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and fast kicking techniques. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists established schools known as "kwans", which combined various martial arts techniques.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million followers all around the world, and even though you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still enroll in a Taekwondo class or club to master what will no doubt prove to be a fascinating and worthwhile activity.

For the people of North Weald Bassett who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a major priority is the aspect of self-defence. Because this is a central principle of Taekwondo, it is easy to appreciate the attraction of this specific sport. With the extra bonus of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for others, enrolling in a local North Weald Bassett Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Such self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in the outside world, though it is much more likely that you'll solely be testing them within a monitored class setting. Yet it is an amazing feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If Taekwondo is not an activity that you have ever had a go at previously, you'll probably be wondering what to expect from your initial class if you make your mind up to join. Different Taekwondo schools in North Weald Bassett have varying ideas about this but in brief; you will take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you will do a bit of technical training, you'll learn some forms (patterns), you'll practice sparring strategies and finally you'll warm-down to help your body get back into a state of relaxation once again.

Taekwondo also of course has its own official regulating body, and in the British Isles it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing to join a Taekwondo club in North Weald Bassett has to become a member of this organisation. You will be able to get a lot of details about coaching courses, events, coaches and competition referees, news, equality and safeguarding, establishing a new club, first aid, safe practices, members and clubs, and more, by visiting the official British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The ranking and belt system can get rather confusing in Taekwondo since there is no uniform system across the different Taekwondo disciplines. Analogies can be found though, and usually there are 2 distinct belt groups, represented as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of rankings in the junior section varies across the disciplines but is usually between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior section generally has nine belts or dans.

In the UK there are a series of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are called "Kup". The lowest is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. As with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a range of different colours, so the ranks are easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in North Weald Bassett will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and progress through the various coloured belts until they reach the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

Taekwondo trainees in North Weald Bassett are called "black belt candidates" after they've successfully completed this process, and they will then be faced with progressing through another 9 ranks (Dans) if they aim to achieve the supreme accolade of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into three groupings; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. 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 involves many years of dedicated training.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Some of the best known Taekwondo kicks you will master early on include: Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Blocks: To fend off the various hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse selection of blocks. Held in particular positions, they use the hands and areas of the arm. Certain attacks necessitate specified "blocks", but blocks can also be turned into counter-attacks by the combination of retaliatory punches or kicks. The key "blocks" in Taekwondo include: Palm Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block and Rising Block.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

The benefits that may be acquired by taking part in Taekwondo lessons in North Weald Bassett are many and varied, among the most advantageous are: Increase feelings of self-esteem by intensifying your physical and mental health, Teach you self-defence techniques by coaching you to identify circumstances where self-defence might be required, and allowing you to turn these situations to your advantage, Reduce anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Greater self-discipline by extensively schooling your body and mind in the strategies and doctrines of Taekwondo, Boost your confidence by pushing you to take control of your life and succeed, Supercharge flexibility, stamina and agility by means of intense cardiovascular effort, Toughen up your body and mind via enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline.