Taekwondo Peacehaven

Images of young children doing energetic kicks and rapid punching manoeuvres, are what spring to mind at the mere mention of Taekwondo. Keeping up with the physical demands of the sport might be easier for the younger generation, but this does not mean that people of every age group can participate in, and enjoy the many benefits of this activity. Being relatively agile does however help you to enjoy all the intricacies of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly comprises kicking manoeuvres and moves, in particular fast kicking strategies, jumping/turning kicks and head-height kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists established schools called "kwans", which mixed together various martial arts practices.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than 60 million followers all around the world, and even though you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you're still able to enroll in a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and fulfilling pastime.

For the people of Peacehaven who would like to learn a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. Since this is a key concept of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the attraction of this unique sport. With the extra bonus of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for others, enrolling in a local Peacehaven Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be proven outside of an organized Taekwondo class, however being aware that you've got them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Lesson

If you elect to register for Taekwondo training in Peacehaven, the very first thing you'll be thinking about is what is going to happen on the first class and just what will the instructor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Peacehaven area will formulate diverse routines for this first lesson but you can anticipate performing a 20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood pumping, learn a few forms (Poomse), cover some technical training (hand attacks, stances, kicks and blocking techniques), do a bit of sparring, and last of all, a warm-down.

The UK governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you would like to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Peacehaven, you'll also be required to register with this organization. You can read about events, establishing a new club, news, coaches and tournament referees, coaching courses, first aid, members and clubs, safe practices, safeguarding and equality, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or get the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a major role in Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Front Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Back Kick, Push Kick, Side Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: To divert and stop an inbound attack, blocks (known as Makgi) are used. Engaging the hand and sections of the arm, they are held in specific positions. Certain attacks call for specified blocks, but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacking moves by the combination of retaliatory kicks or punches. The primary "blocks" include: Single Forearm Block, Upper Block, Low Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Nine Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts

In Tae kwon do there's not really any kind of uniformity with regards to ranking and belts. It's all subject to what style you are looking at, since there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles. However, they're generally split into a couple of groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour ranks range from white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 levels, while the senior/black belts typically have nine rankings.

Beginners Classes

Trainees setting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Peacehaven will initially register for a beginners class. Beginners classes are fabulous, because there are no strict demands and everything's carried out at a slow and casual pace. Having fun whilst learning is the key objective initially and students who are having a great time tend to learn a lot quicker and absorb considerably more of what they are being shown. Even Taekwondo masters started off as naive newbies, so take that very first step and who knows where you will end up!

To Summarize

The benefits that you acquire from Taekwondo are going to be proportional to what you invest in it (as applies with life on the whole). The majority of you will purely wish to meet different people, make new friends and improve your fitness levels, some might want to move on to competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we can't all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.