Taekwondo Rugeley

Taekwondo is generally much more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and nimble you might prefer to find something a bit gentler to boost your fitness levels in Rugeley. Younger children are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Rugeley, with a lot of fast paced movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo started in Korea in 1945. This mixture of various martial arts techniques were practiced in some innovative new schools in Seoul called "kwans", set up by a group of Korean martial artists. Kicking manoeuvres, in particular head kicks, fast kicking strategies and jumping/spinning kicks are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it ultimately became known. Now Rugeley Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million enthusiasts all around the world, and although you might not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games athlete, you're still able to join a Taekwondo class or club to master what will no doubt turn out to be a rewarding and intriguing activity.

For a lot of folks in Rugeley, it is the self-defence element of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these times of ever increasing violence, especially in town and city centres, it really is no surprise that this aspect sits high up on people's list of priorities. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you're able to become more confident in your capability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect other people and learn self-restraint.

There is a fairly decent chance that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your everyday life, but it will unquestionably give you self-confidence knowing that they are there should you need them.

Your First Rugeley Taekwondo Class

If you've never tried Taekwondo previously, you could be somewhat apprehensive as to what to expect on your first lesson. This can vary from school to school but will generally consist of all or some of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase the heart rate, a bit of technical training involving learning some blocks, stances, hand attacks and kicks, discovering a few forms (or Poomse), an introduction to sparring which will include attack timing, movement and timing, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

Any person who joins a Taekwondo club in Rugeley has to also register with British Taekwondo which is the governing body of the sport in Great Britain. By going to British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to discover information on safeguarding and equality, coaching courses, news, safe practices, first aid, clubs and members, referees and coaching, events, starting a new club, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Competitions

There are an array of competitions and tournaments in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They mostly involve patterns, breaking and sparring with not much hard contact. ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests don't permit disproportionate contact but may permit hand attacks to be aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style contests also take place.

Taekwondo Belts

In regards to belts, ranking and promotion there's not actually any real standardization in Taekwondo, because there are various styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique arrangement. There are however similarities and they typically comprise a couple of groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" represented by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior rankings generally have 9 levels and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks (belts) which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a number of colours, so the ranks are easily recognised. 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo newbies in Rugeley will start off with, they'll then progress through the different colours, finally achieving the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which can take approximately 3-4 years.

After this has been completed, Taekwondo students in Rugeley are considered as "black belt candidates" which requires them to move through a further nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt". Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the three primary groupings in the Taekwondo belt order. 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 dedication and training. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Rugeley, Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Promotion Rugeley, Taekwondo Belt Order).

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

Even the very best exponents of Taekwondo in Rugeley had to start as rookies, so it's no shame to be a beginner at Tae kwon do, or any other activity for that matter. The goal of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few basics, improve confidence and build a firm foundation for the future. Most important of all is that it needs to be fun, students having fun are going to learn faster and be better committed.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You will no doubt be intrigued to discover exactly what type of benefits could be achieved by attending Rugeley Taekwondo sessions and participating fully in its practices. You could expect that you will: Lessen anxiety using advanced breath control, Teach self-defence techniques by helping you to recognize situations in which self-defence could be necessary, and allowing you to turn such scenarios in your favour, Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by means of extreme cardiovascular work-outs, Enhance your self-esteem by heightening your mental and physical fitness, Greater discipline by methodically educating your body and mind in the principles and strategies of Taekwondo, Strengthen your mind and body thru enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Build confidence by motivating you to take control of your life and succeed.

Taekwondo Kicks

Some of the best known Taekwondo kicks that you will learn to begin with include: Axe Kick, Side Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To divert and stop an incoming Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (called Makgi) are used. Held in various positions, they use the hands and sections of the arm. Each kind of attack calls for a specific type of block, counter-attacks can be produced by combining a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The primary "blocks" (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Low Block, Upper Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo matches call for specific safety equipment to be worn to safeguard competitors from injury due to the forceful kicking that takes place. These safety items include: a blue/red trunk guard (hogu), hand guards, a blue/red head protector, shin guards, a mouth protector, a groin guard and forearm guards.

Summary

So, what are you hoping to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer to that will vary for different people. Most participants will simply look to improve their fitness levels, meet new people and gain more confidence. We are certainly not all going to scale the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, you never know? 👊