Taekwondo Sedgefield

Since Taekwondo has fairly high physical requirements, it is perhaps more suitable for the younger people of Sedgefield. That's not to say that elderly people can't take part in this popular activity, but just that there could be other martial arts which are more suited to the less nimble of us. Tai Chi is the perfect example.

Based largely around kicking manoeuvres and moves like head-height kicks, jumping/turning kicks and rapid kicking techniques, Taekwondo was devised from the techniques of various diverse martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" during the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" were given the names Changmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Songmu Kwan.

Taekwondo has become really popular in Sedgefield and all over the world, with over sixty million participants worldwide. Getting started with a local Sedgefield Taekwondo club or class is a great way to get involved in this sport which has even been a feature of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While you may not have any aspirations to get involved in Olympic competition, there's no reason why you shouldn't become an expert at this enjoyable martial art and have a bit of fun along the way.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and of course this is one of the main reasons that folks in Sedgefield join classes and take up the sport. There's been a worrying escalation of violent practices in recent years and this is especially rife in city and town centres around County Durham and the country as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such common qualities in Sedgefield nowadays.

Although it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have such self-defence skills in your locker, the likelihood is you will never have to use them outside of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Sedgefield Taekwondo Class

For those of you who have never tried Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be intrigued to know what to expect from your first class. The majority of Taekwondo schools in Sedgefield follow a similar routine, but there might be variations to the following. A warm up lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, some technical training such as learning some blocks, hand attacks, stances and kicks, learning the basic forms or patterns, some ideas on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent cramping and spasms.

British Taekwondo is the regulating body of the sport within the British Isles, and membership of this organization is compulsory if you would like to join any Taekwondo club in Sedgefield or nearby. You can read about equality and safeguarding, safe practices, beginning a new club, news, coaches and referees, coaching courses, members and clubs, first aid, events, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find out the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Belts

With there being many different styles of Taekwondo there has never really been any uniform arrangement for assigning belts (promotion). What exists however is fairly similar and comprises a couple of belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groups is divided into grades, 8 to 12 colours in the case of juniors and 9 for seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks which are known as "Kup", these ranks go from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). If you are eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is portrayed by a number of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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 Sedgefield will start out with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the colours until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (First Kup)

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Sedgefield become "black belt candidates" which involves them proceeding through an additional 9 ranks (Dans) up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into three sections; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. 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 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process that will take many years.

Taekwondo for Beginners

It matters not who you are or what you're capable of in the world of Taekwondo, at one point you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing absolutely nothing. We have all started like this and are only able to improve and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Sedgefield are the place to start that learning process and to acquire the fundamentals so you can build confidence and proceed with your Taekwondo adventure. Almost all beginner classes are geared up to be friendly and fun, delivering a slow introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo values and building a firm foundation moving forward.

The Taekwondo Kicks

There are a lot of different kicking techniques which are used when practicing Taekwondo. Here are a few of the most widely used: Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Blocks: To repulse the many kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse assortment of blocks (Makgi). Employing the hands and different parts of the arm, they're held in particular positions. Each "block" can be combined with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each is suitable for a particular attack. The primary blocks include: Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Upper Block and Nine Block.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You will undoubtedly be fascinated to learn about precisely what type of benefits could be achieved by attending Sedgefield Taekwondo sessions and participating 100% in its activities. You can expect that you will: Teach self-defence by coaching you to recognize circumstances where self-defence might be needed, and empowering you to turn these types of scenarios to your advantage, Grow in confidence by motivating you to seize control of your life and succeed, Empower your mind and body through accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Improve your self-esteem by maximizing your mental and physical health, Augment stamina, flexibility and agility by means of intense cardiovascular effort, Better discipline by comprehensively educating your mind and body in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo, Reduce anxiety and stress using advanced breath control.

Final Thoughts

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't just about National Championships and Olympic titles. Most of us are happy to improve our fitness, meet different people and make new friends, and that is precisely how it should be. Yet, as with most matters in life, what you get out of it will depend upon what you put into it. Good luck! 👊