Taekwondo Snodland

On account of its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is maybe more suitable for the younger person in Snodland and is particularly suitable for kids because it's great for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults may find it a bit too strenuous unless they are particularly fit and active. However, those folks who take up Taekwondo in Snodland from a young age will find they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

Based mostly around high-kicking moves and manoeuvres like head-height kicks, turning/jumping kicks and fast kicking methods, Taekwondo was formulated from the practices of different martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools called "Kwans" during the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Chungdo Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Jido Kwan and Mooduk Kwan.

Taekwondo has grown to be really popular in Snodland and around the globe, with more than sixty million participants worldwide. Registering with a local Snodland Taekwondo class or club is a great way to become involved in this sporting activity which has even been a part of the Olympic Games ever since the Sydney Games in 2000. Although you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you shouldn't become a maestro of this thrilling martial art and have some fun along the way.

Of all the many benefits of doing this sport, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that the people of Snodland find most appealing. And its not surprising that this is on people's list of priorities when you consider the rising levels of violence seen these days in town and city centres throught the United Kingdom. In fact one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

There is a pretty good likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your day to day life, but it will most certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they are there should you ever be in need of them.

Your First Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you might be a little apprehensive as to what should be expected on your first class. This will vary from club to club but will generally consist of some or all of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of practical training involving learning some kicks, hand attacks, blocking techniques and stances, discovering some Poomse (forms), a quick introduction to sparring including movement, attack timing and timing, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Snodland, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. You can learn about equality and safeguarding, first aid, events, coaching courses, starting a new Taekwondo club, news, members and clubs, safe practices, referees and coaching, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find out the latest Taekwondo news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts

The belt and ranking structure can get quite complicated in Taekwondo since there isn't any standard arrangement throughout the diverse Taekwondo disciplines. Parallels do exist however, and usually there are 2 distinct belt groupings, denoted as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of levels in the junior groupings varies across the disciplines but is generally somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior section commonly has 9 belts or dans.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo that are generally known as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, like most of the martial arts is indicated by a number of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Students in Snodland getting started in Taekwondo will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the colours until they reach the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo students in Snodland are known as "black belt candidates" which involves them proceeding through another nine ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt". So, Junior, Senior and Black Belt are the three main sections in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which can take many years to successfully progress through.

The Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a major role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To repulse the various hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse array of "blocks". They are held in specific positions and enlist the hand with different areas of the arm. Each kind of attack necessitates a particular type of block, counter-attacking movements can be produced by integrating a block with a retaliatory punch or kick. The principal "blocks" in Taekwondo include: Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Low Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also called patterns or Poomse) are characterized by specific aspects such as stance, technique and direction. From the outset you'll be taught a few of the important forms, and so as to advance through the various levels (belts) you'll need to learn some more complicated ones.

Safety Equipment

Safety equipment like a red or blue head guard, forearm protectors, hand protectors, shin protectors, blue or red trunk armour, a groin protector and a gum shield must be used in all tournaments supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is necessary thanks to the potent kicking which is an integral part of this activity.