Taekwondo Southsea

Because Taekwondo has fairly high physical requirements, it's perhaps more suited to the younger people of Southsea. That isn't to say that the older generation cannot participate in this popular activity, but simply that there may be other martial arts which are more appropriate for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be the perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul founded some new schools known as "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, primarily entails high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and rapid kicking strategies.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million followers all over the world, and whilst you might not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still join a Taekwondo club or class to master what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and rewarding pastime.

For the men, women and children of Southsea who would like to learn a martial art, a big priority is the element of self-defence. Considering that this is an important principle of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to see the attraction of this unique sport. With the additional benefit of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for other people, enrolling in a local Southsea Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will more than likely never have to be tried and tested outside the controlled environment of an actual Taekwondo class, however being aware of the fact that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Southsea Taekwondo Lesson

If you come to a decision to register for Taekwondo training in Southsea, the very first thing you'll want to know is what is going to transpire on the very first lesson and just what will the trainer expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Southsea area will contrive differing routines for this first introductory lesson but you can anticipate doing a 20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood circulating, learn some basic forms (Poomse), go through some practical training (blocking techniques, hand attacks, stances and kicks), do a certain amount of sparring, and lastly, a warm-down.

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 class in Southsea or nearby. You'll be able to learn about equality and safeguarding, events, coaches and competition referees, beginning a new Taekwondo club, safe practices, news, coaching courses, first aid, members and clubs, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find out the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

There are of course, a number of benefits to be gained from taking part in Taekwondo, and here are just an idea of the ones that could be interesting for you: Greater discipline and willpower by comprehensively schooling your mind and body in the tactics and doctrines of Taekwondo, Improve flexibility, agility and stamina by means of intensive cardiovascular exertion, Lower stress with controlled breathing, Improve your self-esteem by sharpening your physical and mental fitness, Build up your confidence by pushing you to seize control of your life and succeed, Toughen up your mind and body through accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Learn self-defence by helping you to understand situations where self-defence could be needed, and enabling you to manipulate these circumstances to your advantage.

Some Taekwondo Kicks

There are lots of different Taekwondo kicks, listed here are just a few of them: Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Push Kick, Front Kick, Axe Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Side Kick. Blocks: To divert and stop an incoming attack, blocks (called Makgi) are employed. Employing the hands and different parts of the arm, they are held in various positions. Every block can be combined with a kick or punch to establish a counter-attacking move, and each is meant for a specific attack. The main Taekwondo "blocks" (makgi) include: Low Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block and Palm Block.

Taekwondo Tournaments

A typical Taekwondo competition incorporates breaking, patterns (forms) and sparring, where the Olympics is concerned only sparring is involved. That being said there are also a few extraordinary events in particular tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT (World Taekwondo) competitions are purely soft-contact affairs, whilst ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests allow some hand attacks towards the head. There are additionally a few multi-discipline contests.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Southsea set out as novices, so there is no shame in being a beginner at Tae kwon do, or for that matter any other activity. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginner class is to teach a few basics, raise confidence and build a firm base for the future. Most important of all is that it should be enjoyable, students having fun will learn quicker and be better engaged.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo tournaments require specific safety equipment to be worn to protect competitors from personal injury as a result of the forceful kicks that occur. This safety gear includes: hand protectors, a blue or red trunk guard (hogu), a blue/red head guard, forearm protectors, a groin guard, a gum shield and shin pads.

Summary

So, what are you looking to get from Taekwondo? Well, that is a great question, and the answer will vary for different people. Most participants will purely look to gain more confidence, meet new people and improve their levels of fitness. We are certainly not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, who knows? 👊