Taekwondo Stonehouse

Taekwondo is generally much more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty fit and nimble you might prefer to find something a little gentler to improve your fitness levels in Stonehouse. Children are definitely an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Stonehouse, with a lot of fast movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily features kicking moves and manoeuvres, in particular jumping/spinning kicks, rapid kicking strategies and head kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a number of martial arts enthusiasts established schools known as "kwans", which merged a number of martial arts practices.

With more than sixty million individuals participating in Taekwondo instruction all around the globe, this has unquestionably become a popular and beneficial pastime, and if you become really expert at the sport you may even one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

For the men, women and children of Stonehouse who wish to learn a martial art, a big priority is the element of self-defence. Considering that this is a key concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to appreciate the attraction of this particular sport. With the extra reward of developing self-restraint and having a deep respect for other people, signing up for a local Stonehouse Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

While it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have such self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the likelihood is you'll never have to test them outside of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have booked your first class but have never done Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. There may be variations to the following, depending on which Stonehouse Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase heart rate, a bit of technical training comprising some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

The body governing Taekwondo in the United Kingdom is British Taekwondo and anyone wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Stonehouse must also become a member of British Taekwondo. By heading to British Taekwondo's website you'll be able to discover details about coaches and tournament referees, establishing a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, first aid, events, news, health and safety, equality and safeguarding, members and clubs, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo contests are staged all over the world in all the various styles. There is normally not a whole lot of hard contact but patterns, sparring and breaking. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments only consist of sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions specified hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other organisations hold multi-discipline contests.

Safety Equipment

Tournaments governed by British Taekwondo rules require various items of protective equipment to be used, these include: forearm guards, hand guards, shin guards, a groin guard, a red/blue head protector, blue/red trunk armour (hogu) and a mouth guard. This is necessary because of the potent kicking actions being employed.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is recognized for its dynamic kicks, here are the basic ones: Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Axe Kick, Side Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacks, are known as Makgi. Held in particular positions, they employ the hands and areas of the arm. Each and every block can be merged with a punch or kick to produce a counter-attacking manoeuvre, and each block is meant for a particular attack. The key Taekwondo "blocks" (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Nine Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block and Palm Block.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When you're signing up for Taekwondo classes in Stonehouse you will be looking to get some benefits to make the entire thing worthwhile. And so let's consider some of the benefits that you could acquire from learning and doing Taekwondo. Better discipline by thoroughly training your body and mind in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo, Improve flexibility, agility and stamina through strenuous cardiovascular effort, Enhance self-esteem by heightening both mental and physical fitness, Toughen up your mind and body through increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Boost your confidence by helping you to succeed and to take control of your life, Lower stress and anxiety using advanced breath control, Teach self-defence by helping you to identify circumstances in which self-defence could be required, and enabling you to control these situations to your advantage.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Forms are a key element of Taekwondo and are essential if you're to master this captivating martial art. Several basic forms should be learned from the outset and more elaborate forms have to be mastered so as to advance through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is characterised by a number of factors such as direction, technique and stance.

Beginners Taekwondo Stonehouse

Even the best exponents of Taekwondo in Stonehouse set out as novices, therefore it's no disgrace to be a total beginner at this sport, or for that matter any other activity. The goal of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide just a few basics, raise self-confidence and develop a solid foundation for the future. Most important of all is that it must be enjoyable, students having a great time will learn faster and be better invested.

Summary

Precisely what you acquire from Taekwondo are going to be directly related to what you put into it (as is the case with life on the whole). The majority of you will only want to make new friends, improve your fitness levels and meet different people, some may wish to take part in competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we can't all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.