Taekwondo Thirsk

Taekwondo is generally far more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty nimble and fit you may prefer to find something a little bit gentler to boost your fitness levels in Thirsk. Younger children are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Thirsk, with lots of fast movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

The name Taekwondo was only coined in the 1950's, although the martial art began life in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts enthusiasts established some innovative new schools which they called "kwans", practicing a mixture of martial arts techniques. In Taekwondo the focus is on kicking, in particular fast kicking strategies, head-height kicks and jumping/spinning kicks. Today Thirsk Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Thirsk Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. There is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

For the men, women and children of Thirsk who would like to learn a martial art, a major 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 specific sport. With the added benefit of developing self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for other people, getting involved in a local Thirsk Taekwondo class seems to be a no brainer.

While its great to know that you're able to defend yourself whenever you need to, it's hoped that you never need to do this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Class

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. This will vary from school to school but will usually involve some or all of the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, a little technical training comprising some kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks, learning some Poomse (or forms), some tips on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to stretch tired muscles and relax.

The governing official body for Taekwondo in Britain is British Taekwondo and anybody wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Thirsk has to also register with British Taekwondo. You'll be able to find out about first aid, equality and safeguarding, events, news, starting a new Taekwondo club, referees and coaching, health and safety, clubs and members, coaching courses, and more on British Taekwondo's website, and find out the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In terms of promotion, ranking and belts there is not actually any standardisation in Taekwondo, as there are various different styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own specific arrangement. There are however likenesses and they usually comprise a couple of groupings of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior ranks typically have 9 ranks and the junior, eight to twelve grades.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks (belts) that are referred to as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a number of different colours, so the ranks can be easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, specifically - 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 Thirsk will begin with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and progress through the coloured belts until they earn the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Thirsk are known as "black belt candidates" which involves them proceeding through yet another nine ranks (Dans) right up until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt". So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the 3 main classifications in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedicated training.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

Competitions are a significant aspect of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all of the diverse styles across the world stage competitions where Taekwondo masters come together to compete. Hard contact is hardly ever permitted in any of these tournaments which mainly comprise sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, while specified hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're registering for Taekwondo classes in Thirsk you will be wanting to get a few benefits to make the entire project worth the effort. Therefore we should take a look at some of the positive benefits that you may gain through practicing and learning Taekwondo. Toughen up your mind and body via accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Better discipline by thoroughly training your mind and body in the doctrines and techniques of Taekwondo, Enhance self-esteem and concentration by raising your mental and physical health, Turbocharge flexibility, stamina and agility through intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Grow in confidence by encouraging you to seize control of your life and succeed, Lower anxiety with controlled breathing, Help with self-defence by showing you how to understand circumstances where self-defence could be necessary, and allowing you to control these kinds of circumstances to your advantage.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably best known for its spectacular kicking manoeuvres, the following are some of the basic kicks you will learn as a beginner: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To repulse the numerous kicks and hand attacks there are an equally diverse range of "blocks". Using the hand and areas of the arm, they are held in particular positions. Certain attacks require specified blocks, but blocks can also be transformed into counter-attacks by linking reciprocal kicks or punches. The most used Taekwondo blocks include: Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block and Palm Block.

In Summary

We can practically guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you are going to gain self-confidence, improve your fitness levels and make more friends. If that's all you get out of it, then that is amazing, and you can call it an achievement! We aren't all striving to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, still need to begin with that initial step. Good luck on your quest! 👊