Taekwondo Tonypandy

It should be asserted that Taekwondo can be very physically demanding, which might put off the older and less nimble people in Tonypandy from getting involved. To be honest, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but obviously older individuals who're in great physical health can easily get involved and benefit from this activity.

Based primarily around kicking manoeuvres like jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and fast kicking techniques, Taekwondo was devised from the practices of various martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools called "Kwans" in the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" were given the names Chungdo Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Songmu Kwan.

Taekwondo has grown to become very popular in Tonypandy and all around the world, with more than sixty million participants worldwide. Getting started with a local Tonypandy Taekwondo club or class is a great way to get involved in this sporting activity which has even been a part of the Olympic Games ever since the Sydney Games in 2000. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there's certainly no reason why you cannot become a master of this enjoyable martial art and have some fun in the process.

In these modern times of increasing violence, it is little surprise that individuals in areas like Tonypandy are taking up self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to enable them to feel safer and more secure in their everyday life. The self-defence element is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a respect for others around us, which are qualities that are largely absent in this modern age.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be proven outside of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however being aware that you have them will instill you with confidence.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have never done Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what to expect on your first class. Most Taekwondo schools in Tonypandy follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of technical training comprising some kicks, blocks, hand attacks and stances, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a few tips on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent spasms and cramping.

Taekwondo of course also has its own regulating body, and in the United Kingdom it is British Taekwondo. Anyone wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Tonypandy must become a registered member of this organisation. By going to British Taekwondo's website you will be able to discover information on events, launching a new Taekwondo club, coaches and referees, news, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, members and clubs, safe practices, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Beginners in Taekwondo do not have to fret too much about forms (patterns, Poomse) in the early days, however they will have to learn some standard ones for starters and move on to more elaborate "forms" as they move through the belts (grades/dans). A form is signified by specific areas of Taekwondo including direction, stance and technique. Getting to grips with these techniques is a key part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Taekwondo for Beginners

As with any sport or activity we need to start somewhere, and Taekwondo's no different. Even the elite Tonypandy Taekwondo exponents were complete novices at one time. So, what can you expect as a total beginner at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its pupils enough coaching to teach them the basics and allow them to build self-confidence as they move forward. The ideal beginners class must be fun as well as instructional, when students are having fun they're a lot more engaged and are going to learn faster.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

With regards to promotion, ranking and belts there isn't actually any standardisation in Taekwondo, as there are various styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own specific arrangement. There are however similarities and they generally comprise 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior rankings usually have nine levels and the junior, 8 to 12 levels.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are referred to as "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest (beginners) is Tenth Kup. If you are curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is indicated by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" belts with stripes, 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. Students in Tonypandy starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and move up through the colours until they attain the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

When this training has been completed, Tonypandy Taekwondo students advance to "black belt candidates", and they then need to earn an additional nine ranks or Dans if they are to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the supreme accolade in this sport. So, putting it simply, there are three primary sections in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. 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 takes many years to progress through.

Competitions

Taekwondo competitions are held all over the world in all of the various styles. There's normally not much hard contact but breaking, sparring and patterns. Olympic and World Taekwondo tournaments comprise only sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions specified hand attacks are permitted to the head. Other organisations hold multi-discipline competitions.

Summary

So, what are you hoping to get from Taekwondo? Well, that's an excellent question, and the answer will be different for individual people. Most participants will simply wish to gain more self-confidence, meet new people and improve their levels of fitness. We're definitely not all going to reach the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, who knows? 👊