Taekwondo Totton

Due to its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger person in Totton and is particularly suitable for children as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. However those who take up Taekwondo in Totton at a young age will find they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. If you are less agile you could always try something a bit softer such as Tai Chi or Yoga.

Taekwondo started in Korea in 1945. Some new schools called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking techniques, spinning/jumping kicks and head kicks.Today Totton Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than 60 million practitioners all over the world, and while you may not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games medalist, you can still sign up for a Taekwondo club or class to master what will undoubtedly prove to be a fulfilling and intriguing pastime.

In these days of increasing violence, it's little surprise that folks in places like Totton are taking up self-defence classes such as Taekwondo to enable them to feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but it also promotes self-restraint and a respect for those around us, which are traits that are often absent in modern day life.

These self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in your everyday life, though it's much more likely that you will only be testing them within a regulated class environment. Yet it is a wonderful feeling knowing the fact that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Totton Taekwondo Class

If you decide on registering for a Taekwondo class in Totton, the very first thing you'll be thinking about is what will occur on the very first lesson and what will the instructor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Totton area will formulate differing routines for this first introductory lesson but you can expect to do a 15-20 minute warm-up to get the blood circulating and loosen your muscles, learn a couple of Poomse (forms, cover some practical training (kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocks), do a certain amount of sparring, and finally, warm-down.

The governing body for Taekwondo in the United Kingdom is British Taekwondo and anybody wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Totton has to also become a member of British Taekwondo. By going to British Taekwondo's website you can find info regarding launching a new Taekwondo club, members and clubs, first aid, coaching courses, news, events, referees and coaching, health and safety, safeguarding and equality, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo contests require specific safety equipment to be worn to protect contenders from getting injured as a result of the formidable kicks that are used. This safety equipment includes: a groin protector, a blue or red body protector (hogu), forearm protectors, hand protectors, a blue/red head guard, a gum shield and shin guards.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

Since there are many different disciplines of Taekwondo there's never really been any recognised system for allocating belts (promotion). What does exist is however fairly similar and consists of two belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is divided into levels, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and nine "blacks" for the seniors.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are called "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you are eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is indicated by a number of different colours i.e. 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Totton will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and proceed through the various coloured belts until they attain the First Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe)

Taekwondo trainees in Totton become known as "black belt candidates" once they have worked their way through these rankings, and they will then be faced with progressing through yet another nine ranks (or Dans) if they wish to achieve the supreme distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. 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 involves many years of dedication and training.

Beginners Classes

With any sport or activity we've got to begin somewhere, and Taekwondo's no different. Even the the most brilliant Totton Taekwondo exponents were total beginners at one point. So, exactly what can you expect as a total beginner at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its enrollees sufficient training to give them the basic principles and allow them to build confidence as they progress. The perfect beginners class ought to be enjoyable as well as instructional, when students are enjoying themselves they are a lot more engrossed and are going to learn faster.

In Summary

What you acquire from Taekwondo will be directly related to what you invest in it (as is the case with life in general). Many of you will purely wish to improve your fitness, make new friends and meet different people, some might want to progress to competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympic Games. But remember, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊