Taekwondo Waltham

Images of young children doing rapid punches and energetic kicking manoeuvres, are what spring to mind at the mere mention of Taekwondo. There's no doubt that the younger generation are more equipped to contend with the physical demands of this high energy sport, but this doesn't mean that people of all ages cannot participate. It should however be said that if you're fairly fit you'll definately get more enjoyment out of Taekwondo.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently established of the martial arts and involves mostly kicking movements such as head kicks, rapid kicking techniques and jumping/turning kicks. It started when schools known as "kwans" were established by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Waltham and throughout the UK. Joining a local Waltham Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

For many people in Waltham, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. This is no great surprise when you take into account the ever rising levels of violence seen in city and town centres nowadays. Learning to properly defend yourself while at the same time applying self-restraint and a respect for others is a key principle of Taekwondo.

While it is nice to know that you can defend yourself any time you need to, you should be hoping that you never need to test this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Waltham Taekwondo Class

For those of you who have never done Taekwondo before, you'll no doubt be intrigued to know what to expect from your first class. The following will give you an illustration, but this could vary depending on which Waltham school you have signed up for. A warm up lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, a little technical training covering some blocks, stances, kicks and hand attacks, a look at some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and finally a warm down to stretch tired muscles and loosen up.

British Taekwondo is the regulating body of the sport within Britain, and membership of this organisation is mandatory should you wish to sign up with any Taekwondo class in Waltham or nearby. You will be able to find out about news, events, members and clubs, health and safety, referees and coaching, safeguarding and equality, first aid, beginning a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find out the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

The Main Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is renowned for its impressive kicks, listed here are the important ones: Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacks, are called Makgi. Held in specific positions, they use the hand and sections of the arm. Specific attacks necessitate specified blocks, but blocks can also be transformed into counter-attacks by combining reciprocal punches or kicks. The primary blocks (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block and Rising Block.

Safety Equipment

Contests regulated by British Taekwondo guidelines require various pieces of protective equipment to be used, these include things like: a groin guard, forearm protectors, blue or red body armour (hogu), hand protectors, a red/blue head protector, shin guards and a gum shield. This is vital on account of the powerful kicking attacks being employed.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're getting started with Taekwondo classes in Waltham you will be expecting to get some benefits to make the whole undertaking worth the effort. Therefore let us take a look at a few of the many positive benefits that you may get through learning and practicing Taekwondo. Toughen up your body and mind thru accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Increase self-esteem and concentration by heightening both mental and physical fitness, Develop self-discipline by exhaustively schooling your mind and body in the doctrines and tactics of Taekwondo, Lower anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Teach you self-defence by training you to realize instances in which self-defence may be needed, and enabling you to control these types of circumstances to your advantage, Beef up your confidence by motivating you to succeed and to take control of your life.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Perfecting Taekwondo calls for getting to grips with many disciplines and one of the pivotal elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of stance, direction and technique which have to be memorized in order for pupils to progress through the various dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Competitions

A regular Taekwondo tournament incorporates breaking, patterns and sparring, as far as the Olympics is concerned only sparring is included. With that being said there may also be a few unique events in specific tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT (World Taekwondo) contests are solely soft-contact events, whilst International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) tournaments allow some hand attacks towards the head. There are additionally some multi-discipline contests.

Conclusion

We can practically guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you will improve your fitness, make new friends and gain self-confidence. If that's all you take away from it, then all well and good, and you can call it a success! We're not all aiming to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, still need to begin with that first step. Good luck on your journey!