Taekwondo Wellington

Since Taekwondo has fairly high physical demands, it is possibly more suitable for the younger people of Wellington. That's not to say that the older generation cannot be involved in this popular activity, but simply that there might be other martial arts that are more suitable for the less agile of us. Tai Chi is a perfect example.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts and entails mostly kicking movements such as head kicks, fast kicking techniques and spinning/jumping kicks. It started when schools known as "kwans" were established by a group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

With more than sixty million fitness enthusiasts participating in Taekwondo instruction all around the globe, this has definitely become a popular and beneficial pastime, and if you become really expert at this sport you might even one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been a part ever since the 2000 Sydney Games.

In these times of escalating violence, it's little surprise that individuals in areas like Wellington are attending self-defence classes such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the key factors of Taekwondo but it also encourages self-restraint and a respect for those around us, which are disciplines that are often absent in modern day life.

There is a fairly decent likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be tested in the outside world, but it will most certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they're there should you need them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If Taekwondo isn't something that you have ever had a go at previously, you will probably be curious about what to expect from your initial lesson if you make your mind up to join. Different Taekwondo schools in the Wellington area have different ideas about this but in brief; you'll take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you will do a bit of technical training, you'll learn some forms (patterns), you will practice sparring methods and lastly you'll do a warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state once more.

The United Kingdom's regulating body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you wish to join a Taekwondo club in Wellington, you will also be required to become a member of this respected organization. By exploring British Taekwondo's official website you can obtain facts about clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, referees and coaching, first aid, coaching courses, news, safe practices, establishing a new Taekwondo club, events, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Safety Equipment

Competitions controlled by British Taekwondo policies require various items of protective gear to be worn, these include: forearm guards, a groin guard, a mouth guard, shin guards, a blue/red head protector, blue or red trunk armour (hogu) and hand guards. This is necessary owing to the formidable kicking attacks being practiced.

Competitions and Tournaments

Taekwondo competitions are held internationally in all of the different styles. There's generally not a lot of hard contact but breaking, patterns and sparring. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) competitions comprise only sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments specified hand attacks are allowed to the head. Various other associations hold multi-discipline tournaments.

The Eight Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a key role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the more basic ones: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Blocks: To stop and avert an inbound Taekwondo attack, blocks (called Makgi) are employed. Held in diverse positions, they engage the hands and different parts of the arm. Every "block" can be merged with a kick or punch to produce a counter-attacking movement, and each block is suitable for a particular attack. The principal "blocks" (makgi) include: Palm Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In Tae kwon do there's really no form of uniformity in regards to grades and belts. It is all dependent upon what style you are reviewing, since there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles and rules. However, they are commonly divided into 2 groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings range from white to red, with from eight to twelve rankings, whilst the black/senior belts generally have nine rankings.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks (belts) which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (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 are easily identified. 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. Beginners in Wellington getting started in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and progress through the coloured belts until they attain the 1st Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe).

Taekwondo trainees in Wellington become "black belt candidates" after they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then need to proceed through a further nine ranks (called Dans) if they aspire to achieve the consummate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the 3 principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division 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 group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication and training. (Tags: Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Ranks Wellington, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Wellington).

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Forms are a pivotal part of Taekwondo and are vital to learn if you are going to excel at this fascinating martial art. Several basic Taekwondo forms must be learned at the beginning and more complicated forms will have to be perfected in order to move through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is characterised by a number of aspects such as technique, direction and stance.