Taekwondo Westerham

While people of all ages in Westerham can of course participate in Taekwondo, it is particularly suited to the younger generation since it can be quite physically demanding, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. It can sometimes be too taxing for older adults unless they are exceptionally fit and active. However those in Westerham who take up Taekwondo at a young age, will find that carrying it on into older adulthood is not a problem. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

The name Taekwondo has only been used since the 1950's, although the discipline started life in Korea in 1945. Some new schools called "kwans" were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics, combining a number of various martial arts techniques. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, fast kicking strategies and jumping/spinning kicks.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners globally, now exceeds sixty million. Joining your local Taekwondo club or class in Westerham is a great way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While reaching Olympic standard may be beyond your capabilities, there isn't any reason why you can't become a Taekwondo master.

For many people in Westerham, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that is the most appealing. You shouldn't be surprised by this, when you bear in mind the high incidence of violence seen in today's town centres. The ability to defend yourself while still respecting others and exercising self-restraint is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

These self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in your everyday life, though it's more likely you will only be using them within a monitored class setting. Nevertheless it's a nice feeling knowing the fact that you'll always be in a position to successfully defend yourself if you need to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you might be a little concerned as to what to expect on your very first class. This varies from club to club but will normally consist of all or some of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, a bit of technical training involving learning some blocking techniques, stances, hand attacks and kicks, discovering some forms (or Poomse), an overview of sparring which will include movement, the timing of attacks and timing, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

The official body regulating Taekwondo in the United Kingdom is British Taekwondo and anybody wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Westerham has to also become a member of British Taekwondo. You can get plenty of info on clubs and members, coaching courses, coaches and referees, events, establishing a new club, safeguarding and equality, news, first aid, safe practices, and more, by viewing British Taekwondo's website.

Tournaments and Competitions

A standard Taekwondo tournament incorporates breaking, patterns and sparring, where the Olympics is concerned only sparring is involved. That being said there are also a few special events in specific tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo competitions are strictly soft-contact events, whilst ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments allow some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are also a number of multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Tae kwon do there is really no form of uniformity when it comes to belts and ranking. It is all determined by what style you happen to be considering, because there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. They are however, typically divided into two groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings range from white to red, with from 8 to 12 grades, while the senior/black belts usually have nine ranks.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what generally known as "Kup". The highest rank is First Kup and the lowest rank is Tenth Kup. If you are interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is denoted by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Beginners in Westerham starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and advance through the coloured belts until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Westerham are considered as "black belt candidates" which sees them proceeding through a further nine ranks (Dans) right up until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the 3 principal classifications in the Taekwondo belt order. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division comprise; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which takes a number of years. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Westerham, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Rankings Westerham).

Taekwondo for Beginners

Students starting out on their Taekwondo experience in Westerham will at first enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, as there is not any pressure and everything's done at a slow and relaxed pace. Having fun while learning is the primary objective in the early stages and students who are having a great time have a tendency to learn a lot quicker and absorb more of what they're being told. Even Taekwondo masters started off as inexperienced novices, so take that very first step and you never know where you'll wind up!

Taekwondo Forms

Mastering the art of Taekwondo will involve learning many techniques and one of the key parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of direction, technique and stance which need to be mastered in order for students to move through the various dans (belts/grades).

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You will probably be interested to learn about exactly what kind of benefits may be obtained by taking part in Westerham Taekwondo classes and partaking fully in its practices. You can expect that you will: Lower stress with controlled breathing, Help with self-defence by showing you how to identify circumstances in which self-defence might be needed, and empowering you to manipulate these types of situations in your favour, Build confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Develop discipline and willpower by exhaustively educating your mind and body in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Increase your self-esteem by heightening both mental and physical fitness, Strengthen your body and mind via accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Supercharge agility, flexibility and stamina by means of intense cardiovascular work-outs.

Summary

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you will gain more confidence, make more friends and improve your levels of fitness. If that's all that you take away from it, then all well and good, 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, need to start with that very first step. Good luck on your adventure! 👊