Taekwondo Willingdon

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be fairly physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Willingdon, it is especially good for children who will become self-disciplined and respecting of others. Older adults trying Taekwondo for the first time often find it too tough, unless they have consistently kept themselves active. Quite a few of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Willingdon, started when they were younger. If you consider yourself among the less nimble, you could always try something like Tai Chi which is much softer.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. 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 jumping/spinning kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking methods.Today Willingdon Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

With over 60 million fitness enthusiasts engaged in Taekwondo instruction all around the globe, this has definitely become an extremely popular activity, and if you really master this martial art you might possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it's been a part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

Folks in Willingdon learn Taekwondo for many purposes but it is the self-defence aspect that interests most. And if you consider the increased levels of violence in town and city centres nowadays, this is hardly surprising. It is a key factor of Taekwondo that you can be confidently able to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect others and exercise self-restraint.

Although it will instill you with self-confidence knowing that you have such self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are that you will never be required to test them outside of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you have not attempted Taekwondo before you might be a bit concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. The following will give you a good idea, but this may vary from school to school. An initial warm up lasting 15-20 minutes, some technical training covering some blocks, hand attacks, stances and kicks, learning some Poomse (or forms), some ideas on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and finally a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

The United Kingdom official governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you wish to join a Taekwondo club in Willingdon, you'll also be required to register with this respected organization. You will be able to get plenty of info regarding first aid, coaching courses, news, safe practices, starting a new Taekwondo club, equality and safeguarding, events, members and clubs, referees and coaching, and more, by going to British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It doesn't matter what you're capable of or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at some stage you were a complete novice, knowing nothing and fearing failure. We have all started at that point and can only improve and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Willingdon are the right place get started on that learning journey and to pick up the fundamentals so you can gain confidence and proceed with your exciting Taekwondo adventure. Nearly all beginner classes are geared up to be fun and friendly, delivering a slow introduction to the basic Taekwondo principles and developing a firm base moving forward.

Taekwondo Forms

Beginners in Taekwondo do not have to stress too much about forms (patterns, Poomse) at the outset, however they'll have to get to grips with some basic ones to begin with and move on to more complicated forms as they move through the various belts (dans/grades). A "form" is indicated by particular aspects of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Getting to grips with such sequences is a key part of mastering Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

In all matches, tournaments and events being staged under the authority of British Taekwondo, safety gear such as hand guards, a groin guard, a red/blue head protector, a gum shield, red or blue body armour (hogu), forearm guards and shin pads is obligatory. The kicking moves which are part of Taekwondo could potentially cause injury and this all helps make this sport safer for its competitors.

Taekwondo Belts

In terms of ranking, belts and promotion there is not actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, as there are various different styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique arrangement. There are however analogies and they generally consist of 2 groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior rankings usually have nine levels and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks that are known as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, much like many of the martial arts is indicated by a range of colours, these colours are 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Willingdon will start out with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the coloured belts until they achieve the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

When this training has been successfully completed, Willingdon Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they then have to progress through a further nine Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme accolade in this sport. So, putting it simply, there are 3 main groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group 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 process which takes a number of years. (Tags: Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Ranks Willingdon, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Willingdon).