Taekwondo Woodstock

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be rather physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Woodstock, it is especially good for children who will learn to be self-disciplined and respecting of others. It can sometimes be too taxing for older adults unless they are exceptionally fit and active. However those who take up Taekwondo in Woodstock at a young age will find they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently developed of the martial arts and entails mostly high-kicking moves such as head kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking styles. It began when schools called "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

The number of Taekwondo enthusiasts worldwide, now exceeds sixty million. Heading along to your local Woodstock Taekwondo class or club 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 might not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you can't be a master of this thrilling martial art and have some fun in the process.

The thing about Taekwondo that appears to most appeal to people in Woodstock is the self-defence element of it. This is no surprise when you consider the ever rising levels of violence seen in town and city centres nowadays. Actually one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising a degree of self-restraint and having respect for others.

Although it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have those self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are you'll never be required to test them outside the controlled environment of an actual Taekwondo class.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you decide on registering for Taekwondo training in Woodstock, the very first thing you will be wondering is what will occur on the very first lesson and what will the teacher be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Woodstock will compile differing routines for this initial lesson but you can anticipate performing a 20 minute warm-up to get the blood circulating and loosen your muscles, learn a couple of Poomse (forms, cover some technical training (kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocking techniques), do a certain amount of sparring, and last but not least, a warm-down.

Anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Woodstock must also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official regulating body of the sport in Great Britain. You can find out about news, establishing a new Taekwondo club, first aid, safe practices, equality and safeguarding, events, coaches and referees, clubs and members, coaching courses, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find the latest news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts

Because there are various types of Taekwondo there's never really been any recognised system for assigning belts (levels). What exists however is quite similar and involves two belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is split into levels, eight to twelve colours in the case of juniors and 9 "blacks" for seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks which are referred to as "Kup", these ranks go from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). If you're interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is portrayed by a range 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. Students in Woodstock starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the colours until they earn the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

Taekwondo trainees in Woodstock are known as "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they'll then need to proceed through another nine ranks (called Dans) if they aspire to achieve the consummate accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt are the three principal groupings in the Taekwondo belt order. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division are; 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which takes many years. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Woodstock, Belt Order Taekwondo, Taekwondo Rankings Woodstock).

Competitions

Competitions are an important element of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all the diverse styles across the globe hold contests where Taekwondo exponents get together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever permitted in any of these tournaments which mainly comprise patterns (forms), sparring and breaking. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT tournaments, while specified hand attacks are tolerated in ITF events.

Taekwondo Forms

Perfecting Taekwondo will involve getting to grips with a number of disciplines and techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as patterns or Poomse). These are types of stance, direction and technique which have to be mastered in order for students to progress through the different dans (grades/belts).

Beginners Taekwondo Woodstock

It matters not what you're ranking is or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at some stage you were a total novice, knowing nothing and fearing failure. We've all started like this and are only able to learn and develop with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Woodstock are the place get started on that learning journey and to acquire the basics so you can build self-confidence and proceed with your Taekwondo adventure. Nearly all beginner classes are geared up to be fun and friendly, offering a gradual introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo values and building a solid base moving forward.

Conclusion

So, what do you want from Taekwondo? Well, that is a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. Most participants will just wish to meet new people, improve their levels of fitness and gain more confidence. We are certainly not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, you never know?