Taekwondo Alloa

Taekwondo is typically a lot more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and nimble you might prefer to find something a little gentler to boost your fitness in Alloa. Children are certainly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Alloa, with a lot of fast paced movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul founded some schools known as "kwans", combining many different martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, primarily involves high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly head-height kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking methods.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity all over the world with some sixty million people routinely taking classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you can begin your journey of learning this unique art.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and doubtless this is one of the principal reasons that people in Alloa sign up to classes and get involved in the sport. There's been a worrying escalation of violent behaviour in recent times and this is particularly rife in town and city centres around Scotland and the nation in general. The fantastic thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such common characteristics in Alloa these days.

With luck, outside your local Taekwondo club environment, you won't ever need to apply your newly perfected techniques to defend yourself.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you come to a decision to register for Taekwondo training in Alloa, the first thing you will be wondering is what is going to happen on the very first class and what exactly will the tutor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in Alloa will develop differing routines for this initial introductory lesson but you can expect to do a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to get the blood flowing and loosen your muscles, learn a couple of forms (Poomse), cover some technical training (blocks, hand attacks, stances and kicks), do some sparring, and last of all, a warm-down.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo club in Alloa or anywhere else in the UK, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. By visiting British Taekwondo's website you will be able to obtain details on coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, coaches and referees, first aid, news, establishing a new club, events, clubs and members, safe practices, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Belts

In the art of taekwondo there is really no form of uniformity with regards to ranking and belts. It all depends upon which style you happen to be looking at, since there are so many different Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they're normally split into 2 groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour ranks consist of white to red, with from 8 to 12 rankings, while the black/senior belts usually have 9 grades.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo which are referred to as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. If you are curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is denoted by a range of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo rookies in Alloa will start off with, they'll then progress through the different colours, eventually achieving the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which can take approximately three to four years.

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Alloa become "black belt candidates" which requires them to proceed through yet another 9 ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt". Therefore, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the three principal groupings in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group 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 involves many years of training and dedication.

Tournaments and Competitions

Tournaments are an important part of the Taekwondo legacy, and all the various styles across the world stage contests where Taekwondo exponents band together to compete. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these competitions which mostly incorporate sparring, breaking and patterns (forms). Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT tournaments, while certain hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation events.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll doubtless be interested to find out about precisely what type of benefits could be gained by taking part in Alloa Taekwondo sessions and partaking fully in its practices. You could expect to: Boost your confidence by encouraging you to seize control of your life and succeed, Strengthen your mind and body by means of improved physical coordination and mental discipline, Supercharge flexibility, stamina and agility by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Reduce stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Greater discipline and willpower by thoroughly schooling your body and mind in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by sharpening your mental and physical fitness, Help with self-defence tactics by helping you recognize instances in which self-defence could be necessary, and allowing you to control these types of situations to your advantage.

In Summary

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