Taekwondo Audley

As Taekwondo has quite high physical demands, it is possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Audley. That is not to say that the older generation cannot be involved in this particular activity, but simply that there could be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less nimble among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect illustration.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some new schools known as "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking styles, head kicks and spinning/jumping kicks.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity around the world with some sixty million people regularly taking part in classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo class or club that you are able to commence your adventure of mastering this fascinating activity.

It is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that generally has the most appeal to people in Audley. And in these times of increased violence, particularly in city and town centres, it's no surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. However, exercising self-restraint and a respect for others goes hand in hand with Taekwondo's self-defence principles.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will more than likely never need to be proven outside the regulated environment of an organised Taekwondo class, however being aware that you have them will instill you with confidence.

Your First Audley Taekwondo Class

Different Taekwondo clubs in Audley will have different viewpoints on what students should cover on their very first lesson, however to give you a notion of what to expect most first Taekwondo lessons will include a warm-up, some sparring, learning patterns (Poomse), an introduction to hand attacks, stances, kicks and blocking techniques (practical training) and a final warm-down to stretch tired muscles and return the body to a state of balance.

British Taekwondo is the official regulating body of the sport within the British Isles, and membership of this organisation is compulsory if you want to sign up with any Taekwondo class in Audley or nearby. You will be able to get lots of details about news, events, first aid, coaches and referees, members and clubs, coaching courses, launching a new Taekwondo club, equality and safeguarding, health and safety, and more, by exploring British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Contests governed by British Taekwondo rules require various pieces of protective equipment to be used, these include things like: forearm protectors, a groin guard, hand guards, a gum shield, a red or blue trunk protector (hogu), shin guards and a blue/red head protector. This is vital because of the potent kicking attacks being employed.

Competitions

Competitions are a significant element of the overall Taekwondo experience, and all the various styles around the world hold contests where Taekwondo exponents get together to battle it out. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these tournaments which primarily incorporate patterns (forms), sparring and breaking. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, while specified hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll probably be fascinated to discover precisely what kind of benefits may be obtained by taking part in Audley Taekwondo lessons and participating 100% in its practices. You can expect to: Teach self-defence techniques by showing you how to recognise situations where self-defence may be needed, and allowing you to manipulate such circumstances in your favour, Reduce stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Build confidence by inspiring you to seize control of your life and succeed, Increase stamina, flexibility and agility through strenuous cardiovascular effort, Better self-discipline by exhaustively schooling your body and mind in the tactics and concepts of Taekwondo, Increase self-esteem and concentration by heightening both mental and physical fitness, Strengthen your body and mind thru improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

With regards to ranking, promotion and belts there is not actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, as there are various styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique arrangement. There are however analogies and they typically comprise a couple of groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior rankings normally have 9 grades and the junior, 8 to 12 grades.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks which are referred to as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). If you're interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is indicated by a range of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo newbies in Audley will commence with, they can then advance through the different coloured belts, finally reaching the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will probably take approximately three to four years of dedication.

As soon as this training regime has been completed, Audley Taekwondo trainees advance to "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional 9 Dans (ranks) if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the ultimate accolade in this sport. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belt are the 3 main groups in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior group of 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 training and dedication.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key element of Taekwondo and are crucial if you're to excel at this thrilling activity. Several basic "forms" have to be learned at the beginning and more advanced forms will have to be perfected in order to advance through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is characterised by a number of variables such as technique, stance and direction.