Taekwondo Bridgend

Because of its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is maybe more suited to the younger generation in Bridgend and is particularly appropriate for children as it's brilliant for nurturing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults who are not all that fit and active might find it a tad too challenging. For those folks who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the experience into older adulthood shouldn't be an issue. The less agile of you may find that Tai Chi which is a bit less demanding, is more to your liking.

Based primarily around high-kicking manoeuvres and moves like jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and fast kicking methods, Taekwondo was created from the techniques of different martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools called "Kwans" in the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Songmu Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

Taekwondo has become extremely popular in Bridgend and all around the world, with more than 60 million practitioners worldwide. Enrolling in a local Bridgend Taekwondo class or club is a good way to get involved with this sporting activity which has even been a part of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. While you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there's certainly no reason why you should not become a maestro of this exciting martial art and have some fun in the process.

It is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that generally has the most appeal to people in Bridgend. This is not hard to believe when you take into account the high levels of violence experienced in town and city centres on a daily basis. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

These self-defence techniques may in due course prove to be useful in your everyday life, though it's much more likely you will solely be putting them to the test within a monitored class setting. Nevertheless it is a nice feeling knowing the fact that you can always defend yourself if you have to.

Your First Bridgend Taekwondo Lesson

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you could be a bit concerned as to what should be expected on your very first lesson. This will vary from school to school but will normally comprise some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, a bit of technical training involving learning some kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks, discovering a few Poomse (forms), a quick introduction to sparring which will include attack timing, timing and movement, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

If you would like to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Bridgend, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can find a lot of details of coaching courses, events, news, first aid, clubs and members, referees and coaching, health and safety, safeguarding and equality, starting a new Taekwondo club, and more, by viewing the British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

Since there are a number of styles of Taekwondo there has never been any standardized arrangement for allocating belts (levels). What exists however is relatively similar and is made up of a couple of belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is divided into grades, eight to twelve colours for juniors and 9 "blacks" for the seniors.

In Conclusion

We can pretty confidently guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you are going to make new friends, improve your wellbeing and gain more confidence. If that is all you take away from it, then that is great, you can call it an achievement! We aren't all looking to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, have to start with the initial step. Good luck with your journey!