Taekwondo Calne

As Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it's possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Calne. That's not to say that the older generation can't be involved in this particular activity, but merely that there may be alternative martial arts that are more suitable for the less nimble among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect example.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in about 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. This mixture of various martial arts techniques were practiced in some innovative new schools in Seoul called "kwans", established by a group of Korean martial artists. In Taekwondo the focus is on kicking, especially fast kicking methods, jumping/spinning kicks and head kicks. Nowadays Calne Taekwondo classes observe this tradition.

Taekwondo has grown to become very popular in Calne and all around the world, with more than 60 million practitioners worldwide. Registering with a local Calne Taekwondo club or class is an excellent way to become involved in this sporting activity which has even been a part of the Olympic Games ever since the Sydney Games in 2000. Although you may not have any ambitions to get involved in Olympic competition, there's no reason why you cannot become an expert at this thrilling martial art and have a bit of fun in the process.

For the men, women and children of Calne who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a major priority is the aspect of self-defence. Since this is an important concept of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the appeal of this particular sport. With the extra bonus of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for others, signing up for a local Calne Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

Although it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are you will never be required to use them outside of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo before, you may be somewhat concerned as to what should be expected on your first lesson. This will vary from school to school but will usually consist of all or some of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training including learning some stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocks, learning some forms, an introduction to sparring including movement, timing and attack timing, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

Anybody wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Calne has to also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the regulating body of the sport in Britain. By checking out British Taekwondo's website you will be able to discover information regarding equality and safeguarding, safe practices, members and clubs, referees and coaching, starting a new Taekwondo club, events, news, coaching courses, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related issues.

Safety Equipment

Safety equipment like a gum shield, a blue/red head guard, hand guards, forearm protectors, shin pads, a blue or red trunk guard (hogu) and a groin guard must be worn in all tournaments overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is needed owing to the vigorous kicking that's part and parcel of this sport.

Beginners Classes

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Calne had to start as rookies, therefore it's no shame to be a complete beginner at this sport, or any other activity for that matter. The aim of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few of the basics, increase confidence and develop a firm foundation for the future. Most importantly of all is that it must be fun, trainees having a great time are going to learn faster and be more committed.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are numerous different Taekwondo kicks, here are just a few of them: Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To repulse the various kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse assortment of "blocks". They're held in specific positions and employ the hands with different sections of the arm. Each and every "block" can be coordinated with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each "block" is suitable for a certain type of attack. The primary "blocks" include: Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Low Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts

In the art of taekwondo there's not really any form of uniformity with regards to grades and belts. It all hinges on which style you're reviewing, since there are so many different Taekwondo styles and rules. They are however, normally split into a couple of groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings range from white to red, with from 8 to 12 grades, while the black/senior belts commonly have 9 ranks.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo which are generally known as "Kup". The lowest is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to many of the martial arts is portrayed by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Calne will start out with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the various colours until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Taekwondo students in Calne become "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they'll then be faced with proceeding through yet another 9 ranks (or Dans) if they aim to achieve the greatest accolade of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, the bottom line is, there are three main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which takes a considerable number of years. (Tags: Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Calne, Taekwondo Rankings Calne).