Taekwondo Castle Donington

Taekwondo is typically far more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty nimble and fit you might prefer to find something a little gentler to improve your fitness levels in Castle Donington. Children and younger people are clearly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Castle Donington, with a lot of fast paced movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some new schools known as "kwans", combining a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, mainly involves kicking manoeuvres, particularly turning/jumping kicks, fast kicking methods and head-height kicks.

Ever 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 classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you are able to start your journey of mastering this fascinating martial art.

In these days of escalating violence, it's hardly surprising that folks in locations like Castle Donington are attending self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them to feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also promotes self-restraint and a respect for those around us, which are qualities that are often absent in 21st century living.

There is a very good likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your everyday life, but it will most certainly give you a secure feeling knowing that they are there should you need them.

Your First Lesson

For those of you who've never done Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be intrigued to know what to expect from your first class. The following will give you an example, but this could vary subject to which Castle Donington school you have signed up for. A warm up of 15 to 20 minutes to loosen the muscles and increase your heart rate, a bit of technical training comprising some stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks, learning some Poomse (or forms), a few tips on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and finally a warm down to stretch muscles and loosen up.

Everyone who's a registered member of a Taekwondo club in Castle Donington or anywhere else in the United Kingdom, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You will be able to find lots of details about first aid, coaches and referees, safe practices, events, launching a new club, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, news, clubs and members, and more, by popping along to British Taekwondo's website.

Competitions and Tournaments

There are an array of contests in Taekwondo involving all the various styles. They primarily comprise sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking with very little hard contact. ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions don't allow too much contact but sometimes allow hand attacks towards the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also referred to as patterns or Poomse) are distinguished by specific facets like technique, stance and direction. From the beginning you will learn some of the basic forms, and in order to advance through the various levels (belts) you will have to master some more technical ones.

The Eight Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a key role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the more basic ones: Whip or Hook Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick, Axe Kick, Back Kick, Crescent Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Side Kick. Blocks: To fend off the numerous kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse array of "blocks". Using the hand and areas of the arm, they are held in various positions. Each block can be merged with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each one is appropriate for a certain type of attack. The key blocks in Taekwondo include: Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block and Low Block.

Beginners Classes

Learners starting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Castle Donington will at first enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, as there are no strict demands and everything's done at a casual, slow pace. Having fun whilst learning is the key goal at the start and trainees who are having a good time have a tendency to learn much faster and digest significantly more of what they are being shown. Even Taekwondo masters started off as clueless newbies, so take that very first step and who knows where you will wind up!