Taekwondo Folkestone

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

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently developed of the martial arts and involves mostly high-kicking movements such as fast kicking strategies, jumping/spinning kicks and head-height kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Folkestone and throughout the UK. Joining a local Folkestone Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While reaching Olympic standard may be aiming a bit high, there is no reason why you cannot become a Taekwondo master.

People in Folkestone take up Taekwondo for many reasons but it is the self-defence aspect that appeals to most. 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. In fact one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

These self-defence techniques may in due course come in handy in your day to day life, though it is much more likely you will only be testing them within a monitored class setting. Yet it is a nice feeling knowing the fact that you can always defend yourself when you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If Taekwondo is not an activity that you have ever had a go at previously, you will probably be curious about what you should expect from your first lesson if you decide to join. Different Taekwondo schools in the Folkestone area have varying thoughts on this but roughly; you will take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you'll do a certain amount of technical training, you will learn some forms, you are going to practice sparring techniques and last but not least you will perform a warm-down to get your body back into a state of relaxation once more.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo club in Folkestone or anywhere else in Great Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. By viewing British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to read information about first aid, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, referees and coaching, clubs and members, news, safe practices, events, beginning a new Taekwondo club, and a lot more Taekwondo related facts.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are needless to say, a number of benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and listed here are just a hint of the ones which might be attractive to you: Increase agility, stamina and flexibility through strenuous cardiovascular work-outs, Teach you self-defence by showing you how to realize situations in which self-defence might be necessary, and enabling you to manipulate these types of scenarios to your advantage, Toughen up your body and mind by means of increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Increase self-esteem by elevating your mental and physical powers, Develop self-discipline by comprehensively educating your mind and body in the principles and strategies of Taekwondo, Build your confidence by helping you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Lessen stress using advanced breath control.

The Main Taekwondo Kicks

There are loads of different Taekwondo kicks, listed here are just eight of them: Whip or Hook Kick, Axe Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Side Kick. Blocks: To fend off the numerous hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse range of "blocks". Held in specific positions, they use the hand and areas of the arm. Every "block" can be coordinated with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attacking manoeuvre, and each block is suitable for a particular attack. The key blocks (makgi) in Taekwondo include: Rising Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block and Palm Block.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are essential if you're to master this intriguing martial art. A few basic forms need to be learned from the beginning and more advanced forms must be perfected in order to advance through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is distinguished by a number of variables such as stance, direction and technique.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In terms of belts, ranking and promotion there's not actually any real standardisation in Taekwondo, because there are many different styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own system in place. There are however similarities and they usually comprise a couple of groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" represented by coloured and black belts respectively, . The senior rankings normally have nine ranks and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

Beginners Taekwondo Folkestone

Learners starting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Folkestone will initially enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are excellent, as there's no pressure and things are done at a relaxed, slow pace. Having fun whilst learning is the primary objective in the early stages and students who are enjoying themselves tend to learn much faster and absorb significantly more of what they're being taught. Even Taekwondo masters started off as clueless newbies, so take that first step and who knows where you will wind up!

Taekwondo Safety Gear

In all tournaments, events and contests being held under the supervision of British Taekwondo, safety equipment like blue/red body armour (hogu), a groin guard, hand guards, forearm guards, a red or blue head guard, shin guards and a mouth guard is obligatory. The kicking techniques used in Taekwondo can easily cause injury and this precaution helps make the activity less risky for its competitors.

In Conclusion

We can pretty much guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you are going to improve your fitness levels, make new friends and gain more confidence. If that is all that you take away from it, then that is amazing, you can call it an achievement! We're not all looking to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, have to start with that first step. Good luck with your quest! 👊