Taekwondo Hunstanton

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be rather physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Hunstanton, it is especially good for children who will learn to be self-disciplined and respecting of others. It can sometimes be too taxing for older adults unless they are exceptionally fit and active. However those who take up Taekwondo in Hunstanton at a young age will find they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. If you consider yourself among the less agile, you could try something like Tai Chi which is much softer.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, mainly involves kicking manoeuvres, particularly head kicks, rapid kicking methods and jumping/turning kicks.

Taekwondo has grown to become very popular in Hunstanton and all around the world, with more than 60 million practitioners worldwide. Becoming a member of a local Hunstanton Taekwondo class or club is a great way to get involved in this sporting activity which has even been included in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. While you may not have any aspirations to get involved in Olympic competition, there is no reason why you shouldn't become a maestro of this exciting martial art and have a bit of fun in the process.

While there is much to be gained by doing Taekwondo, it is the self-defence aspect that most Hunstanton people are interested in. And in these days of increased violence, especially in town and city centres, it is 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 the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

Such self-defence techniques may in due course come in useful in the outside world, though it's much more likely that you will solely be testing them within a regulated class setting. Nevertheless it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you can always defend yourself when you need to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

Different Taekwondo schools in and around Hunstanton will have different viewpoints on what enrollees should be covering on their very first class, however to give you a perception of what to expect most first Taekwondo lessons will incorporate a warm-up, some sparring, learning forms (Poomse), a quick introduction to kicks, hand attacks, blocking techniques and stances (technical training) and a warm-down to relax weary muscles and return the body to a state of equilibrium.

If you wish to join a Taekwondo club in Hunstanton, you will also have to become a member of the sport's official regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. You'll be able to find out about clubs and members, coaches and tournament referees, equality and safeguarding, first aid, health and safety, coaching courses, events, starting a new Taekwondo club, news, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or find out the latest news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

With there being a number of kinds of Taekwondo there has never been any standard system for assigning belts (ranks). What does exist is however relatively similar and comprises two belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groups is split into ranks, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and nine "blacks" for the seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). If you are interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is denoted by a range of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. Beginners in Hunstanton getting started in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the coloured belts until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

When this training regime has been accomplished, Hunstanton Taekwondo students are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional nine ranks if they're to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme distinction. So, putting it simply, there are 3 main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. 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 are; 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 go from 1st to 9th Dan, a process that will take a number of years.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Newcomers just starting their journey in Taekwondo do not have to worry excessively about forms (patterns, Poomse) at the outset, however they will learn some basic ones for starters and advance to more complex forms as they progress through the various belts (dans/grades). A "form" is denoted by certain elements of Taekwondo including direction, technique and stance. Learning these techniques is a vital part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play an important role in Taekwondo, here are a selection of the more simple ones: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi). Blocks: To defend against the numerous hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse range of "blocks" (Makgi). Employing the hands and different sections of the arm, they're held in various positions. Specific attacks require particular "blocks", but blocks can also be changed into counter-attacks by the combination of retaliatory punches or kicks. The most used "blocks" include: Palm Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

With any sport or activity we have to start somewhere, and Taekwondo's no different. Even the leading Hunstanton Taekwondo masters were complete rookies at one time. So, what should you be expecting as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees ample instruction to teach them the fundamentals and allow them to gain confidence as they progress. The perfect beginners class needs to be enjoyable as well as instructional, when folks are enjoying themselves they are more engrossed and will learn quicker.

Safety Equipment

Tournaments regulated by British Taekwondo guidelines demand that certain items of protective gear be worn, these include things like: a mouth protector, hand guards, a blue/red head guard, a groin guard, blue/red trunk armour (hogu), forearm protectors and shin protectors. This is crucial because of the formidable kicking actions being practiced.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll probably be fascinated to understand exactly what sort of benefits may be gained by taking part in Hunstanton Taekwondo instruction and partaking 100% in its activities. You may expect that you will: Develop discipline by extensively training your mind and body in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo, Increase agility, flexibility and stamina by way of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Strengthen your mind and body by improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Build up your confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Learn self-defence techniques by coaching you to understand circumstances in which self-defence may be needed, and allowing you to control these scenarios in your favour, Enhance self-esteem and concentration by sharpening both mental and physical fitness, Reduced stress by doing deep breathing exercises.

In Summary

Precisely what you get from Taekwondo are going to be proportional to what you invest in it (as is true of life in general). The majority of you will simply want to improve your fitness levels, meet different people and make new friends, some may want to progress to competitions or tournaments or perhaps even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.