Taekwondo Sevenoaks

Taekwondo is generally far more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and agile you may prefer to partake in something a little bit gentler to improve your fitness levels in Sevenoaks. Children are certainly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Sevenoaks, with lots of fast paced movements going on and plenty of high kicking.

With its beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently created of the martial arts and consists of primarily kicking moves such as head-height kicks, jumping/spinning kicks and rapid kicking techniques. It started when schools known as "kwans" were established by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million practitioners all over the world, and although you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you can still sign up for a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and worthwhile activity.

In these days of ever-increasing violence, it's hardly surprising that individuals in locations like Sevenoaks are getting involved in self-defence training like Taekwondo to help them feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also teaches self-restraint and a deep respect for others around us, which are disciplines that are frequently absent in 21st century living.

Such self-defence techniques may at some point come in useful in your everyday life, although it's more likely you'll solely be using them within a monitored class setting. Nevertheless it's a reassuring feeling knowing the fact that you can always successfully defend yourself if you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If Taekwondo is not an activity that you've ever had a go at before, you'll doubtless be curious about what you should expect from your first lesson if you make up your mind to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in Sevenoaks have varying thoughts on this but in brief; you will take part in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you will do a bit of technical training, you will learn some forms (patterns), you'll practice sparring strategies and finally you'll do a warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state once again.

British Taekwondo is the regulating body of the sport within the British Isles, and membership of this organisation is mandatory if you want to sign up with any Taekwondo class in Sevenoaks or nearby. You'll be able to read about safeguarding and equality, starting a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, first aid, safe practices, coaches and tournament referees, events, news, members and clubs, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and get the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts

In relation to ranking, promotion and belts there's not actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, because there are many different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however analogies and they typically comprise a couple of groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" represented by coloured and black belts respectively, . The senior ranks normally have nine grades and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Taekwondo competitions and tournaments are staged around the world in all the different styles. There is usually not a lot of hard contact but patterns, sparring and breaking. Olympic and WT contests only consist of sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation competitions certain hand attacks are allowed to the head. Various other associations stage multi-discipline events.

Safety Gear

In all competitions, contests and events being staged under the supervision of British Taekwondo, safety equipment such as shin pads, a red or blue head guard, hand guards, a mouth protector, a blue/red body protector (hogu), a groin guard and forearm guards is obligatory. The fast kicking tactics employed in Taekwondo could cause injury and this all helps make this activity less hazardous for its competitors.

In Conclusion

We can more or less guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you are going to gain self-confidence, improve your fitness levels and make more friends. If that's all that you get out of it, then that is amazing, and you can call it an achievement! We aren't all looking to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, need to start with that very first step. Good luck with your quest! 👊