Taekwondo Shanklin

It has to be said that Taekwondo can be fairly physically challenging, which can unnerve the less agile and more elderly folks in Shanklin from taking this up. To be truthful, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but obviously older individuals who're in good physical condition can easily participate and get benefits from this activity.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently established of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", merging many different martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, mainly involves high-kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking strategies, jumping/turning kicks and head kicks.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than 60 million followers all around the world, and while you may not have any ambitions to be an Olympic Games medalist, you are still able to join a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will no doubt turn out to be a fascinating and rewarding pastime.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and undoubtedly this is one of the primary reasons that people in Shanklin join classes and take up the sport. There's been a troubling escalation of violent behaviour in recent times and this is particularly prevalent in town and city centres around Isle of Wight and the British Isles as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also teaches self-discipline and a deep respect for others, not such widespread attributes in Shanklin nowadays.

Even though you will take a lot of trouble learning these essential self-defence skills, with luck you won't ever need to implement them apart from within your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Class

If you decide on registering for a Taekwondo class in Shanklin, the very first thing you will want to know is what is going to transpire on the first lesson and what precisely will the teacher expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in Shanklin will devise differing routines for this first introductory lesson but you should be expecting to do a 15 minute warm-up to get the blood pumping and loosen your muscles, learn some basic forms (Poomse), go through some practical training (blocking techniques, hand attacks, kicks and stances), do some sparring, and lastly, warm-down.

Everybody who is a member of a Taekwondo club in Shanklin or anywhere else in Great Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can learn about news, safe practices, launching a new club, coaches and referees, coaching courses, events, members and clubs, first aid, equality and safeguarding, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or find the latest Taekwondo news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is recognized for its dynamic kicks, listed here are the basic ones: Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi). Blocks: To fend off the various kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse assortment of blocks. Using the hands and areas of the arm, they're held in various positions. Specific attacks call for specified blocks, but "blocks" can also be changed into counter-attacking movements by linking reciprocal kicks or punches. The most used "blocks" in Taekwondo include: Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block, Rising Block and Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The belt and ranking system can get a bit complicated in Taekwondo because there isn't any uniform system throughout the diverse Taekwondo disciplines. Parallels can be found though, and usually there are 2 separate belt groupings, denoted as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior groupings varies across the styles but is usually somewhere between eight and twelve belts, while the senior's group usually has nine belts or dans.

Competitions and Tournaments

Competitions and tournaments are an important element of the Taekwondo legacy, and all the various styles around the world hold competitions where Taekwondo masters come together to compete. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these contests which primarily incorporate sparring, breaking and patterns. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, whilst specified hand attacks are permitted in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) events.

Safety Equipment

Tournaments governed by British Taekwondo policies demand that certain pieces of protective equipment be worn, these include things like: a blue/red head guard, a groin protector, forearm guards, a gum shield, red/blue trunk armour, shin guards and hand protectors. This is vital on account of the potent kicking attacks being practiced.