Taekwondo Stenhousemuir

On account of its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more appropriate for the younger generation in Stenhousemuir and is especially suited to children because it's fantastic for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults could find it a bit too strenuous unless they are particularly fit and active. However, those who take up Taekwondo in Stenhousemuir at a young age will find they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its origins in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts lovers in Seoul established some exciting new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a mix of martial arts techniques. In Taekwondo the main focus is on kicking, especially turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking techniques and head-height kicks. Today Stenhousemuir Taekwondo classes stick to this tradition.

With over sixty million people participating in Taekwondo sessions all over the world, this has certainly become a popular pastime, and if you become really good at this sport you might even one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it's been a part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

For the men, women and children of Stenhousemuir who want to learn a martial art, a big priority is the element of self-defence. Considering that this is a central concept of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to appreciate the appeal of this unique sport. With the added bonus of learning self-restraint and having a deep respect for other people, registering for a local Stenhousemuir Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

While it is useful to practice and master these self-defence techniques in the controlled environment of your local Stenhousemuir Taekwondo club, with luck you will not ever need to use them in the wider world.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you've never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you may be somewhat apprehensive as to what should be expected on your first class. This will vary from club to club but will generally involve some or all of these. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, some technical training including learning some hand attacks, stances, kicks and blocking techniques, learning some Poomse (forms), an overview of sparring including timing, the timing of attacks and movement, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

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

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo tournaments and competitions are held around the world in all of the different styles. There is normally not a whole lot of hard contact but patterns (forms), sparring and breaking. Olympic and World Taekwondo competitions comprise only sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests specific hand attacks are permitted to the head. Some other organisations hold multi-discipline events.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the principal elements of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a selection of the best known kicks: Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and defend against an incoming attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. Held in various positions, they involve the hands and areas of the arm. Specific attacks require specified "blocks", but blocks can also be changed into counter-attacks by the combination of retaliatory punches or kicks. The most important "blocks" (makgi) include: Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo Belts

With there being many different kinds of Taekwondo there's never really been any standard arrangement for assigning belts (grades). What exists is however pretty similar and is made up of a couple of belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groupings is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours in the case of juniors and nine "blacks" for the seniors.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what generally known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of colours, so that the ranks can be easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, specifically - 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Stenhousemuir will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the different colours until they reach the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Stenhousemuir are known as "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through yet another nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, to put it simply, there are three principal groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division 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 qualification process which takes many years. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Rankings Stenhousemuir, Taekwondo Belts Stenhousemuir, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

To Summarize

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we wouldn't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't solely about Olympic titles and National Championships. Most of us are content to make new friends, improve our levels of fitness and meet different people, and that is exactly how it ought to be. Yet, as with many matters in life, what you get from it will depend on what you put into it. Good luck!