Taekwondo Wakefield

Images of young children doing energetic kicks and rapid punching manoeuvres, are what spring to mind at the mere mention of Taekwondo. While the younger and fitter generation should find it easier to contend with the physical demands of Taekwondo, people of every age can practice the sport. Being relatively fit is however a requirement of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. The emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking methods, spinning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".Today Wakefield Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Wakefield and with over 60 million others worldwide. If you want to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, joining a Taekwondo club or class in Wakefield is a good place to start. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and naturally this is one of the primary reasons that people in Wakefield get involved in classes and get involved in the sport. There's been a worrying increase in violent practices in recent years and this is especially prevalent in town and city centres around West Yorkshire and Great Britain in general. The fantastic thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such widespread qualities in Wakefield nowadays.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be proven outside of an organized Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will instill you with confidence.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. Most Taekwondo schools in Wakefield follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase your heart rate and reduce stiffness in the muscles, a little technical training covering some kicks, blocking techniques, stances and hand attacks, learning some forms (or Poomse), some tips on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

British Taekwondo is the official regulating body of the sport within the United Kingdom, and membership of this organization is compulsory if you want to sign up with any Taekwondo club in Wakefield or nearby. You can find loads of details about coaching courses, news, clubs and members, starting a new Taekwondo club, events, coaches and competition referees, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, first aid, and more, by heading to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In the art of taekwondo there's really no standardisation when it comes to ranking and belts. It's all determined by which style you are considering, as there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles and rules. However, they're usually divided into two groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior ranks consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve ranks, whilst the black/senior belts generally have 9 rankings.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

Taekwondo competitions and tournaments are held all over the world in all the various styles. There's generally not a whole lot of hard contact but sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Olympic and WT contests consist only of sparring, in ITF tournaments specified hand attacks are permitted to the head. Various other associations stage multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo for Beginners

It matters not what you're standing is or who you are in Taekwondo, at some stage you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing nothing. We have all started out at that point and are only able to learn and develop with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Wakefield are the place get started on that learning journey and to acquire the fundamentals so you can build confidence and move forward in your exciting Taekwondo adventure. The majority of beginner classes are created to be friendly and fun, providing a gradual introduction to the basic Taekwondo principles and developing a solid base moving forward.

To Summarize

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you are going to improve your fitness levels, gain more confidence and make more friends. If that is all you get out of it, then all well and good, you can call it a success! We aren't all aiming to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, still need to start with the initial step. Good luck with your quest! 👊