Taekwondo Westhill

Taekwondo can be quite physically demanding, meaning it could be considered more suitable for the younger rather than the older generation in Westhill. Its teachings of self-discipline and respect for others make it particularly good for children. It could prove too taxing for some older adults, but should not be an issue for those who are already fit and active. People in Westhill who take up Taekwondo when they may be young find it easy to continue when they get older. Tai Chi or something similarly less strenuous might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

Based largely around kicking manoeuvres like spinning/jumping kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking techniques, Taekwondo was created from the practices of various martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools called "Kwans" during the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Changmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Jido Kwan and Chungdo Kwan.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity worldwide with some 60 million people or more regularly attending classes. And it's by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you can commence your quest of learning this thrilling martial art.

In these times of increasing violence, it's little surprise that folks in locations like Westhill are attending self-defence techniques like Taekwondo to help them to feel safer and more secure in their everyday life. The self-defence aspect is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also teaches self-restraint and a respect for other people, which are disciplines that are frequently absent in this modern age.

Such self-defence techniques may in due course prove to be useful in your everyday life, although it's more likely you will only be putting them to the test within a controlled class setting. However it is a nice feeling knowing the fact that you will always be able to successfully defend yourself if you have to.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

Different Taekwondo clubs in the Westhill area will have different viewpoints on what students should be covering on their very first lesson, however to give you a concept of what you should expect most first Taekwondo lessons will incorporate a warm-up, a bit of sparring, learning Poomse (forms), a quick introduction to hand attacks, blocks, kicks and stances (technical training) and a warm-down to relax tired muscles and return the body to a state of equilibrium.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo club in Westhill or anywhere else in the United Kingdom, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. You'll be able to learn about coaching courses, safe practices, equality and safeguarding, events, launching a new club, first aid, news, coaches and tournament referees, members and clubs, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and find out the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Competitions and Tournaments

A typical Taekwondo tournament features breaking, patterns and sparring, as far as the Olympics is concerned only sparring is involved. That being said there may also be a few extraordinary events in certain tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT competitions are solely soft-contact events, while International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) contests permit some hand attacks aimed at the head. There are also a few multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Belts

The belt and ranking system can get a bit bewildering in Taekwondo because there isn't any uniform arrangement throughout the diverse Taekwondo disciplines. Likenesses do exist though, and usually there are two separate belt groups, signified as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of ranks in the junior group varies over the disciplines but is usually between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior's groupings usually has nine belts or dans.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are called "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of different colours, so that the ranks are easily recognised. 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 Westhill will commence with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and advance through the different colours until they earn the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (First Kup)

After this training has been accomplished, Westhill Taekwondo trainees are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then have to progress through a further 9 Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme accolade in this sport. So, putting it simply, there are three main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of dedication and training.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo competitions call for specific safety gear to be worn to safeguard contenders from being injured due to the forceful kicking that takes place. This safety gear includes: forearm guards, hand guards, a mouth guard, shin guards, a groin guard, red/blue body armour (hogu) and a red/blue head guard.