Taekwondo Whetstone

Taekwondo is generally much more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty nimble and fit you may prefer to find something a bit gentler to boost your fitness levels in Whetstone. Younger children are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Whetstone, with a lot of fast movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", combining a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, largely entails kicking manoeuvres, especially spinning/jumping kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking techniques.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million followers all over the world, and even though you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you are still able to sign up for a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will undoubtedly prove to be a fascinating and fulfilling activity.

For many people in Whetstone, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that is the most interesting. This is not hard to believe when you take into account the elevated levels of violence witnessed in city and town centres day after day. Learning to properly defend yourself while at the same time respecting others and exercising self-restraint is a key principle of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will likely never need to be tested outside of an organised Taekwondo class, however being aware of the fact that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you could be somewhat anxious as to what should be expected on your first lesson. This will be different from club to club but will typically comprise some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, some technical training involving learning some stances, kicks, blocks and hand attacks, studying some forms (or Poomse), a brief introduction to sparring including attack timing, movement and timing, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

If you want to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Whetstone, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You will be able to get lots of information on coaching courses, health and safety, equality and safeguarding, clubs and members, news, first aid, launching a new Taekwondo club, referees and coaching, events, and more, by checking out the British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are a number of different kicking techniques which are used when practicing Taekwondo. Here are a few of the most widely used: Axe Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Crescent Kick, Side Kick, Push Kick, Front Kick, Back Kick. Blocks: To stop and avert an incoming Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are employed. Using the hands and areas of the arm, they're held in various positions. Specific attacks require particular blocks, but "blocks" can also be transformed into counter-attacking movements by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The most used Taekwondo blocks (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Nine Block and Single Forearm Block.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

When enrolling in Taekwondo classes in Whetstone you will be wanting to get a few benefits to make the whole enterprise worth the effort. And so why don't we take a look at some of the many benefits that you might acquire by practicing and learning Taekwondo. Beef up confidence by pushing you to seize control of your life and succeed, Teach you self-defence strategies by helping you to understand situations where self-defence may be necessary, and enabling you to manipulate these situations in your favour, Increase feelings of self-esteem by sharpening your mental and physical health, Empower your body and mind via increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Lessen anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Develop discipline by methodically training your mind and body in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo, Supercharge agility, flexibility and stamina by way of intensive cardiovascular exertion.

In Summary

So, what are you looking to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer to that will vary for different people. Most participants will just wish to gain more self-confidence, meet new people and improve their levels of fitness. We are certainly not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, who knows? 👊