Taekwondo Aberdeen

It's got to be asserted that Taekwondo can be fairly demanding physically, which can unnerve the less nimble and more elderly folks in Aberdeen from getting involved. To be completely truthful, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are children and the younger generation, but unquestionably older people who are in great physical health can easily be involved and get benefits from this activity.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts and consists of primarily kicking movements such as turning/jumping kicks, fast kicking techniques and head kicks. It began when schools called "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

With over sixty million people taking part in Taekwondo sessions all around the globe, this has certainly become a popular pastime, and if you become really expert at the sport you might possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been a part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

Of all the many benefits of doing this sport, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that the people of Aberdeen find most appealing. You should not be surprised by this, when you take into account the high incidence of violence seen in today's town and city centres. Being able to defend yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by learning self-restraint and a respect for others.

Although you will spend a lot of time learning these essential self-defence skills, with luck you won't ever need to apply them except within your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Aberdeen Taekwondo Lesson

If you have made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first lesson, you will be wondering what will happen. This may vary from class to class but will usually entail all or some of the following. A 15 to 20 minute warm up to increase your heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training such as learning some kicks, hand attacks, blocks and stances, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a few ideas on sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent cramping and spasms.

Any person who joins a Taekwondo class in Aberdeen has to also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in Britain. You will be able to learn about events, coaches and competition referees, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, beginning a new club, safe practices, news, clubs and members, first aid, and more on British Taekwondo's website, and find the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the key aspects of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a handful of the basic kicking manoeuvres: Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the different attacks, are known as Makgi. Employing the hands and parts of the arm, they are held in particular positions. Each type of attack calls for a particular style of block, counter-attacks can be produced by combining a block with another kick or punch. The key blocks include: Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Low Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Forms

Mastering the art of Taekwondo calls for getting to grips with many disciplines and techniques and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as patterns or Poomse). These are types of technique, stance and direction which need to be mastered in order for pupils to move through the different dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Belts

With regards to promotion, ranking and belts there is not actually any standardization in Taekwondo, since there are a number of styles of Taekwondo which each have their own arrangement in place. There are however parallels and they normally comprise a couple of groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively, . The senior ranks usually have 9 ranks and the junior, between 8 and 12 tiers.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

Contests are a significant part of the Taekwondo experience, and all the diverse styles all over the world stage competitions where Taekwondo masters band together to battle it out. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these competitions which primarily comprise sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) tournaments, while some hand attacks are tolerated in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) events.