Taekwondo Arbroath

Since Taekwondo has pretty high physical requirements, it's perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Arbroath. That's not to say that older people can't get involved in this popular activity, but merely that there may be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less agile of us. Tai Chi is a perfect example.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in about 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial arts lovers in Seoul established some schools called "kwans", where they practiced a mixture of martial arts techniques. In Taekwondo the emphasis is on kicking, especially rapid kicking strategies, jumping/turning kicks and head-height kicks. Today Arbroath Taekwondo classes abide by this tradition.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million enthusiasts all around the world, and while you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still register for a Taekwondo class or club to master what will no doubt prove to be a fascinating and advantageous activity.

While there is much to be gained by doing Taekwondo, it is the self-defence aspect that most Arbroath people are interested in. And when you consider the high levels of violence in town and city centres these days, this is hardly surprising. However, exercising self-restraint and a respect for others goes hand in hand with the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never need to be proven outside the monitored setting of an organized Taekwondo class, however being aware that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Arbroath Taekwondo Class

If you elect to register for Taekwondo training in Arbroath, the first thing you will be thinking about is what is going to transpire on the first lesson and precisely what will the instructor be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Arbroath will compile diverse routines for this first introductory lesson but you should be expecting to do a 20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood circulating, learn several forms (Poomse), cover some practical training (blocks, stances, kicks and hand attacks), do some sparring, and finally, a warm-down.

Anybody wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Arbroath must also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in the British Isles. You will be able to get loads of facts about referees and coaching, events, news, members and clubs, coaching courses, starting a new Taekwondo club, equality and safeguarding, first aid, health and safety, and more, by heading to British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo competitions are staged all over the world in all the different styles. There is generally not a lot of hard contact but breaking, sparring and patterns. Olympic and WT competitions only consist of sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) tournaments specified hand attacks are permitted to the head. Various other organisations hold multi-discipline competitions.

Safety Gear

Safety equipment such as forearm guards, a groin guard, blue/red body armour (hogu), a mouth protector, hand guards, a red or blue head guard and shin protectors must be used in all contests controlled by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is crucial thanks to the vigorous kicking that is an integral element of this sport.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Tae kwon do there is really no uniformity with regards to ranking and belts. It all depends upon which style you happen to be reviewing, since there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles and rules. They are however, commonly divided into a couple of groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour rankings consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve rankings, while the black/senior belts commonly have nine grades.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you are eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is denoted by a range of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, namely 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Arbroath will start out with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the various coloured belts until they earn the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Arbroath are considered as "black belt candidates" which sees them moving through a further 9 ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt". Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into 3 divisions; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division comprise; 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process that will take a considerable number of years.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Taekwondo forms (also called patterns or Poomse) are identified by specific elements such as direction, stance and technique. From the outset you'll be taught some of the important forms, and so as to progress through the rankings (belts) you will have to learn some more advanced ones.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are needless to say, plenty of benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and listed here are just some that could be attractive to you: Empower your body and mind by accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Teach you self-defence techniques by helping you to understand situations where self-defence may be needed, and enabling you to manipulate these types of circumstances to your advantage, Build confidence by motivating you to take control of your life and succeed, Increase stamina, agility and flexibility by way of strenuous cardiovascular effort, Lower anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Increase your self-esteem by raising both physical and mental health, Greater self-discipline by exhaustively educating your body and mind in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo.