Taekwondo Barrhead

It must be said that Taekwondo can be quite physically demanding, which can intimidate the older and less nimble folks in Barrhead from becoming involved. To be fair, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are children and the younger generation, but obviously older individuals who're in excellent physical condition can easily get involved and benefit from this sport.

The name Taekwondo has only been used since the 1950's, although the sport started life in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts fanatics founded some innovative new schools which they called "kwans", practicing a combination of martial arts techniques. The focus of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, in particular jumping/spinning kicks, fast kicking styles and head-height kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist". These days Barrhead Taekwondo classes comply with this tradition.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Barrhead and all over the world, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Registering with a local Barrhead Taekwondo club or class is a great way to become involved in this sport which has even been a feature of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. Though you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this enjoyable martial art and have a bit of fun in the process.

For the men, women and children of Barrhead who want to learn a martial art, a big priority is the element of self-defence. Considering that this is an important concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to see the attraction of this specific sport. With the extra benefit of learning self-restraint and having a deep respect for others, enrolling in a local Barrhead Taekwondo class seems to be a no brainer.

While its good to know that you're able to defend yourself whenever you need to, it is hoped that you never need to test this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you've never had a go at Taekwondo before, you could be somewhat anxious as to what to expect on your very first lesson. This can vary from school to school but will usually involve all or some of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen up muscles and increase heart rate, a little technical training involving learning some hand attacks, kicks, stances and blocking techniques, discovering some Poomse (forms), a quick introduction to sparring which will include timing, attack timing and movement, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

Everybody who's a member of a Taekwondo club in Barrhead or anywhere else in the British Isles, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official governing body of the sport. You can get loads of information on news, launching a new club, referees and coaching, equality and safeguarding, safe practices, first aid, clubs and members, events, coaching courses, and more, by going to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In terms of belts, promotion and ranking there is not actually any standardisation in Taekwondo, since there are various styles of Taekwondo which each have their own arrangement in place. There are however parallels and they typically comprise a couple of groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior levels usually have 9 tiers and the junior, eight to twelve ranks.

In the UK there are a series of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are referred to as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to the vast majority of the martial arts is denoted by a number of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo novices in Barrhead will commence with, they can then progress through the coloured belts, eventually reaching the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which can take approximately 3-4 years of lessons and training.

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Barrhead are known as "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through a further nine ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" status. So, putting it simply, there are three primary sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group 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 group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication.

Beginners Taekwondo Barrhead

Even the best exponents of Taekwondo in Barrhead had to start as novices, therefore it is no disgrace to be a complete beginner at this sport, or for that matter any other activity. The goal of a Taekwondo beginners class is to teach a few basics, boost confidence and develop a firm foundation for the future. Most importantly of all is that it needs to be enjoyable, trainees having a good time are going to learn faster and be more engaged.

Taekwondo Forms

Perfecting Tae kwon do will involve getting to grips with many techniques and one of the pivotal elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also called patterns or Poomse). These are types of technique, direction and stance which have to be mastered in order for pupils to progress through the different dans (belts/grades).

In Conclusion

So, what do you want from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will purely look to meet new people, gain more self-confidence and improve their fitness levels. We're definitely not all going to scale the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, who knows? 👊