Taekwondo Barrow-in-Furness

As a result of its more physical attributes, Taekwondo is maybe more suited to the younger generation in Barrow-in-Furness and is especially suited to kids because it is fantastic for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults may find it a bit too challenging unless they are especially active and fit. However, those folks who take up Taekwondo in Barrow-in-Furness at a young age will discover they can easily carry it on when they're older. The less agile of you might think about something gentler like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, mostly involves high-kicking manoeuvres, especially spinning/jumping kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking techniques.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Barrow-in-Furness and all around the world, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Barrow-in-Furness Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get yourself involved. There is no reason why you cannot reach a high standard in this thrilling sport, even if you have no desire to compete in the Olympics.

The thing about Taekwondo that seems to most interest people in Barrow-in-Furness is the self-defence element of it. This is not difficult to believe when you think about the elevated levels of violence experienced in city centres day after day. Being capable of defending yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by respecting others and exercising self-restraint.

There is a fairly good chance that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be proved in your everyday life, but it will certainly give you peace of mind knowing that they are there should you ever need them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you've never done Taekwondo before you will likely be a bit concerned as to what you should expect on your first lesson. There may be variations to the following, subject to which Barrow-in-Furness Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A 15-20 minute warm up, a bit of technical training covering some stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a look at sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and to finish off a warm down with muscle stretching and loosening up.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within the UK, and membership of this organisation is mandatory if you would like to join any Taekwondo club in Barrow-in-Furness or nearby. You will be able to find out about first aid, news, starting a new club, coaches and referees, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, members and clubs, health and safety, events, and more on the official British Taekwondo website, and find out the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

The benefits which can be gained by participating in Taekwondo training in Barrow-in-Furness are countless, among the most noteworthy are: Better self-discipline by exhaustively educating your mind and body in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo, Teach you self-defence by showing you how to identify situations in which self-defence may be needed, and enabling you to manipulate these circumstances to your advantage, Reduced anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Improve self-esteem and concentration by sharpening both mental and physical powers, Grow in your confidence by pushing you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Turbocharge stamina, agility and flexibility through strenuous cardiovascular exertion, Empower your mind and body by way of accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination.

Taekwondo Belts

The belt and ranking structure can get pretty complicated in Taekwondo since there isn't any standard arrangement throughout the different Taekwondo styles. Parallels can be found though, and generally there are two distinct belt groupings, signified as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of levels in the junior section varies across the disciplines but is commonly somewhere between eight and twelve belts, while the senior's groupings normally has nine belts or dans.

Tournaments and Competitions

Taekwondo tournaments are staged around the world in all of the various styles. There is generally not a lot of hard contact but breaking, patterns (forms) and sparring. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) competitions consist only of sparring, in ITF contests specified hand attacks are permitted to the head. Some other associations hold multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

Even the finest exponents of Taekwondo in Barrow-in-Furness set out as novices, therefore there's no shame in being a total beginner at Tae kwon do, or any other activity for that matter. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few basics, improve confidence and build a solid base moving forward. Most importantly of all is that it should be enjoyable, trainees having fun are going to learn quicker and be better committed.

In Summary

Precisely what you acquire from Taekwondo will be directly related to what you invest in it (as is true of life on the whole). Most of you will just want to meet different people, improve your fitness levels and make new friends, some may wish to progress to tournaments and competitions or possibly even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we can't all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.