Taekwondo Barry

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be rather physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Barry, it is especially good for children who will learn to be self-disciplined and respecting of others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. However those in Barry who take up Taekwondo at a young age, will find that carrying it on into older adulthood is not a problem. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly comprises high-kicking manoeuvres, in particular turning/jumping kicks, head-height kicks and rapid kicking techniques. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists established schools known as "kwans", which combined a variety of martial arts practices.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has over sixty million enthusiasts. If you want to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, heading along to a Taekwondo club or class in Barry is an excellent place to start. There's no reason why you cannot reach a high standard in this exhilarating sport, even if you haven't any desire to take part in the Olympics.

For the people of Barry who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a top priority is the aspect of self-defence. Considering that this is a central concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to see the attraction of this unique sport. With the additional bonus of developing self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for others, getting involved in a local Barry Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

Such self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in your everyday life, though it is far more likely that you'll solely be using them within a monitored class environment. Yet it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you will always be able to successfully defend yourself when you have to.

Your First Barry 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. The following will give you an idea, but this may vary from school to school. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, a bit of technical training which will involve learning some kicks, blocks, stances and hand attacks, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

The official body governing Taekwondo in the United Kingdom is British Taekwondo and anybody wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Barry must also register with British Taekwondo. By heading to British Taekwondo's website you will be able to find info on coaches and referees, establishing a new Taekwondo club, events, coaching courses, health and safety, news, first aid, equality and safeguarding, members and clubs, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are important if you're going to excel at this popular sporting activity. Some basic Taekwondo forms have to be grasped at the start and more challenging forms will have to be mastered in order to progress through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is categorized by a number of factors such as technique, direction and stance.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are a multitude of competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the different styles. They primarily involve patterns (forms), sparring and breaking with little or no hard contact. International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) contests don't allow disproportionate contact but may allow hand attacks aimed at the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style competitions also take place.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a significant role in Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the best known ones ones: Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Blocks: To repulse the numerous kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse assortment of "blocks" (Makgi). Using the hand and different parts of the arm, they are held in diverse positions. Each type of attack calls for a specific kind of block, counter-attacking moves can be produced by combining a block with a retaliatory punch or kick. The most important blocks (makgi) in Taekwondo include: Double Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block and Rising Block.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You will undoubtedly be fascinated to understand precisely what kind of benefits could be obtained by taking part in Barry Taekwondo sessions and partaking 100% in its activities. You may expect that you will: Reduce anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Toughen up your body and mind by way of enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by elevating both physical and mental health, Increase stamina, flexibility and agility by way of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Better self-discipline by thoroughly training your body and mind in the techniques and concepts of Taekwondo, Help with self-defence by helping you to recognise circumstances where self-defence might be necessary, and empowering you to control these scenarios in your favour, Build confidence by helping you to take control of your life and succeed.

Taekwondo Belts

In Tae kwon do there is not really any kind of uniformity when it comes to belts and grades. It is all dependent on what style you're considering, as there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles. However, they're normally split into a couple of groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior ranks range from white to red, with from 8 to 12 rankings, whilst the senior/black belts normally have 9 ranks.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo which are referred to as "Kup". The lowest is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like the vast majority of the martial arts is portrayed by a range of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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 newbies in Barry will start out with, they'll then proceed through the coloured belts, finally earning the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take approximately three to four years.

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo students in Barry become "black belt candidates" which sees them moving through a further nine ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the three principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division 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 involves many years of dedicated training.

Summary

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll gain self-confidence, make new friends and improve your fitness levels. If that is all you get out of it, then that is great, you can call it an achievement! We're not all aiming to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, need to begin with that initial step. Good luck on your adventure! 👊