Taekwondo Bathgate

Taekwondo is an ideal sport for children in Bathgate, because it teaches self-discipline and a respect for others. Its more physical aspects make it more suited to younger people. It could prove too taxing for some older adults, but shouldn't be a problem for those who are already fit and active. For those people who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the experience into adulthood should not be a problem. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently created of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some schools which they called "kwans", incorporating a variety of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, mostly consists of kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and fast kicking styles.

Popular all over the world Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you want to get involved, joining a local Bathgate Taekwondo club or class is a good place to start. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and naturally this is one of the principal reasons that people in Bathgate sign up to classes and engage with the sport. There has been a troubling escalation of violent behaviour in recent years and this is especially rampant in city and town centres around Scotland and the British Isles as a whole. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also teaches self-discipline and respect for other people, not such widespread attributes in Bathgate nowadays.

Whilst it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have such self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are you'll never need to use them outside of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Lesson

If you elect to register for Taekwondo training in Bathgate, the first thing you'll be wondering is what will happen on the initial lesson and what exactly will the teacher be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Bathgate will put together differing routines for this initial lesson but you can expect to do a 15 minute warm-up to get the blood pumping and loosen your muscles, learn some simple forms (Poomse), cover some practical training (kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques), do a certain amount of sparring, and last of all, a warm-down.

Taekwondo also of course has its own official governing body, and in the United Kingdom it is British Taekwondo. Everybody wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Bathgate have to become registered members of this organisation. By going to British Taekwondo's website you can obtain information regarding events, coaching courses, beginning a new Taekwondo club, coaches and referees, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, health and safety, first aid, news, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main features of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a small selection of the basic kicks: Crescent Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Axe Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To defend against and stop an inbound attack, blocks (known as Makgi) are implemented. Using the hand and different sections of the arm, they're held in particular positions. Each form of attack calls for a particular kind of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The primary "blocks" include: Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

With there being various different types of Taekwondo there has never been any uniform arrangement for allocating belts (promotion). What does exist is however quite similar and comprises two belt groupings "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each one of these groupings is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine for the seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks (belts) that are generally known as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a range of colours, so that the ranks are easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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 White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo beginners in Bathgate will start off with, they'll then move up through the different colours, finally achieving the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which can take approximately 3-4 years of dedicated training.

As soon as this training has been completed, Bathgate Taekwondo trainees become "black belt candidates", and they then have to earn an additional 9 ranks if they are to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme accolade in this sport. So, to put it simply, there are 3 main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, namely 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 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and demands many years of dedication.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Taekwondo forms (also known as patterns or Poomse) are categorized by specific facets like direction, stance and technique. From the beginning of your Taekwondo experience you'll learn a few of the important forms, and in order to advance through the various levels (belts) you'll have to learn some more complex ones.

Conclusion

We can practically guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll make new friends, improve your wellbeing and gain self-confidence. If that is all you get out of it, then all well and good, you can call it an achievement! We're not all looking to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, have to start with that first step. Good luck with your quest! 👊