Taekwondo Bearsden

As Taekwondo has quite high physical requirements, it's possibly more suited to the younger people of Bearsden. That isn't to say that the older generation can't take part in this kind of activity, but merely that there could be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect example.

The name Taekwondo has only been used since the 1950's, although the discipline started life in Korea in 1945. This combination of various martial arts techniques were practiced in some new schools in Seoul called "kwans", founded by a group of Korean martial artists. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, rapid kicking methods and turning/jumping kicks.Today Bearsden Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Popular around the globe Taekwondo now has more than sixty million enthusiasts. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everybody, and heading along to your local Bearsden Taekwondo class or club is the best way to get yourself involved. While noone would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you could certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Bearsden.

In these times of increasing violence, it is hardly surprising that people in areas like Bearsden are getting involved in self-defence techniques like Taekwondo to help them feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also promotes self-restraint and a respect for those around us, which are disciplines that are often lacking in modern day life.

There's a fairly decent likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your day to day life, but it will unquestionably give you self-confidence knowing that they are sitting in the background should you need them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

Different Taekwondo clubs in Bearsden will have different guidelines for what enrollees should be covering on their first class, but to give you an understanding of what to expect most initial Taekwondo classes will incorporate a warm-up, a bit of sparring, learning simple Poomse (forms), an overview of stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocks (technical training) and a final warm-down to stretch weary muscles and get the body back to a state of relaxation.

The body governing Taekwondo in the United Kingdom is British Taekwondo and anyone wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Bearsden has to also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to get plenty of information regarding safe practices, coaching courses, news, coaches and tournament referees, members and clubs, equality and safeguarding, events, first aid, launching a new club, and more, by heading to the official British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Matches governed by British Taekwondo rules require various pieces of protective gear to be used, these include: a red/blue head protector, a mouth protector, hand guards, shin protectors, a red/blue trunk protector (hogu), a groin protector and forearm guards. This is a must because of the formidable kicking actions being practiced.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

There are needless to say, many benefits to be had from participating in Taekwondo, and here are just an idea of the ones which might be of interest to you: Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by way of intense cardiovascular work-outs, Reduce anxiety and stress with controlled breathing, Help with self-defence by showing you how to realize occasions where self-defence may be necessary, and empowering you to control such circumstances in your favour, Improve concentration and self-esteem by maximizing your mental and physical powers, Strengthen your body and mind through accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, More discipline and willpower by extensively training your body and mind in the concepts and tactics of Taekwondo, Beef up confidence by pushing you to succeed and to take control of your life.

Taekwondo Competitions

There are a multitude of competitions and tournaments in Taekwondo associated with all the diverse styles. They mostly consist of patterns, sparring and breaking with very little "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions don't allow too much contact but sometimes allow hand attacks aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic competitions only allow sparring. Multi-style contests are also held.

Bearsden Taekwondo for Beginners

It does not matter what you're capable of or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at some stage you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We have all started like this and are only able to improve and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Bearsden are the best place to begin that learning journey and to pick up the basics so that you can gain confidence and proceed with your Taekwondo experience. Nearly all beginner classes are set up to be friendly and fun, offering a gradual introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo values and developing a firm base moving forward.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Taekwondo there's really no uniformity in relation to belts and grades. It all depends on which style you're considering, because there are so many different Taekwondo styles. They are however, normally divided into two groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour ranks consist of white to red, with from 8 to 12 grades, while the black/senior belts usually have nine levels.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what generally known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a range of different colours, so the ranks can be easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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 Bearsden will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and proceed through the various coloured belts until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

Taekwondo students in Bearsden are considered as "black belt candidates" once they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then need to move through yet another nine ranks (or Dans) if they aim to achieve the consummate accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into three sections; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which will take a considerable number of years to progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Bearsden, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Rankings Bearsden, Taekwondo Black Belts).

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably most recognized for its acrobatic kicking manoeuvres, here are a handful of the standard kicks you will learn as a rookie: Hook or Whip Kick, Back Kick, Crescent Kick, Side Kick, Push Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick. Blocks: To divert and stop an incoming Taekwondo attack, blocks (known as Makgi) are used. Held in specific positions, they employ the hand and sections of the arm. Specific attacks necessitate particular "blocks", but blocks can also be changed into counter-attacks by linking retaliatory kicks or punches. The primary "blocks" in Taekwondo include: Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block and Nine Block.