Taekwondo Berkhamsted

Many people in Berkhamsted would imagine that the fast punching, high kicking movements demanded by Taekwondo are more suitable for younger children. Keeping up with the physical demands of the sport may be easier for the younger generation, but this doesn't mean that people of all ages can take part in, and enjoy the many benefits of this activity. However, so as to fully enjoy all the ins and outs of Taekwondo, it helps to be fairly agile.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", incorporating a number of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was eventually called, mainly consists of kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/turning kicks, fast kicking styles and head-height kicks.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity throughout the world with some sixty million people or more actively taking classes. And it's by signing up to a Taekwondo club or class that you can start your adventure of mastering this remarkable art.

Of all the many benefits of doing this sport, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that the people of Berkhamsted find most appealing. This is not hard to believe when you take into account the high levels of violence experienced in town and city centres on a daily basis. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

These self-defence techniques may at some time come in useful in your day to day life, although it is far more likely you'll solely be putting them to the test within a monitored class setting. Yet it is a wonderful feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to successfully defend yourself when you have to.

Your First Class

If you decide to register for a Taekwondo club in Berkhamsted, the first thing you will want to know is what will transpire on the initial class and what will the coach expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in Berkhamsted will formulate differing routines for this initial lesson but you should be expecting to do a 15 minute warm-up to get the blood pumping and loosen your muscles, learn some basic Poomse (forms, cover some technical training (blocks, hand attacks, kicks and stances), do a small amount of sparring, and last of all, warm-down.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo club in Berkhamsted or anywhere else in the UK, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the regulating body of the sport. You'll be able to find out about clubs and members, coaches and referees, coaching courses, events, starting a new club, equality and safeguarding, first aid, safe practices, news, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

There are needless to say, quite a few benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and the following are just a few which could be attractive to you: Enhance your self-esteem by heightening both physical and mental fitness, Augment stamina, agility and flexibility by means of strenuous cardiovascular effort, Teach you self-defence techniques by helping you realize occasions where self-defence could be required, and allowing you to control these situations in your favour, Greater discipline and willpower by methodically schooling your mind and body in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Build confidence by encouraging you to take control of your life and succeed, Toughen up your body and mind via accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Lower anxiety and stress using advanced breath control.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Mastering Taekwondo will involve learning a number of disciplines and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are types of technique, direction and stance which must be memorized in order for students to move through the various dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In Taekwondo there is not really any kind of standardisation in relation to ranking and belts. It is all depending on which style you happen to be considering, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo styles. They are however, generally split into 2 groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings range from white to red, with anything from eight to twelve rankings, while the black/senior belts usually have 9 grades.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo contests call for specific safety equipment to be worn to safeguard competitors from being injured due to the powerful kicking that occurs. These safety items include: red/blue body armour, shin pads, forearm guards, hand protectors, a mouth protector, a groin guard and a blue/red head protector.