Taekwondo Bexley

As Taekwondo has quite high physical demands, it is perhaps more suited to the younger people of Bexley. That is not to say that elderly people cannot be involved in this particular activity, but just that there might be other martial arts which are more suitable for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly features high-kicking manoeuvres, most notably fast kicking techniques, jumping/turning kicks and head-height kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists founded schools known as "kwans", which mixed together various martial arts practices.

With over 60 million practitioners worldwide and quite a few in Bexley, Taekwondo has become very popular. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you want to get involved, joining a local Bexley Taekwondo club or class is a good place to start. There is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

In these days of increasing violence, it's no surprise that people in locations like Bexley are taking up self-defence training like Taekwondo to help them to feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the key factors of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a respect for other individuals, which are disciplines that are largely lacking in modern day life.

Although it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are you will never need to use them outside the controlled setting of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. There may be variations to the following, depending on which Bexley Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, a little technical training which will involve learning some blocking techniques, stances, hand attacks and kicks, learning some forms (or Poomse), a few ideas on sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent spasms and cramping.

Taekwondo also of course has got its own official governing body, and in the UK it is British Taekwondo. Every person wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Bexley have to become registered members of this organisation. You will be able to read about events, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, coaches and tournament referees, launching a new club, first aid, health and safety, news, members and clubs, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and find out the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

The benefits that can be acquired by taking part in Taekwondo training in Bexley are numerous, amongst the most noteworthy are: Empower your mind and body thru increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Augment stamina, agility and flexibility by means of intense cardiovascular effort, Grow in your confidence by inspiring you to take control of your life and succeed, Reduces anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Better discipline and willpower by extensively schooling your mind and body in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Increase concentration and self-esteem by heightening both physical and mental powers, Help with self-defence by showing you how to recognise scenarios in which self-defence might be needed, and allowing you to control these types of circumstances to your advantage.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are a number of disciplines of Taekwondo there's never really been any uniform system for allocating belts (levels). What does exist however is pretty similar and is made up of two belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groupings is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours in the case of juniors and 9 "blacks" for the seniors.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are a wide variety of competitions in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They largely involve patterns (forms), sparring and breaking with not much "hard contact". ITF competitions don't permit substantial contact but may permit hand attacks towards the head. WT and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style competitions are also held.

Beginners Taekwondo Bexley

With any sport or activity we need to start somewhere, and Taekwondo is exactly the same. Even the best Bexley Taekwondo exponents were complete rookies at one point. So, what can you expect as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees enough training to teach them the basics and enable them to build self-confidence as they progress. The ideal beginners class must be enjoyable as well as instructional, when people are having fun they're far more engaged and are going to learn quicker.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo controlled contests call for certain safety equipment to be worn to safeguard competitors from personal injury as a result of the powerful kicks that occur. These safety items include: hand protectors, forearm guards, a groin protector, shin protectors, a mouth protector, a blue or red body guard (hogu) and a blue or red head protector.

Conclusion

What you get from Taekwondo will be proportional to what you put into it (as is true of life in general). The majority of you will merely wish to meet different people, improve your fitness and make new friends, some may aspire to move on to tournaments and competitions or maybe even the Olympics. But remember, we cannot all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.