Taekwondo Bicester

Taekwondo is generally a lot more demanding physically than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty agile and fit you may prefer to find something a little bit gentler to boost your fitness in Bicester. Children and younger people are definitely an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Bicester, with a lot of fast paced movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently created of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul founded some schools known as "kwans", incorporating a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, largely consists of high-kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, rapid kicking strategies and turning/jumping kicks.

With over 60 million people participating in Taekwondo classes all around the globe, this has unquestionably become an extremely popular pastime, and if you really master this martial art you may even one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it's been a part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and undoubtedly this is one of the primary reasons that individuals in Bicester sign up to classes and engage with the sport. There's been a disconcerting escalation of violent conduct in recent years and this is particularly widespread in city and town centres throughout Oxfordshire and the UK in general. The fantastic thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such common characteristics in Bicester these days.

While its good to know they are there if you need them, hopefully you will not ever have the need to use your newly learned Taekwondo skills for defending yourself outside of your local club surroundings.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you have never done Taekwondo before, you could be somewhat apprehensive as to what you can expect on your first class. This will vary from club to club but will generally consist of all or some of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training involving learning some stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks, studying a few Poomse (forms), an introduction to sparring including timing, the timing of attacks and movement, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

Any individual wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Bicester must also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in Britain. You will be able to get a lot of information about equality and safeguarding, events, news, coaching courses, clubs and members, establishing a new club, first aid, health and safety, coaches and referees, and more, by viewing the official British Taekwondo website.

The Eight Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Among the basic Taekwondo kicks that you'll master to begin with include: Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to defend against the different attacking movements, are known as Makgi. Held in various positions, they engage the hand and areas of the arm. Each "block" can be combined with a punch or kick to produce a counter-attack, and each one is appropriate for a certain type of attack. The most important blocks in Taekwondo include: Nine Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Upper Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are various styles of Taekwondo there's never been any standard arrangement for allocating belts (levels). What does exist is however fairly similar and consists of a couple of belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groupings is divided into grades, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and 9 for the seniors.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo competitions require certain safety gear to be worn to safeguard contenders from getting injured due to the powerful kicks that are used. This safety gear includes: a groin protector, hand guards, a gum shield, blue/red body armour, a red/blue head guard, shin pads and forearm guards.