Taekwondo Bradford-on-Avon

Taekwondo is typically a lot more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty fit and nimble you may prefer to partake in something a bit gentler to boost your fitness levels in Bradford-on-Avon. Children are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Bradford-on-Avon, with a lot of fast paced movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts fanatics established some new schools which they named "kwans", practicing a combination of martial arts techniques. Kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking strategies, head-height kicks and jumping/spinning kicks are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known.

Taekwondo has grown to be extremely popular in Bradford-on-Avon and all around the world, with over sixty million participants worldwide. Becoming a member of a local Bradford-on-Avon Taekwondo club or class is a great way to become involved in this sporting activity which has even featured in the Olympic Games ever since the Sydney Games in 2000. Whilst you may not have any ambitions to be involved in Olympic competition, there is no reason why you should not become a maestro of this remarkable martial art and have a bit of fun along the way.

For many people in Bradford-on-Avon, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And its not surprising that this is on people's list of priorities when you consider the rising levels of violence seen these days in town and city centres throught the United Kingdom. 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.

With any luck you'll never have the need to use your newly acquired Taekwondo skills for defending yourself outside of your local club environment, but it is great to know it's there if you need it.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you elect to register for Taekwondo training in Bradford-on-Avon, the first thing you will need to know is what is going to occur on the first lesson and what will the teacher expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Bradford-on-Avon area will formulate diverse routines for this initial lesson but you can count on doing a 15 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood flowing, learn some simple Poomse (forms, go through some practical training (kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocks), do a bit of sparring, and last of all, a warm-down.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo class in Bradford-on-Avon or any place else in the British Isles, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. By viewing the official British Taekwondo website you can read facts about equality and safeguarding, events, news, clubs and members, first aid, safe practices, coaching courses, establishing a new Taekwondo club, coaches and referees, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Beginners in Taekwondo do not have to fret too much about forms (Poomse, patterns) at the outset, however they will have to familiarise themselves with some basic ones to begin with and move forward to more elaborate "forms" as they move up the belts (grades/dans). A "form" is indicated by specific elements of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Learning these sequences is a crucial part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The belt and ranking system can get quite confusing in Taekwondo because there isn't any standard system throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Similarities do exist though, and typically there are two separate belt groups, represented as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of rankings in the junior group varies over the styles but is usually between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior's groupings commonly has nine dans or belts.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo competitions are held around the world in all of the different styles. There is normally not a lot of hard contact but sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Olympic and WT contests consist only of sparring, in ITF competitions specified hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other associations stage multi-discipline events.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo competitions require specific safety equipment to be worn to safeguard competitors from injury due to the vigorous kicking that occurs. These safety products include: a groin protector, shin guards, forearm protectors, a red or blue head guard, hand protectors, a blue/red body guard (hogu) and a mouth protector.