Taekwondo Brechin

When most people in Brechin visualize Taekwondo, they imagine young kids performing energetic punching and kicking manoeuvres. While the younger generation may find the physical demands of Taekwondo easier to cope with, there is nothing at all to stop people of any age taking part. Being relatively fit is however a requirement of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). Some new schools called "kwans" were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics, combining a number of various martial arts techniques. The emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/spinning kicks, fast kicking methods and head kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".Today Brechin Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

With over sixty million people taking part in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has definitely become an extremely popular and beneficial activity, and if you become really good at the martial art you may even one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it's been an integral part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

For a lot of folks in Brechin, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. And in these days of ever increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it's no surprise that this aspect sits high up on people's priority lists. It is a key element of Taekwondo that you're able to become more confident in your ability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect other people and learn self-restraint.

Hopefully you won't ever have the need to use your newly acquired Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club environment, but it's nice to know it is there if you need it.

Your First Class

If you've never done Taekwondo previously, you could be somewhat anxious as to what should be expected on your first class. This may vary from club to club but will typically consist of some or all of these. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen up muscles and increase your heart rate, some practical training including learning some stances, blocks, hand attacks and kicks, discovering 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 weary muscles.

Taekwondo also of course has its own regulating body, and in Great Britain it is British Taekwondo. Every person wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Brechin have to become members of this organisation. You will be able to find out about safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, establishing a new club, coaches and tournament referees, news, safe practices, events, first aid, coaching courses, and more on the British Taekwondo website, and find the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It does not matter who you are or what you're standing is in the world of Taekwondo, at some time you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We've all started like this and can only improve and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Brechin are the best place get started on that learning journey and to pick up the necessary basics so you can build confidence and move forward in your exciting Taekwondo experience. Nearly all beginner classes are created to be fun and friendly, providing a gradual introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo values and building a solid base moving forward.

Taekwondo Competitions

A standard Taekwondo competition incorporates patterns (forms), breaking and sparring, in the Olympics only sparring is involved. That said there may also be a few special categories in particular tournaments such as self-defence and team demonstrations. WT (World Taekwondo) competitions are solely soft-contact affairs, while International Taekwon-Do Federation competitions allow some hand attacks to the head. There are additionally a few multi-discipline competitions.

The Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is possibly most recognized for its spectacular kicks, listed here are a selection of the standard kicks you'll learn as a novice: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To defend against the numerous hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse array of blocks. Held in diverse positions, they engage the hands and sections of the arm. Each and every "block" can be coupled with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attacking manoeuvre, and each one is suitable for a certain type of attack. The most used blocks (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Upper Block and Rising Block.

Taekwondo Belts

In relation to belts, ranking and promotion there isn't actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, as there are a number of styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific arrangement. There are however similarities and they typically consist of a couple of groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior ranks generally have nine ranks and the junior, 8 to 12 levels.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks (belts) which are known as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). If you're eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is denoted by a number of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, specifically 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 Brechin will begin with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and advance through the different colours until they attain the First Kup (Red Belt With Black Stripe)

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Brechin are known as "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through a further nine ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt". So, putting it simply, there are 3 primary groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group range from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process that will take a number of years.