Taekwondo Buckhaven

As Taekwondo has quite high physical requirements, it's possibly more suited to the younger generation in Buckhaven. That isn't to say that older individuals cannot participate in this particular activity, but just that there might be alternative martial arts which are more suited to the less nimble among us. Tai Chi is a perfect example.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently established of the martial arts and entails mainly high-kicking moves such as head-height kicks, jumping/spinning kicks and fast kicking methods. It began when schools known as "kwans" were set up by a group of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity throughout the world with some sixty million people routinely attending classes. And it is by enrolling in a Taekwondo class or club that you can begin your adventure of learning this unique martial art.

Of all the many benefits of doing this sport, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that the people of Buckhaven consider most interesting. And its no real surprise that this features highly on people's list of priorities when you take into account the ever increasing levels of violence seen these days in city and town centres throughout the United Kingdom. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time respecting others and exercising self-restraint is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

Such self-defence techniques may in due course prove useful in your everyday life, though it is much more likely you'll only be putting them to the test within a supervised class setting. Nevertheless it is a reassuring feeling knowing the fact that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Buckhaven Taekwondo Class

If you have made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first lesson, you will be wondering what will happen. This may vary depending on which Buckhaven school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase your heart rate and reduce stiffness in the muscles, some technical training covering some kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocks, an introduction to forms or patterns, some ideas on sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

Any person wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Buckhaven must also register with British Taekwondo which is the governing body of the sport in Great Britain. You can learn about beginning a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, events, first aid, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, news, coaches and referees, safe practices, and more on the official British Taekwondo website, or find the latest Taekwondo news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main features of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a small selection of the most widely used kicks: Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi). Blocks: To defend against the numerous hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse range of "blocks". Held in specific positions, they engage the hand and sections of the arm. Every block can be coupled with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each is appropriate for a certain type of attack. The key blocks (makgi) include: Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In the art of taekwondo there is not really any form of standardisation with regards to belts and grades. It all depends on what style you're considering, since there are so many different Taekwondo styles and rules. They are however, normally divided into 2 groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior ranks range from white to red, with from 8 to 12 grades, while the senior/black belts normally have 9 ranks.

In the UK there are a set of ranks in Taekwondo that are referred to as "Kup". The lowest rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. If you are interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is denoted by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Students in Buckhaven getting started in Taekwondo will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and advance through the colours until they accomplish the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

As soon as this training regime has been completed, Buckhaven Taekwondo students are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they then need to earn a further nine ranks or Dans if they're to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate accolade in this sport. So, putting it simply, there are 3 main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and demands many years of training and dedication.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are a multitude of competitions in Taekwondo involving all the various styles. They mainly comprise breaking, sparring and patterns with hardly any "hard contact". ITF tournaments do not allow excessive contact but do allow hand attacks to the head. World Taekwondo and Olympic contests only allow sparring. Multi-style competitions also take place.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Newcomers just beginning their journey in Taekwondo don't have to stress excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) initially, but they will have to familiarise themselves with some important ones to begin with and move forward to more complicated "forms" as they move through the belts (dans/grades). A "form" is indicated by specified areas of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Getting to grips with these sequences is an important part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Beginners Taekwondo Buckhaven

It does not matter who you are or what you're capable of in Taekwondo, at one time you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing absolutely nothing. We've all started out at that point and are only able to learn and improve through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Buckhaven are the best place to begin that learning journey and to pick up the basic principles so you can gain self-confidence and move forward in your Taekwondo adventure. Nearly all beginner classes are created to be friendly and fun, offering a slow introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo principles and developing a solid foundation for the future.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

The benefits that may be acquired by taking part in Taekwondo instruction in Buckhaven are numerous, among the most advantageous are: Develop discipline by exhaustively schooling your mind and body in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Learn self-defence strategies by showing you how to recognise circumstances in which self-defence might be required, and allowing you to turn these kinds of circumstances to your advantage, Supercharge flexibility, agility and stamina by way of intense cardiovascular effort, Lessen anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Strengthen your body and mind by means of enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Build confidence by motivating you to succeed and to take control of your life, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by intensifying both mental and physical powers.

Final Thoughts

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess we don't all want to be. Taekwondo is not solely about National Championships and Olympic titles. The majority of of us are happy to improve our fitness levels, meet different people and make new friends, and that is how it ought to be. Yet, as with many matters in life, what you get out of it will be determined by what you put into it. Good luck and enjoy! 👊