Taekwondo Castleford

Due to its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger person in Castleford and is particularly suitable for children as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. However those in Castleford who take up Taekwondo at a young age, will find that carrying it on into older adulthood is not a problem. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts and entails mostly kicking moves such as rapid kicking strategies, jumping/spinning kicks and head kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were founded by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity worldwide with some 60 million people or more actively participating in classes. And it's by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you can start your adventure of learning this thrilling activity.

In these days of ever-increasing violence, it's hardly surprising that folks in places like Castleford are enrolling in self-defence classes like Taekwondo to enable them to feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a deep respect for others around us, which are disciplines that are often missing in this modern age.

Although you will take a lot of trouble learning these vital self-defence techniques, with luck you'll never need to implement them except within your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never dome Taekwondo before, you may be interested to know exactly what is likely to happen on your first lesson. The following will give you an example, but this will vary depending on which Castleford school you attend. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase heart rate and loosen your muscles, a little technical training comprising some hand attacks, stances, kicks and blocks, an introduction to some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

Taekwondo of course also has got its own official regulating body, and in Great Britain it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Castleford has to become a registered member of this organisation. By going to the British Taekwondo website you'll be able to obtain info on coaching courses, events, equality and safeguarding, health and safety, news, clubs and members, first aid, starting a new Taekwondo club, referees and coaching, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a major role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a small selection of the more basic ones: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Blocks: To repulse the various kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse range of blocks. Engaging the hand and different parts of the arm, they are held in various positions. Each type of attack calls for a specific kind of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with a retaliatory punch or kick. The most used blocks used in Taekwondo include: Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block and Rising Block.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Perfecting Tae kwon do calls for getting to grips with a number of techniques and disciplines and one of the pivotal elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of technique, stance and direction which need to be memorized in order for participants to move through the different dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Belts

Because there are a number of kinds of Taekwondo there's never really been any uniform system for allocating belts (levels). What does exist is however relatively similar and is made up of two belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groupings is split into grades, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and nine for the seniors.

Beginners Classes

Even the very best exponents of Taekwondo in Castleford began their journey as newbies, so it's no disgrace to be a total beginner at Taekwondo, or any other activity for that matter. The objective of a Taekwondo beginner class is to teach a few of the basics, raise confidence and build a firm base for the future. Most important of all is that it needs to be enjoyable, students having a good time are going to learn quicker and be better committed.