Taekwondo Cleadon

Taekwondo is generally far 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 improve your fitness in Cleadon. Children and younger people are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Cleadon, with lots of fast movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Based mostly around high-kicking moves and manoeuvres like turning/jumping kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking styles, Taekwondo was devised from the techniques of different martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools called "Kwans" in the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" were given the names Songmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Jido Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

With over 60 million fitness enthusiasts participating in Taekwondo sessions all over the world, this has certainly become a popular and beneficial activity, and if you become really good at the martial art you might even one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

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

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will more than likely never need to be proven outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however knowing that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you make your mind up to register for a Taekwondo club in Cleadon, the first thing you will need to know is what will happen on the first lesson and what will the instructor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Cleadon area will develop differing routines for this initial lesson but you should be expecting to do a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood coursing, learn a couple of Poomse (forms, cover some practical training (blocks, hand attacks, stances and kicks), do a bit of sparring, and last but not least, a warm-down.

The body governing Taekwondo in Great Britain is British Taekwondo and any individual wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Cleadon must also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to find plenty of info regarding establishing a new club, first aid, news, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, coaches and competition referees, events, health and safety, and more, by heading to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Tournaments and competitions are an important element of the Taekwondo legacy, and all of the diverse styles all over the world stage contests where Taekwondo masters come together to compete. Hard contact is hardly ever allowed in any of these competitive events which primarily comprise patterns (forms), breaking and sparring. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, while some hand attacks are permitted in ITF events.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are various disciplines of Taekwondo there's never been any recognised system for assigning belts (ranks). What exists however is relatively similar and involves a couple of belt groupings "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each of these groupings is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours for juniors and 9 "blacks" for the seniors.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are referred to as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you are curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is indicated by a number of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, namely 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo rookies in Cleadon will commence with, they will then proceed through the different colours, eventually reaching the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), after about three to four years.

After this has been completed, Taekwondo students in Cleadon become "black belt candidates" which sees them proceeding through another nine ranks (Dans) up until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" status. So, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the three primary groups in the Taekwondo belt order. 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 considerable number of years. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Promotion Cleadon, Taekwondo Belts Cleadon).

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is renowned for its powerful kicks, here are the basic ones: Back Kick, Push Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick, Side Kick, Whip or Hook Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: To defend against the numerous hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse range of blocks (Makgi). Employing the hands and different sections of the arm, they are held in various positions. Certain attacks require particular "blocks", but "blocks" can also be transformed into counter-attacks by combining retaliatory kicks or punches. The principal Taekwondo "blocks" (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Low Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block and Upper Block.