Taekwondo Corringham

It's got to be asserted that Taekwondo can be fairly demanding physically, which might unnerve the older and less nimble folks in Corringham from getting involved. To be completely truthful, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but obviously older people who are in good physical health can easily take part and benefit considerably from this activity.

The discipline was developed in Korea in 1945, though it was not given the name Taekwondo until the 1950's. 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 rapid kicking strategies, jumping/spinning kicks and head kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".

With over 60 million practitioners worldwide and quite a few in Corringham, Taekwondo has become very popular. Joining a local Corringham Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While reaching Olympic standard may be aiming a bit high, there is no reason why you cannot become a Taekwondo master.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the principal reasons that people in Corringham sign up to classes and engage with the sport. There has been a worrying increase in violent practices over the last few years and this is especially rampant in city and town centres around Essex and the country as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such widespread attributes in Corringham these days.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never need to be tested outside of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however knowing that you've got them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Lesson

If you've booked your first lesson but haven't attempted Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to prepare for. The following will give you an overview, but this will vary from school to school. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to increase your heart rate and reduce stiffness in your muscles, some technical training which will involve learning some hand attacks, blocks, kicks and stances, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a few tips on sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and to round off a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing to prevent cramping and spasms.

The governing body for Taekwondo in Britain is British Taekwondo and anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Corringham must also become a member of British Taekwondo. You will be able to learn about safe practices, first aid, referees and coaching, events, equality and safeguarding, beginning a new club, clubs and members, coaching courses, news, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find the latest Taekwondo news reports on their Twitter or Facebook page.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You will probably be fascinated to learn about precisely what sort of benefits could be gained by attending Corringham Taekwondo lessons and partaking fully in its practices. You can expect to: Teach you self-defence by helping you to recognize circumstances in which self-defence could be necessary, and allowing you to turn these types of circumstances to your advantage, Develop discipline by comprehensively educating your mind and body in the techniques and doctrines of Taekwondo, Grow in confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Improve flexibility, stamina and agility by means of intensive cardiovascular work-outs, Lower stress with controlled breathing, Improve feelings of self-esteem by elevating your mental and physical fitness, Strengthen your mind and body thru increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination.

Tournaments

There are a whole host of competitions and tournaments in Taekwondo associated with all the different styles. They mostly include patterns, breaking and sparring with little or no "hard contact". ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments don't allow excessive contact but do allow hand attacks aimed at the head. WT and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style competitions are also held.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

With there being many different types of Taekwondo there has never really been any standard system for allocating belts (grades). What does exist is however relatively similar and consists of two belt groups "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each one of these groupings is divided into levels, 8 to 12 colours in the case of juniors and 9 "blacks" for seniors.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo that are called "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of different colours, so that the ranks can be easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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 White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo newbies in Corringham will commence with, they can then move up through the colours, eventually reaching the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which will take about 3-4 years of dedication.

After this training has been completed, Corringham Taekwondo students advance to "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional 9 Dans or ranks if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme distinction. So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the three main sections in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication and training.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It does not matter what you're capable of or who you are in the world of Taekwondo, at one time you were a complete novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We've all started at that point and can only improve and learn through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Corringham are the place to begin that learning process and to acquire the basic principles so you can gain confidence and proceed with your Taekwondo adventure. Most beginner classes are geared up to be fun and friendly, delivering a gradual introduction to the fundamental Taekwondo principles and building a firm foundation for the future.

Taekwondo Forms

Beginners in Taekwondo don't need to stress too much about forms (patterns, Poomse) at the outset, however they will have to learn some standard ones to start with and move on to more intricate forms as they progress up the belts (dans/grades). A form is indicated by specified areas of Taekwondo including stance, technique and direction. Learning these techniques is a crucial part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Safety Gear

Safety equipment such as shin protectors, forearm protectors, hand guards, red/blue trunk armour, a groin protector, a gum shield and a red or blue head guard are used in all contests supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is imperative thanks to the potent kicking which is part and parcel of this activity.