Taekwondo Cupar

Due to its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger person in Cupar and is particularly suitable for children as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults who are not all that fit and active might find it a tad too taxing. For those people who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the experience into adulthood should not be a problem. If you are less agile you could always try something a bit softer such as Tai Chi or Yoga.

The discipline was developed in Korea in 1945, though it was not given the name Taekwondo until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking techniques, head kicks and jumping/spinning kicks.Today Cupar Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo has grown to be really popular in Cupar and around the globe, with more than sixty million participants worldwide. Getting started with a local Cupar Taekwondo class or club is a great way to become involved in this sport which has even been included in the Olympic Games ever since the Sydney Games of 2000. Whilst you might not have any aspirations to be involved in Olympic competition, there's no reason why you shouldn't become a maestro of this thrilling martial art and have a bit of fun in the process.

In these modern times of ever-increasing violence, it is no surprise that individuals in locations like Cupar are attending self-defence training 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 it also teaches self-restraint and a deep respect for other individuals, which are qualities that are often absent in 21st century living.

While it is a great experience to practice and master these self-defence skills in the controlled environment of your local Cupar Taekwondo club, hopefully you will never need to use them in the world outside.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have not attempted Taekwondo before you may be a bit concerned as to what you should expect on your first class. There may be variations to the following, subject to which Cupar Taekwondo school you attend, but you can pretty much expect; A warm up lasting 15-20 minutes, a little technical training covering some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques, learning some forms (or Poomse), some tips on sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down to loosen up and stretch weary muscles.

The official body regulating Taekwondo in Great Britain is British Taekwondo and any individual wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Cupar has to also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to find lots of details of launching a new Taekwondo club, health and safety, first aid, coaches and referees, clubs and members, safeguarding and equality, news, coaching courses, events, and more, by going to British Taekwondo's official website.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You will probably be intrigued to discover exactly what sort of benefits may be obtained by taking part in Cupar Taekwondo instruction and engaging fully in its activities. You could expect to: Beef up your confidence by inspiring you to seize control of your life and succeed, Empower your mind and body by way of enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Improve self-esteem and concentration by elevating your physical and mental powers, Improve stamina, flexibility and agility by way of extreme cardiovascular effort, Reduces anxiety using advanced breath control, More self-discipline by exhaustively training your mind and body in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo, Help with self-defence by helping you recognise scenarios where self-defence could be necessary, and empowering you to manipulate these situations to your advantage.

Safety Gear

In all tournaments, events and matches taking place under the patronage of British Taekwondo, safety gear like a mouth guard, hand protectors, shin pads, forearm guards, a blue or red trunk protector (hogu), a red/blue head guard and a groin protector is compulsory. The fast kicking movements used in Taekwondo can easily cause injuries and this helps make the activity safer for its competitors.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are various disciplines of Taekwondo there has never really been any recognised arrangement for allocating belts (levels). What does exist however is quite similar and consists of a couple of belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is divided into levels, eight to twelve colours for juniors and 9 for the seniors.

Ranks (belts) in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are known as "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest rank is Tenth Kup. If you're curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is portrayed by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Cupar will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the different colours until they achieve the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After succeeding with this challenge, Taekwondo students in Cupar are considered as "black belt candidates" which entails them progressing through a further 9 ranks (Dans) up until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, the bottom line is, there are 3 primary groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; 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. (Tags: Taekwondo Ranks Cupar, Taekwondo Belts Cupar, Taekwondo Belt Order, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

Taekwondo Forms

Forms are a key element of Taekwondo and are crucial to learn if you're going to master this thrilling sporting activity. Several basic "forms" need to be learned at the start and more complicated forms must be perfected so as to progress through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is characterised by various factors such as stance, direction and technique.

The Popular Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is renowned for its powerful kicking movements, the following are the important ones: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the various attacking movements, are called Makgi. Held in various positions, they engage the hand and different areas of the arm. Each "block" can be coupled with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attack, and each one is meant for a particular attack. The most important "blocks" include: Low Block, Rising Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Tournaments

There are a wide variety of tournaments in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They largely consist of patterns (forms), sparring and breaking with very little hard contact. ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests don't permit too much contact but may permit hand attacks to the head. WT and Olympic competitions only allow sparring. Multi-style tournaments also take place.