Taekwondo Derry

Since Taekwondo has fairly high physical demands, it's possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Derry. That is not to say that older people can't be involved in this particular activity, but merely that there may be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less nimble among us. Tai Chi is the perfect example.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily involves kicking manoeuvres, most notably turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking methods and head-height kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts specialists founded schools called "kwans", which merged a variety of martial arts techniques.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in Derry is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While reaching Olympic standard may be aiming a bit high, there is no reason why you cannot become a Taekwondo master.

In these modern times of ever-increasing violence, it's no surprise that folks in places like Derry are signing up for self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary factors of Taekwondo but at the same time it also encourages self-restraint and a deep respect for those around us, which are traits that are often absent in this modern age.

Even though you will spend a lot of time mastering these essential self-defence techniques, hopefully you'll never need to implement them except within your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Class

If you have never done Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. This will vary from school to school but will usually involve some or all of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training such as learning some stances, kicks, hand attacks and blocking techniques, learning some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch tired muscles and relax.

If you want to join a Taekwondo club in Derry, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. You'll be able to read about events, coaching courses, launching a new club, members and clubs, news, first aid, health and safety, coaches and referees, safeguarding and equality, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or get the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Forms

Perfecting Tae kwon do necessitates learning a number of disciplines and techniques and one of the key aspects of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are types of direction, stance and technique which have to be mastered in order for participants to move through the different dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking system can get a bit bewildering in Taekwondo as there is no recognised arrangement across the diverse Taekwondo styles. Parallels do exist though, and commonly there are two separate belt groups, signified as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of levels in the junior groupings varies through the styles but is commonly somewhere between eight and twelve belts, while the senior group commonly has nine dans or belts.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Derry set out as newbies, therefore it's no disgrace to be a beginner at Tae kwon do, or any other activity for that matter. The goal of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide just a few basics, increase self-confidence and develop a firm base moving forward. Most importantly of all is that it needs to be fun, trainees having fun are going to learn quicker and be better engaged.

To Summarize

Precisely what you get from Taekwondo are going to be proportional to what you put into it (as is the case with life in general). Most of you will simply wish to improve your fitness, meet different people and make new friends, some may aspire to move on to competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we cannot all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊