Taekwondo Doncaster

It's got to be said that Taekwondo can be quite demanding physically, which may intimidate the less nimble and more elderly people in Doncaster from taking this up. To be honest, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are children and younger people, but unquestionably older individuals who're in good physical condition can easily participate and benefit from this activity.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently established of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some new schools which they called "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, mainly consists of high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly fast kicking strategies, spinning/jumping kicks and head kicks.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Doncaster and all over the world, with over sixty million students worldwide. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to have a go, signing up for your local Doncaster Taekwondo club or class is a great way to get involved. While nobody would seriously expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Doncaster.

For the people of Doncaster who like the idea of learning a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. Because this is a central principle of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to see the attraction of this specific sport. With the added bonus of developing self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for other people, enrolling in a local Doncaster Taekwondo class seems to be a no brainer.

There's a pretty decent likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in the outside world, but it will most certainly give you reassurance knowing that they are there should you need them.

Your First Class

If you have not attempted Taekwondo before you will be a little anxious as to what you should expect on your first class. There could be variations to the following, depending on which Doncaster Taekwondo school you go to, but you can pretty much expect; 15 to 20 minutes of warm up exercises to loosen stiff muscles and increate your heart rate, some technical training covering some kicks, blocking techniques, hand attacks and stances, an introduction to some forms, a look at sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

Any individual wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Doncaster must also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in Great Britain. By exploring British Taekwondo's official website you can read info on safeguarding and equality, establishing a new Taekwondo club, health and safety, news, events, coaching courses, coaches and tournament referees, clubs and members, first aid, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the finest exponents of Taekwondo in Doncaster began their journey as newbies, so there is no shame in being a complete beginner at Tae kwon do, or any other activity for that matter. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few basics, boost self-confidence and develop a firm base moving forward. Most important of all is that it should be enjoyable, students having a great time will learn faster and be more committed.

Tournaments

A standard Taekwondo tournament includes patterns, breaking and sparring, in the Olympics only sparring is involved. With that being said there are also some unique categories in specific tournaments such as self-defence and team demonstrations. WT (World Taekwondo) competitions are solely soft-contact events, while ITF contests permit some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are additionally some multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In Tae kwon do there's really no uniformity when it comes to belts and ranking. It's all depending on what style you happen to be reviewing, as there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles. However, they are commonly separated into two groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior rankings range from white to red, with anything from eight to twelve rankings, whilst the black/senior belts commonly have 9 levels.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks (belts) that are referred to as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a number of 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, specifically - 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 in Doncaster getting started in Taekwondo will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and progress through the colours until they attain the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

Once this training regime has been completed, Doncaster Taekwondo trainees are referred to as "black belt candidates", and they must then earn an additional nine Dans or ranks if they're to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme distinction in this sport. So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the 3 principal sections in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division 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 demands many years of training and dedication.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

In all contests, tournaments and events taking place under the auspices of British Taekwondo, safety gear like a blue or red body protector (hogu), forearm protectors, a blue or red head protector, hand guards, shin pads, a mouth protector and a groin guard is compulsory. The kicking tactics which are part of Taekwondo could cause harm and this helps to make the activity less hazardous for its competitors.