Taekwondo Galashiels

Taekwondo is typically far more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty nimble and fit you might prefer to partake in something a bit gentler to improve your fitness in Galashiels. Children and younger people are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Galashiels, with lots of fast paced movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts and involves mainly kicking movements such as head-height kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking methods. It began when schools known as "kwans" were established by a group of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has made it even more popular all over the world with some 60 million people or more regularly attending classes. And it's by signing up to a Taekwondo class or club that you can commence your adventure of mastering this thrilling martial art.

For the people of Galashiels who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. Since this is a key concept of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the attraction of this specific sport. With the added bonus of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for those around you, registering for a local Galashiels Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

There is a very good chance that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be proven in your everyday life, but it will undoubtedly give you a secure feeling knowing that they are sitting in the background should you need them.

Your First Galashiels Taekwondo Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo before, you might be somewhat apprehensive as to what can be expected on your very first class. This varies from club to club but will normally involve some or all of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of practical training including learning some stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks, learning some forms, an introduction to sparring including the timing of attacks, movement and timing, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

Taekwondo also of course has its own official regulating body, and in Britain it is British Taekwondo. Every person wishing enroll with a Taekwondo club in Galashiels have to become registered members of this organisation. By viewing British Taekwondo's website you can read details on safeguarding and equality, events, first aid, coaching courses, referees and coaching, health and safety, starting a new Taekwondo club, clubs and members, news, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

The benefits which can be acquired by participating in Taekwondo lessons in Galashiels are numerous, among the most noteworthy are: Build up your confidence by pushing you to succeed and to take control of your life, Teach you self-defence by coaching you to understand occasions in which self-defence might be needed, and enabling you to manipulate these kinds of circumstances in your favour, Develop discipline and willpower by comprehensively schooling your body and mind in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Supercharge flexibility, agility and stamina through intense cardiovascular effort, Toughen up your mind and body via enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Lessen anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Improve your self-esteem by sharpening both mental and physical powers.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In the art of taekwondo there's not really any kind of standardisation when it comes to belts and ranking. It's all dependent upon which style you happen to be considering, since there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles. However, they are commonly split into 2 groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings range from white to red, with anything from eight to twelve levels, whilst the black/senior belts usually have nine levels.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo which are called "Kup". The lowest rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. As with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a range of different colours, so that the ranks are 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Galashiels will start out with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and move up through the colours until they attain the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

When this training has been accomplished, Galashiels Taekwondo trainees become known as "black belt candidates", and they then need to progress through an additional 9 Dans or ranks if they are to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the supreme distinction. Therefore, to put it simply, there are 3 principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belts. 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 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 involves many years of dedication.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It matters not what you're capable of or who you are in Taekwondo, at one stage you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We have all started like this and are only able to develop and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Galashiels are the right place get started on that learning journey and to pick up the necessary basics so that you can build self-confidence and proceed with your Taekwondo experience. The majority of beginner classes are set up to be fun and friendly, delivering a gradual introduction to the basic Taekwondo values and building a solid base moving forward.

Safety Gear

Competitions regulated by British Taekwondo policies demand that specific pieces of protective gear be worn, these include things like: red/blue trunk armour (hogu), a mouth guard, shin guards, hand guards, forearm guards, a red or blue head protector and a groin guard. This is vital on account of the vigorous kicking actions being practiced.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Forms are a pivotal part of Taekwondo and are important if you're to master this exciting sport. A few basic forms must be learned at the start and more challenging forms have to be perfected so as to advance through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is characterized by a number of facets such as direction, technique and stance.