Taekwondo Great Dunmow

As Taekwondo has pretty high physical requirements, it's perhaps more suitable for the younger people of Great Dunmow. That isn't to say that the older generation can't be involved in this popular activity, but merely that there could be alternative martial arts which are more suitable for the less agile of us. Tai Chi would be a perfect example.

Based mostly around high-kicking moves and manoeuvres like fast kicking strategies, head-height kicks and turning/jumping kicks, Taekwondo was devised from the techniques of various martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools called "Kwans" during the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" had the names Chungdo Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Jido Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Great Dunmow and throughout the UK. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Great Dunmow Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get yourself involved. While reaching Olympic standard may be aiming a bit high, there is no reason why you cannot become a Taekwondo master.

For the people of Great Dunmow who wish to learn a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. As this is a pivotal concept of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the attraction of this specific sport. With the added benefit of learning self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for others, getting involved in a local Great Dunmow Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

These self-defence techniques may in due course come in useful in the outside world, although it is far more likely that you will only be testing them within a regulated class environment. Nevertheless it's an amazing feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

For those of you who have never done Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be interested to know what to expect from your first class. Most Taekwondo schools in Great Dunmow follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, a bit of technical training such as learning some blocks, kicks, stances and hand attacks, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a few ideas on sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping.

Everyone who is a member of a Taekwondo class in Great Dunmow or anywhere else in the British Isles, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can get plenty of info on members and clubs, news, events, first aid, referees and coaching, equality and safeguarding, health and safety, coaching courses, beginning a new club, and more, by dropping by at British Taekwondo's official website.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you are enrolling in Taekwondo classes in Great Dunmow you will be intending to get some benefits to make the entire venture worthwhile. Therefore let's examine a few of the positive benefits that you may get by learning and practicing Taekwondo. Increase your self-esteem by heightening both physical and mental health, Boost confidence by inspiring you to take control of your life and succeed, More discipline by exhaustively training your body and mind in the concepts and strategies of Taekwondo, Improve agility, flexibility and stamina by means of strenuous cardiovascular effort, Reduce stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Empower your body and mind by way of increased mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Help with self-defence by helping you to recognize circumstances where self-defence could be necessary, and empowering you to manipulate these circumstances to your advantage.

Taekwondo Belts

When it comes to promotion, ranking and belts there's not actually any real standardisation in Taekwondo, as there are many different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own unique system. There are however analogies and they typically comprise two groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior grades typically have 9 tiers and the junior, between 8 and 12 levels.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks that are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, much like most of the martial arts is indicated by a number of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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 of Taekwondo in Great Dunmow will commence with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and progress through the different coloured belts until they attain the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

Taekwondo trainees in Great Dunmow are considered as "black belt candidates" after they have succeeded with this challenge, and they will then have to proceed through a further 9 ranks (called Dans) if they wish to achieve the greatest distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, to put it simply, there are three principal sections in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process that will take a considerable number of years.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Tournaments and competitions are a significant aspect of the overall Taekwondo experience, and all the different styles around the world stage contests where Taekwondo masters band together to compete. Hard contact is hardly ever allowed in any of these competitive events which mostly comprise sparring, breaking and patterns (forms). Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, whilst specified hand attacks are permitted in ITF events.

In Summary

So, what do you want from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer will vary for different people. The majority of participants will purely wish to gain more confidence, meet new people and improve their levels of fitness. We are certainly not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, you never know?