Taekwondo Great Yarmouth

While not wanting to discourage any particular age group, it has to be said that Taekwondo is more suited to younger people in Great Yarmouth, being quite physically demanding. Its teachings of self-discipline and respect for others make it especially appropriate for children. Older adults trying Taekwondo for the first time often find it too taxing, unless they have kept themselves active. People in Great Yarmouth who take up Taekwondo when they are young find it easy to continue when they get older. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in about 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. Some new schools called "kwans" were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts lovers, incorporating a number of various martial arts techniques. Kicking movements, especially head kicks, jumping/turning kicks and rapid kicking techniques are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known. Nowadays Great Yarmouth Taekwondo classes abide by this tradition.

Ever since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has made it even more popular around the world with some 60 million people actively attending classes. And it's by enrolling in a Taekwondo class or club that you are able to begin your journey of mastering this fascinating martial art.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and naturally this is one of the principal reasons that folks in Great Yarmouth join classes and engage with the sport. There has been a worrying escalation of violent behaviour over the last few years and this is especially rampant in town and city centres around Norfolk and the country as a whole. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such widespread qualities in Great Yarmouth these days.

While its nice to know that you are able to defend yourself any time you need to, it is hoped that you never need to do this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Class

Different Taekwondo schools in Great Yarmouth will have different thoughts on what enrollees should be covering on their very first class, however to give you an idea of what you can expect most initial Taekwondo lessons will incorporate a warm-up, some sparring, learning basic forms (Poomse), a quick introduction to stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks (technical training) and a final warm-down to relax weary muscles and get the body back to a state of relaxation.

If you would like to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Great Yarmouth, you'll also have to register with the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. By going to the British Taekwondo website you'll be able to find info regarding equality and safeguarding, safe practices, events, coaches and competition referees, coaching courses, clubs and members, news, launching a new Taekwondo club, first aid, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Taekwondo forms (also known as patterns or Poomse) are characterized by particular facets like direction, stance and technique. From the beginning you are going to be taught some of the important forms, and so as to progress through the rankings (belts) you will need to learn some more complex ones.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

With there being a number of types of Taekwondo there has never really been any uniform arrangement for allocating belts (ranks). What does exist is however pretty similar and comprises 2 belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groupings is divided into levels, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine for seniors.

Taekwondo Tournaments

A regular Taekwondo competition features breaking, patterns and sparring, as far as the Olympics is concerned only sparring is involved. That said there can also be some unique categories in particular tournaments such as self-defence and team demonstrations. WT contests are strictly soft-contact affairs, while International Taekwon-Do Federation tournaments permit some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are in addition some multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

Even the best exponents of Taekwondo in Great Yarmouth had to start as newbies, so there is no shame in being a complete beginner at Taekwondo, or any other activity for that matter. The aim of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide a few basics, boost self-confidence and build a solid base for the future. Most important of all is that it must be fun, trainees having a great time will learn faster and be more engaged.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo controlled matches call for specific safety equipment to be worn to protect competitors from being injured due to the formidable kicking that transpires. These safety products include: a groin guard, forearm protectors, a red/blue head protector, red or blue trunk armour (hogu), shin pads, a mouth protector and hand guards.

To Summarize

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you will improve your wellbeing, gain self-confidence and make more friends. If that is all that you get out of it, then that is great, you can call it a success! We aren't all vying to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, still need to start with the initial step. Good luck with your journey!