Taekwondo Halewood

As Taekwondo has fairly high physical requirements, it's perhaps more suited to the younger people of Halewood. That is not to say that the older generation cannot be involved in this particular activity, but simply that there may be alternative martial arts that are more suitable for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be the perfect illustration.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. Some new schools called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics. The emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known, is on kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/turning kicks, rapid kicking techniques and head-height kicks.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million followers worldwide, and whilst you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you are still able to join a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will no doubt turn out to be a fascinating and rewarding pastime.

For many folks in Halewood, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that holds the most appeal. And in these days of ever increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it's little surprise that this aspect sits high on people's list of priorities. It is a primary factor of Taekwondo that you are able to gain more confidence in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect those around you and learn self-restraint.

Although it will instill you with self-confidence being aware that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the likelihood is you will never be required to use them outside of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Class

If Taekwondo is not a sport that you've ever tried previously, you'll probably be curious about what you should be expecting from your very first class if you make your mind up to join. Different Taekwondo schools in the Halewood area have varying ideas about this but roughly; you'll participate in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you'll do a certain amount of technical training, you will learn some forms (patterns), you are going to practice sparring techniques and last but not least you will perform a warm-down to get your body back into a relaxed state again.

Taekwondo of course also has got its own official regulating body, and in the UK it is British Taekwondo. Anyone wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Halewood must become a member of this organisation. By checking out the British Taekwondo website you'll be able to discover info on safeguarding and equality, health and safety, news, coaches and competition referees, events, clubs and members, coaching courses, starting a new Taekwondo club, first aid, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a significant role in Taekwondo, here are a selection of the best known ones ones: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to fend off the different attacks, are called Makgi. Held in diverse positions, they employ the hand and areas of the arm. Certain attacks necessitate particular "blocks", but blocks can also be turned into counter-attacking movements by linking reciprocal punches or kicks. The principal "blocks" (makgi) include: Nine Block, Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are vital if you are to excel at this popular sport. Several basic forms need to be grasped from the outset and more complicated forms must be perfected in order to progress through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is distinguished by a number of factors such as direction, stance and technique.

Tournaments

There are a multitude of contests in Taekwondo involving all the diverse styles. They mostly include breaking, sparring and patterns with almost no hard contact. ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments do not permit too much contact but sometimes allow hand attacks towards the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic contests allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments also take place.

Safety Equipment

In all competitions, matches and events taking place under the supervision of British Taekwondo, safety gear like a gum shield, forearm protectors, a groin guard, shin protectors, hand protectors, blue or red trunk armour and a blue or red head protector is mandatory. The fast kicking moves which are part of Taekwondo can cause serious injuries and this helps to make the sport less dangerous for its competitors.

Conclusion

So, what are you hoping to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that is an excellent question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will purely wish to meet new people, improve their fitness levels and gain more self-confidence. We are not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, who knows?