Taekwondo Hartley

Taekwondo is typically far more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and agile you might prefer to find something a little gentler to improve your fitness in Hartley. Children and younger people are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Hartley, with lots of fast paced movements going on and plenty of high kicking.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in about 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial arts enthusiasts in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a mix of martial arts techniques. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the primary focus of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, in particular head kicks, fast kicking techniques and jumping/turning kicks. Nowadays Hartley Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

With over 60 million fitness enthusiasts taking part in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has certainly become an extremely popular pastime, and if you become really good at this martial art you may possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part ever since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and not surprisingly this is one of the primary reasons that people in Hartley sign up to classes and engage with the sport. There's been a worrying increase in violent practices over the last few years and this is especially common in city and town centres throughout Kent and the United Kingdom in general. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also teaches self-discipline and a deep respect for others, not such common attributes in Hartley nowadays.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be put to the test outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however knowing that you've got them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Lesson

If you decide on registering for Taekwondo training in Hartley, the first thing you'll wish to know is what will occur on the very first lesson and what exactly will the tutor be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Hartley area will devise diverse routines for this initial introductory lesson but you can expect to do a 15 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood coursing, learn a few Poomse (forms, cover some technical training (kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks), do a certain amount of sparring, and lastly, warm-down.

Any person who joins a Taekwondo class in Hartley must also register with British Taekwondo which is the regulating body of the sport in the UK. By going to British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to find details about coaches and referees, clubs and members, beginning a new Taekwondo club, health and safety, news, equality and safeguarding, first aid, coaching courses, events, and a lot more Taekwondo related facts.

Safety Equipment

In all competitions, events and contests being staged under the control of British Taekwondo, safety gear like forearm guards, shin protectors, hand protectors, a red/blue head guard, red or blue body armour (hogu), a groin protector and a mouth guard is obligatory. The kicking tactics employed in Taekwondo can cause injuries and this precaution helps make this activity much safer for its competitors.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're getting started with Taekwondo classes in Hartley you'll be intending to get some benefits to make the entire enterprise worthwhile. So why don't we consider some of the benefits that you might get by practicing and learning Taekwondo. Beef up confidence by pushing you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Enhance your self-esteem by sharpening your physical and mental fitness, Strengthen your mind and body by way of enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Learn self-defence by coaching you to recognize situations where self-defence might be required, and empowering you to manipulate these kinds of circumstances in your favour, Greater discipline and willpower by extensively educating your body and mind in the concepts and techniques of Taekwondo, Increase stamina, agility and flexibility through intense cardiovascular work-outs, Reduce stress and anxiety using advanced breath control.

Tournaments

A standard Taekwondo tournament features patterns, sparring and breaking, where the Olympics is concerned only sparring is included. Having said that there may also be some extraordinary events in certain competitions such as self-defence and team demonstrations. World Taekwondo competitions are strictly soft-contact events, whilst International Taekwon-Do Federation competitions permit some hand attacks aimed at the head. There are additionally a number of multi-discipline contests.

Taekwondo Belts

In Taekwondo there is really no form of standardisation with regards to grades and belts. It all depends upon which style you are considering, as there are such a diversity of Taekwondo rules and styles. They are however, typically split into a couple of groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings consist of white to red, with anything from eight to twelve grades, while the black/senior belts generally have 9 grades.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are referred to as "Kup". The lowest rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. As is the case 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, namely - 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 Hartley will commence with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and progress through the different colours until they achieve the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

Taekwondo trainees in Hartley become known as "black belt candidates" after they've successfully completed this process, and they will then have to proceed through another 9 ranks (called Dans) if they aim to achieve the supreme distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, putting it simply, there are 3 primary divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 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 go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process that will take many years.

To Summarize

So, what are you hoping to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's an excellent question, and the answer will vary for different people. Most participants will just look to improve their fitness levels, meet new people and gain more confidence. We're not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, you never know? 👊