Taekwondo Haverhill

Taekwondo is typically far more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty nimble and fit you might prefer to partake in something a little gentler to boost your fitness levels in Haverhill. Younger children are certainly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Haverhill, with lots of fast paced movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

With its origins in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts and entails primarily high-kicking moves such as turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking methods and head kicks. It began when schools called "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo has become extremely popular in Haverhill and all across the globe, with more than 60 million students worldwide. Joining a local Taekwondo class or club in Haverhill is the best way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. Whilst noone would seriously expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Haverhill.

For many people in Haverhill, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that is the most appealing. And in these days of increasing violence, particularly in town and city centres, it's not a surprise that this features prominently people's list of priorities. Being capable of defending yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by respecting others and exercising self-restraint.

While it is great to know that you can defend yourself any time you need to, it is hoped that you never need to test this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first lesson, you will be wondering what will happen. There may be variations to the following, depending on which Haverhill Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase heart rate, a bit of technical training which will involve learning some blocking techniques, hand attacks, stances and kicks, an introduction to some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to stretch tired muscles and relax.

Any individual wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Haverhill must also register with British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in the British Isles. You will be able to learn about safe practices, coaches and referees, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, events, starting a new club, clubs and members, first aid, news, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or find out the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When you're getting started with Taekwondo classes in Haverhill you'll be looking to get a few benefits to make the entire thing worthwhile. So let's consider some of the many positive benefits that you may get by doing and learning Taekwondo. Teach you self-defence tactics by helping you recognize situations where self-defence might be needed, and empowering you to control these kinds of circumstances to your advantage, Strengthen your body and mind through enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Lessen anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Boost confidence by helping you to succeed and to take control of your life, Turbocharge agility, flexibility and stamina by way of strenuous cardiovascular exertion, Increase your self-esteem by intensifying your mental and physical powers, More discipline and willpower by extensively training your mind and body in the principles and tactics of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a significant role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a selection of the best known ones ones: Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Back Kick, Axe Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Side Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick. Blocks: To stop and avert an incoming Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are used. Held in specific positions, they involve the hands and different areas of the arm. Every block can be merged with a kick or punch to produce a counter-attacking move, and each is suitable for a particular attack. The primary "blocks" include: Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Nine Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Upper Block and Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Taekwondo competitions are held across the globe in all the various styles. There's generally not a lot of hard contact but breaking, sparring and patterns. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) contests comprise only sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions specific hand attacks are permitted to the head. Some other associations hold multi-discipline events.

Beginners Taekwondo Haverhill

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Haverhill set out as newbies, so there's no shame in being a total beginner at Tae kwon do, or any other activity for that matter. The goal of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few of the basics, raise confidence and build a firm foundation moving forward. Most importantly of all is that it needs to be fun, students having a good time are going to learn faster and be better committed.

Safety Gear

In all tournaments, contests and events being held under the patronage of British Taekwondo, safety gear like a blue/red head protector, a groin protector, forearm guards, shin protectors, a mouth guard, blue or red body armour and hand protectors is mandatory. The fast kicking manoeuvres used in Taekwondo could cause injuries and this all helps to make this activity much safer for its competitors.