Taekwondo Hereford

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be rather physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Hereford, it is especially good for children who will learn to be self-disciplined and respecting of others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. For those people who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the experience into adulthood should not be a problem. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Based largely around high-kicking manoeuvres like fast kicking methods, head kicks and spinning/jumping kicks, Taekwondo was created from the techniques of different martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" during the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" had the names Songmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Jido Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million enthusiasts worldwide, and although you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you are still able to enroll in a Taekwondo club or class to master what will undoubtedly prove to be a fulfilling and fascinating activity.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and undoubtedly this is one of the principal reasons that people in Hereford join classes and engage with the sport. There has been a disconcerting increase in violent behaviour in recent times and this is particularly common in city and town centres around Herefordshire and the country in general. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such common characteristics in Hereford these days.

Whilst it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have such self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are that you will never have to test them outside the regulated atmosphere of an organised Taekwondo class.

What to Expect From Your First Class

For those of you who have never done Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be intrigued to know just what to expect from your first lesson. Most Taekwondo schools in Hereford follow a similar pattern, but there might be some variation to the following. An initial warm up lasting 15-20 minutes, a bit of technical training covering some hand attacks, stances, kicks and blocking techniques, a look at some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch muscles.

Everybody who is a registered member of a Taekwondo club in Hereford or any place else in Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. You can learn about coaches and tournament referees, members and clubs, first aid, health and safety, beginning a new club, equality and safeguarding, news, coaching courses, events, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or get the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You will no doubt be interested to find out about precisely what type of benefits may be achieved by attending Hereford Taekwondo training and partaking fully in its activities. You can expect to: Help with self-defence strategies by showing you how to identify scenarios where self-defence might be required, and enabling you to control such circumstances to your advantage, Empower your body and mind via enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Reduce anxiety with controlled breathing, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by heightening your mental and physical fitness, Boost your confidence by helping you to succeed and to take control of your life, Develop self-discipline by exhaustively educating your mind and body in the principles and tactics of Taekwondo, Turbocharge agility, stamina and flexibility through extreme cardiovascular work-outs.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is perhaps best known for its nimble-footed kicking, here are some of the basic kicks you will learn as a beginner: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To defend against and stop an incoming Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are implemented. They are held in specific positions and use the hand with parts of the arm. Each kind of attack necessitates a particular sort of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with another punch or kick. The key "blocks" include: Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Palm Block, Low Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Nine Block and Single Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts

In Taekwondo there is really no standardisation in relation to belts and grades. It is all subject to what style you happen to be reviewing, because there are such a diversity of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are normally divided into 2 groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings range from white to red, with anything from eight to twelve grades, while the black/senior belts usually have 9 rankings.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety equipment such as forearm guards, hand protectors, a blue or red head protector, a groin guard, a mouth guard, a blue/red trunk guard (hogu) and shin protectors must be used in all matches supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is imperative owing to the powerful kicking that is an integral part of this activity.

Final Thoughts

So, what are you looking to get from Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. Most participants will purely wish to gain more self-confidence, meet new people and improve their fitness. We are definitely not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, who knows? 👊