Taekwondo Horsforth

It must be asserted that Taekwondo can be quite physically challenging, which can discourage the older and less nimble people in Horsforth from taking this up. To be completely fair, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are children and the younger generation, but unquestionably older individuals who're in excellent physical health can easily get involved and benefit considerably from this activity.

Based largely around kicking manoeuvres like spinning/jumping kicks, fast kicking techniques and head kicks, Taekwondo was developed from the practices of various diverse martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools known as "Kwans" during the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Chungdo Kwan, Jido Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Songmu Kwan.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million practitioners all around the world, and whilst you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you can still join a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will undoubtedly prove to be a fulfilling and fascinating pastime.

It seems that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. And in these days of increased violence, especially in town and city centres, it is no surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. Being able to defend yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by learning self-restraint and a respect for others.

While it will instill you with confidence being aware that you have such self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the odds are that you'll never need to use them outside the regulated atmosphere of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you've booked your first class but have never tried Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an overview, but this could vary from school to school. A 15 to 20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, some technical training which will involve learning some kicks, hand attacks, blocking techniques and stances, a look at some forms (Poomse), some tips on sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and finally a warm down with muscle stretching and loosening up to prevent spasms and cramping.

If you wish to join a Taekwondo class in Horsforth, you will also have to register with the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By exploring the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to obtain info regarding safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, first aid, news, events, health and safety, coaching courses, beginning a new club, coaches and competition referees, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll no doubt be fascinated to find out about precisely what sort of benefits may be achieved by taking part in Horsforth Taekwondo training and partaking fully in its practices. You could expect to: Increase self-esteem by maximizing your physical and mental fitness, Teach you self-defence strategies by coaching you to recognise instances in which self-defence could be required, and allowing you to control these types of scenarios in your favour, Develop discipline by exhaustively training your body and mind in the concepts and techniques of Taekwondo, Build up your confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Strengthen your body and mind by means of increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Reduced anxiety using advanced breath control, Improve stamina, agility and flexibility by way of extreme cardiovascular exertion.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Beginners in Taekwondo do not need to fret too much about forms (Poomse, patterns) in the early days, but they will have to get to grips with some standard ones to start with and move forward to more intricate forms as they move up the belts (dans/grades). A "form" is signified by particular areas of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Getting to grips with such sequences is a key part of mastering Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are an array of contests in Taekwondo involving all the various styles. They largely involve breaking, sparring and patterns (forms) with little or no "hard contact". ITF tournaments do not allow too much contact but sometimes permit hand attacks to be aimed at the head. World Taekwondo and Olympic contests only allow sparring. Multi-style contests are also held.

Taekwondo for Beginners

It does not matter who you are or what you're standing is in the world of Taekwondo, at some time you were a total novice, fearing failure and knowing practically nothing. We've all started like this and are only able to improve and learn through practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Horsforth are the best place get started on that learning process and to acquire the basics so that you can gain confidence and proceed with your exciting Taekwondo quest. Almost all beginner classes are geared up to be fun and friendly, providing a slow introduction to the basic Taekwondo principles and building a solid foundation for the future.