Taekwondo Ilkeston

Taekwondo is generally far more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and nimble you might prefer to partake in something a little gentler to boost your fitness in Ilkeston. Children and younger people are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Ilkeston, with lots of fast movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its origins in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", mixing various martial arts techniques. The main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, rapid kicking styles and turning/jumping kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, roughly meaning "the way of the foot and fist". Now Ilkeston Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

Popular worldwide Taekwondo now has more than 60 million students. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you would like to get involved, heading along to your local Ilkeston Taekwondo class or club is an excellent starting point. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you can't become a master of this exhilarating martial art and have some fun in the process.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the primary reasons that people in Ilkeston get involved in classes and get involved in the sport. There's been a disturbing escalation of violent conduct in recent times and this is particularly prevalent in city and town centres throughout Derbyshire and the country as a whole. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also teaches self-discipline and respect for other people, not such familiar qualities in Ilkeston nowadays.

Whilst it will instill you with self-confidence being aware that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are you will never need to test them outside the regulated environment of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you've never tried Taekwondo before, you might be a little anxious as to what should be expected on your very first lesson. This can vary from school to school but will typically involve all or some of these. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase your heart rate, a little technical training involving learning some hand attacks, blocks, kicks and stances, studying some Poomse (forms), an overview of sparring including the timing of attacks, timing and movement, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Ilkeston, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By checking out British Taekwondo's official website you can read information on safe practices, first aid, events, coaching courses, referees and coaching, clubs and members, news, equality and safeguarding, starting a new club, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are a number of different kicking manoeuvres which are used in Taekwondo. The following are a few of the most widely known: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to repulse the different attacking moves, are called Makgi. They're held in various positions and employ the hands with different sections of the arm. Each and every "block" can be merged with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attacking movement, and each one is suitable for a specific attack. The principal "blocks" include: Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Low Block, Knife Hand Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

A standard Taekwondo competition includes sparring, breaking and patterns (forms), where the Olympics is concerned only sparring is included. That said there can also be some special events in specific competitions such as self-defence and team demonstrations. WT (World Taekwondo) contests are strictly soft-contact affairs, whilst ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests permit some hand attacks aimed at the head. There are also several multi-discipline competitions.

Beginners Classes

Trainees setting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Ilkeston will initially enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, because there's not any pressure and everything's done at a slow and relaxed pace. Learning and having fun are the primary aims in the beginning and trainees who are enjoying themselves have a tendency to learn a lot faster and digest more of what they're being taught. Even Taekwondo masters started off as naive novices, so take that initial step and who knows where you'll end up!

Conclusion

So, what do you want from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. Most participants will simply look to improve their levels of fitness, meet new people and gain more self-confidence. We're definitely not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although perhaps you will, who knows? 👊