Taekwondo Ingatestone

When talking about Taekwondo, many people in Ingatestone consider that this is an activity for young children. While the younger and fitter generation may find it easier to contend with the demands of Taekwondo, people of all ages can and do practice the sport. You will however get much more enjoyment out of Taekwondo if you are relatively fit and agile.

Based largely around kicking manoeuvres and moves like head kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking strategies, Taekwondo was created from the practices of different martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" in the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Chungdo Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Jido Kwan, Changmu Kwan and Mooduk Kwan.

With more than sixty million fitness enthusiasts taking part in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has unquestionably become a popular pastime, and if you really master this sport you may possibly one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it's been an integral part ever since the 2000 Sydney Games.

In these days of escalating violence, it is hardly surprising that individuals in places like Ingatestone are getting involved in self-defence classes like Taekwondo to help them to feel safer in their everyday life. The self-defence element is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also promotes self-restraint and a deep respect for those around us, which are disciplines that are frequently missing in 21st century living.

Although it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the likelihood is that you'll never need to test them outside the controlled setting of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

Your First Lesson

If you've just booked your very first Taekwondo lesson, you'll be wondering what to expect. The following will give you a good idea, but this may vary from school to school. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to loosen stiff muscles and increase your heart rate, some technical training which will involve learning some hand attacks, kicks, stances and blocks, learning some forms (or Poomse), a look at sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

The body regulating Taekwondo in the British Isles is British Taekwondo and anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Ingatestone has to also become a member of British Taekwondo. You can find a lot of details on members and clubs, first aid, news, health and safety, safeguarding and equality, establishing a new club, events, coaching courses, referees and coaching, and more, by heading to British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

With regards to ranking, promotion and belts there is not actually any standardization in Taekwondo, as there are many different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own unique arrangement. There are however parallels and they generally comprise two groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior rankings normally have 9 ranks and the junior, eight to twelve grades.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks (belts) which are referred to as "Kup", these ranks go from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, just like the vast majority of the martial arts is indicated by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo beginners in Ingatestone will commence with, they will then move up through the colours, eventually earning the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take around three to four years of dedication.

Taekwondo trainees in Ingatestone are considered as "black belt candidates" once they've succeeded with this challenge, and they'll then be faced with moving through an additional 9 ranks (or Dans) if they aspire to achieve the greatest accolade of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt are the 3 primary divisions in the Taekwondo belt order. 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 comprise; 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which takes a considerable number of years.

Taekwondo Tournaments

There are a whole host of competitions and tournaments in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They mainly comprise sparring, breaking and patterns (forms) with hardly any "hard contact". ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests do not allow substantial contact but sometimes allow hand attacks towards the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic tournaments only allow sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key element of Taekwondo and are essential if you are going to master this popular martial art. Several basic forms need to be learned from the outset and more complex forms must be mastered so as to progress through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is categorized by a number of variables such as technique, direction and stance.

Beginners Classes

With any sport or activity we have to begin someplace, and Taekwondo's no exception. Even the elite Ingatestone Taekwondo exponents were total newbies at one time. So, exactly what can you expect as a complete beginner at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their pupils enough training to give them the fundamentals and enable them to develop self-confidence as they progress. A perfect beginners class must be enjoyable as well as educational, when folks are having fun they're more committed and are going to learn much faster.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You'll no doubt be intrigued to find out about precisely what sort of benefits may be gained by taking part in Ingatestone Taekwondo lessons and participating fully in its activities. You could expect that you will: Boost confidence by encouraging you to seize control of your life and succeed, Turbocharge stamina, agility and flexibility by way of intensive cardiovascular exertion, Empower your body and mind by enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Enhance your self-esteem by intensifying both mental and physical health, Reduce anxiety and stress with controlled breathing, Teach self-defence by helping you recognize occasions where self-defence could be needed, and allowing you to manipulate such scenarios in your favour, Better discipline by methodically training your mind and body in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo.

Summary

We can practically guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you will gain self-confidence, improve your fitness and make new friends. If that's all that you get out of it, then that is amazing, you can call it a success! We're not all striving to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, need to start with that very first step. Good luck on your journey!