Taekwondo Keighley

As a result of its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is maybe more appropriate for the younger person in Keighley and is particularly suited to children as it's fantastic for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults might find it a bit too challenging unless they are particularly active and fit. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Keighley from a young age will find they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could consider participating in something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. Some new schools called "kwans" were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics, mixing a number of various martial arts techniques. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main focus of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking strategies. Nowadays Keighley Taekwondo classes observe this tradition.

Taekwondo now has more than sixty million practitioners worldwide and has become extremely popular in Keighley and throughout the UK. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Keighley Taekwondo class or club is the most effective way to get yourself involved. While nobody would seriously expect you to get to Olympic standard, you could certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Keighley.

For a lot of folks in Keighley, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo which has the most appeal. And in these times of ever increasing violence, especially in town and city centres, it's no surprise that this sits high on people's list of priorities. It is a key factor of Taekwondo that you're able to gain more confidence in your capacity to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect others and learn self-restraint.

With any luck you'll never need to use your newly learned Taekwondo techniques for defending yourself outside of your local club environment, however it's nice to know they are there if you need them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you make your mind up to register for a Taekwondo class in Keighley, the first thing you will want to know is what is going to occur on the very first class and exactly what will the teacher be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Keighley will contrive diverse routines for this initial lesson but you should be expecting to do a 15-20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood flowing, learn a few Poomse (forms, go through some practical training (blocks, stances, kicks and hand attacks), do a bit of sparring, and lastly, warm-down.

Anyone wanting to join a Taekwondo club in Keighley has to also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in the British Isles. By checking out the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to discover details about first aid, clubs and members, news, coaches and tournament referees, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, starting a new Taekwondo club, events, coaching courses, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Beginners Taekwondo Keighley

Even the finest exponents of Taekwondo in Keighley set out as newbies, so it is no disgrace to be a beginner at this sport, or any other activity for that matter. The goal of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide just a few basics, raise confidence and build a solid foundation moving forward. Most important of all is that it must be enjoyable, trainees having fun are going to learn faster and be better invested.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also referred to as patterns or Poomse) are distinguished by specific activities like technique, stance and direction. From the beginning you are going to get to grips with a few of the basic forms, and in order to progress through the various levels (belts) you'll need to learn some more complex ones.

Taekwondo Kicks

Some of the most widely used Taekwondo kicks you'll master early on include: Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to defend against the various attacks, are called Makgi. Employing the hand and parts of the arm, they're held in various positions. Each block can be merged with a kick or punch to create a counter-attacking movement, and each one is meant for a particular attack. The most important "blocks" (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Rising Block, Low Block and Palm Block.

Taekwondo Belts

With regards to belts, promotion and ranking there isn't actually any uniformity in Taekwondo, as there are various different styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own specific arrangement. There are however similarities and they normally consist of a couple of groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior levels normally have nine levels and the junior, 8 to 12 grades.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are called "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, like most of the martial arts is portrayed by a number of different 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 novices in Keighley will start off with, they'll then progress through the different colours, eventually reaching the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), after around 3-4 years of lessons and training.

After this training has been accomplished, Keighley Taekwondo trainees become known as "black belt candidates", and they then have to progress through a further 9 Dans if they are to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme accolade in this sport. Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into three divisions; Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of dedicated training. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Keighley, Taekwondo Ranks Keighley, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Black Belts).

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Contests are an important aspect of the Taekwondo experience, and all the various styles across the world stage competitions where Taekwondo masters come together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever allowed in any of these tournaments which primarily comprise sparring, patterns (forms) and breaking. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) tournaments, while specified hand attacks are permitted in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) events.