Taekwondo Kirkintilloch

Because Taekwondo has quite high physical demands, it's possibly more suited to the younger generation in Kirkintilloch. That's not to say that older people can't participate in this kind of activity, but simply that there may be alternative martial arts that are more suited to the less nimble among us. Tai Chi is a perfect illustration.

With its origins in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently created of the martial arts and involves mostly kicking movements such as jumping/turning kicks, fast kicking strategies and head-height kicks. It began when schools known as "kwans" were established by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo has become very popular in Kirkintilloch and all around the world, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in Kirkintilloch is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Kirkintilloch.

Of all the numerous benefits of doing this sport, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that the people of Kirkintilloch consider most appealing. And its no surprise that this is on people's list of priorities when you take into account the ever rising amounts of violence seen these days in city centres throughout the United Kingdom. However, respecting others and having a good deal of self-restraint goes hand in hand with the self-defence principles of Taekwondo.

While its good to know that you can defend yourself when you need to, it's hoped that you never need to test this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Kirkintilloch Taekwondo Lesson

If you make your mind up to register for Taekwondo training in Kirkintilloch, the first thing you'll be thinking about is what will transpire on the very first class and what exactly will the coach expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in Kirkintilloch will put together differing routines for this first lesson but you can count on doing a 15-20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood circulating, learn a few forms (Poomse), cover some technical training (hand attacks, blocks, kicks and stances), do a bit of sparring, and to finish, a warm-down.

Everybody who is a member of a Taekwondo club in Kirkintilloch or any place else in the UK, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official governing body of the sport. You can get lots of info regarding safeguarding and equality, coaches and referees, first aid, news, beginning a new club, safe practices, coaching courses, events, clubs and members, and more, by exploring British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

When it comes to promotion, ranking and belts there isn't actually any standardization in Taekwondo, as there are various styles of Taekwondo which each have their own unique arrangement. There are however parallels and they typically comprise 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior grades generally have 9 levels and the junior, 8 to 12 tiers.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what generally known as "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest rank is Tenth Kup. If you're interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is indicated by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Kirkintilloch will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the various coloured belts until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Taekwondo trainees in Kirkintilloch become known as "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they will then be faced with progressing through a further 9 ranks (called Dans) if they wish to achieve the supreme distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. So, putting it simply, there are 3 main groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group are; 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 will take a considerable number of years.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo tournaments call for certain safety equipment to be worn to protect competitors from injury as a result of the forceful kicking that occurs. These safety products include: forearm protectors, blue or red trunk armour (hogu), a groin guard, a gum shield, a red/blue head guard, hand protectors and shin pads.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Taekwondo forms (also referred to as patterns or Poomse) are identified by specific activities such as stance, technique and direction. From the beginning you are going to learn some of the standard forms, and so as to progress through the levels (belts) you'll need to master some more advanced ones.

Summary

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I reckon that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo is not just about Olympic titles and National Championships. The majority of of us are happy to meet different people, improve our fitness levels and make new friends, and that's exactly how it ought to be. However, as with many things in life, what you get from it will depend on what you put into it. Enjoy!