Taekwondo Largs

While people of all ages in Largs can of course participate in Taekwondo, it is particularly suited to the younger generation since it can be quite physically demanding, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. However those who take up Taekwondo in Largs at a young age will find they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less agile of you might find that Tai Chi which is a bit softer is more suitable.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not coined until the 1950's. This combination of various martial arts techniques were practiced in some schools in Seoul called "kwans", established by a group of Korean martial artists. The main focus of Taekwondo, as it ultimately became known, is on kicking movements, in particular rapid kicking styles, jumping/spinning kicks and head-height kicks. These days Largs Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity worldwide with some sixty million people or more routinely participating in classes. And it's by joining a Taekwondo class or club that you are able to commence your quest of learning this unique art.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and naturally this is one of the primary reasons that folks in Largs join classes and get involved in the sport. There's been a troubling increase in violent practices in recent years and this is especially widespread in town and city centres throughout Scotland and Britain in general. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also teaches self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such widespread qualities in Largs nowadays.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will more than likely never need to be proven outside of an organised Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Largs Taekwondo Class

If you've booked your first lesson but haven't attempted Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. The majority of Taekwondo schools in Largs follow a similar routine, but there might be some variation to the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen the muscles and increase heart rate, a little technical training involving learning some stances, hand attacks, blocks and kicks, an introduction to some forms, a look at sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and to finish off a warm down to relax and stretch muscles.

The regulating body for Taekwondo in the UK is British Taekwondo and anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Largs has to also become a member of British Taekwondo. By visiting the British Taekwondo website you will be able to obtain info regarding first aid, safeguarding and equality, referees and coaching, health and safety, events, coaching courses, starting a new club, news, clubs and members, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Competitions

A typical Taekwondo tournament includes sparring, breaking and patterns, as far as the Olympics is concerned only sparring is involved. That being said there may also be some special categories in certain tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT (World Taekwondo) contests are solely soft-contact events, while ITF competitions allow some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are in addition a number of multi-discipline contests.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Trainees setting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Largs will initially sign up for a beginners class. Beginners classes are terrific, because there is not any pressure and everything's carried out at a slow and relaxed pace. Having fun while learning is the key intention to start with and trainees who are enjoying themselves are inclined to learn much quicker and absorb significantly more of what they are being taught. Even Taekwondo masters started out as inexperienced newbies, so take that first step and you never know where you'll wind up!

Taekwondo - The Benefits

There are needless to say, a lot of benefits to be gained from practicing Taekwondo, and the following are just some that might be appealing to you: More self-discipline by exhaustively schooling your mind and body in the concepts and tactics of Taekwondo, Lower anxiety using advanced breath control, Boost confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to take control of your life, Empower your body and mind by way of accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by means of intense cardiovascular work-outs, Teach you self-defence by helping you recognise situations where self-defence could be required, and enabling you to control such circumstances to your advantage, Improve feelings of self-esteem by intensifying both mental and physical health.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo contests require certain safety equipment to be worn to safeguard contenders from personal injury due to the potent kicking that transpires. This safety equipment includes: hand guards, a blue or red body guard (hogu), forearm guards, a red/blue head guard, a mouth protector, shin protectors and a groin protector.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are lots of different kicking manoeuvres that are used when practicing Taekwondo. Here are a selection of the most widely used: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Blocks: To stop and defend against an inbound attack, blocks (called Makgi) are employed. They're held in various positions and use the hands with sections of the arm. Certain attacks require particular blocks, but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacks by combining retaliatory kicks or punches. The principal "blocks" (makgi) include: Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Upper Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block and Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Taekwondo there is really no standardisation in regards to ranking and belts. It all depends on which style you are reviewing, since there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are typically split into 2 groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour rankings range from white to red, with from 8 to 12 rankings, while the black/senior belts usually have 9 ranks.

In the UK Taekwondo has a sequence of ranks (belts) which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a number of colours, so the ranks can be easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Largs will start out with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and move up through the colours until they attain the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

Once this training regime has been accomplished, Largs Taekwondo students advance to "black belt candidates", and they then need to earn a further 9 Dans if they're to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the ultimate accolade in this sport. So, putting it simply, there are three primary groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belts, Senior Belts 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 will involve many years of dedicated training.