Taekwondo Leominster

It's got to be asserted that Taekwondo can be quite demanding physically, which could unnerve the less nimble and more elderly people in Leominster from taking this up. To be fair, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and younger people, but of course older individuals who're in good physical condition can easily participate and benefit considerably from this activity.

Taekwondo was only developed quite recently in Korea (1945). A group of Korean martial arts devotees in Seoul founded some schools called "kwans", where they practiced a mixture of martial arts techniques. The focus of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking strategies, jumping/spinning kicks and head-height kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist". Now Leominster Taekwondo classes comply with this tradition.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Leominster and with more than sixty million others all over the world. If you would like to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, joining a Taekwondo class or club in Leominster is an excellent place to start. There is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you don't aspire to Olympic competition.

While there is much to be gained by doing Taekwondo, it is the self-defence aspect that most Leominster people are interested in. And its not surprising that this is on people's list of priorities when you consider the rising levels of violence seen these days in town and city centres throught the United Kingdom. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be proven outside of an organised Taekwondo class, however knowing that you've got them will instill you with confidence.

Your First Leominster Taekwondo Lesson

For those of you who have never done Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be interested to know what to expect from your first lesson. This will vary from school to school but will usually involve some or all of the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, a bit of technical training including learning some stances, blocking techniques, kicks and hand attacks, learning your the basic forms or patterns, a few ideas on sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch muscles.

If you want to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Leominster, you will also have to become a member of the sport's official regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By heading to British Taekwondo's official website you can read information on safe practices, members and clubs, coaching courses, first aid, events, coaches and referees, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, equality and safeguarding, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably most recognized for its spectacular kicks, listed here are some of the basic kicks you'll learn as a novice: Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi). Blocks: To stop and deflect an incoming attack, "blocks" (called Makgi) are employed. Engaging the hand and areas of the arm, they are held in diverse positions. Each block can be merged with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each one is meant for a specific attack. The principal Taekwondo blocks (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking structure can get quite confusing in Taekwondo because there isn't any uniform structure throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Analogies do exist though, and typically there are 2 distinct belt groups, signified as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior section varies over the disciplines but is generally between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior groupings typically has nine belts or dans.

Competitions and Tournaments

Tournaments and competitions are an important element of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all the various styles across the globe hold contests where Taekwondo exponents gather together to battle it out. Hard contact is rarely permitted in any of these competitive events which primarily comprise breaking, sparring and patterns (forms). Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and WT tournaments, while some hand attacks are permitted in International Taekwon-Do Federation events.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the top exponents of Taekwondo in Leominster began their journey as novices, so there is no disgrace in being a beginner at Tae kwon do, or any other activity for that matter. The objective of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide just a few basics, increase confidence and develop a solid base moving forward. Most importantly of all is that it needs to be fun, trainees having a good time are going to learn quicker and be more invested.

Conclusion

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll make more friends, gain self-confidence and improve your wellbeing. If that is all that you get out of it, then all well and good, and you can call it a success! We're not all striving to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, need to start with that first step. Good luck with your journey!