Taekwondo Letchworth

It has to be said that Taekwondo can be very physically demanding, which could discourage the less nimble and more elderly people in Letchworth from getting involved. To be truthful, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but of course older people who are in good physical health can easily be involved and get benefits from this sport.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently created of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some schools which they called "kwans", combining a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, primarily consists of high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking strategies and head kicks.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Letchworth Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get yourself involved. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Letchworth.

Folks in Letchworth take up Taekwondo for numerous reasons but it is the self-defence element that interests most. This is no real surprise when you take into account the rising levels of violence seen in city and town centres these days. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the main benefits of Taekwondo.

There is a very good chance that your newly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be proved in your everyday life, but it will most certainly give you reassurance knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever need them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never tried Taekwondo before, you might be somewhat apprehensive as to what to expect on your first class. This varies from school to school but will typically involve some or all of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase the heart rate, a little practical training including learning some kicks, blocks, hand attacks and stances, discovering some forms (or Poomse), a brief introduction to sparring which will include timing, attack timing and movement, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

The body regulating Taekwondo in the British Isles is British Taekwondo and any individual wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Letchworth has to also register with British Taekwondo. You can get a lot of info on referees and coaching, health and safety, safeguarding and equality, coaching courses, first aid, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, events, members and clubs, and more, by heading to British Taekwondo's official website.

Safety Gear

In all tournaments, events and matches taking place under the authority of British Taekwondo, safety gear such as hand protectors, forearm protectors, a gum shield, a groin guard, shin protectors, red/blue trunk armour (hogu) and a red/blue head protector is obligatory. The kicking manoeuvres employed in Taekwondo could potentially cause serious injuries and this helps make the sport less hazardous for its competitors.

Letchworth Taekwondo for Beginners

Learners starting out on their Taekwondo experience in Letchworth will initially register for a beginners class. Beginners classes are fabulous, because there are no serious demands and everything's done at a casual, slow pace. Learning and having fun are the primary goals initially and trainees who are having fun have a tendency to learn a lot faster and digest considerably more of what they're being taught. Even Taekwondo masters began as naive novices, so take that initial step and you never know where you'll wind up!

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Because there are many different types of Taekwondo there has never been any uniform system for allocating belts (levels). What does exist however is relatively similar and consists of a couple of belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groupings is split into ranks, 8 to 12 colours for juniors and 9 "blacks" for seniors.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo which are called "Kup". The lowest rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a range of colours, so that the ranks are easily identified. 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Letchworth will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and advance through the various coloured belts until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (First Kup)

When this training has been successfully completed, Letchworth Taekwondo trainees become known as "black belt candidates", and they then need to earn an additional 9 Dans (ranks) if they're to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the supreme accolade in this sport. So, putting it simply, there are 3 main sections in the Taekwondo belt order, namely 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 group 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 training and dedication. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Promotion Letchworth, Taekwondo Belts Letchworth, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably best known for its fast-moving kicking manoeuvres, here are just a few of the basic kicks that you will learn as a beginner: Side Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Back Kick, Axe Kick, Crescent Kick, Push Kick, Front Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the different attacks, are known as Makgi. Held in various positions, they use the hands and different parts of the arm. Specific attacks call for specified blocks, but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacking moves by combining retaliatory kicks or punches. The key blocks used in Taekwondo include: Low Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block and Rising Block.

To Summarize

So, what are you looking to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will just wish to gain more self-confidence, meet new people and improve their fitness. We're certainly not all going to reach the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, you never know? 👊