Taekwondo Leven

Taekwondo is quite physically demanding, which means it could be considered more suitable for the younger rather than the older generation in Leven. Its teachings of self-discipline and respect for others make it particularly good for children. Older adults may find it somewhat too challenging unless they are particularly active and fit. Quite a few of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Leven, started their adventure when they were younger. Something a bit less demanding like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less nimble of you.

Based mostly around kicking moves and manoeuvres like head kicks, rapid kicking strategies and jumping/spinning kicks, Taekwondo was created from the practices of various martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" in the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Songmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Jido Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

With over sixty million people engaged in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has certainly become a popular pastime, and if you become really expert at the sport you might possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it's been a part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

For the men, women and children of Leven who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. As this is an important principle of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the attraction of this particular sport. With the added bonus of developing self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for other people, getting involved in a local Leven Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

While it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have these self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the chances are you will never be required to test them outside of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Class

For those of you who have never done Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be interested to know what to expect from your first class. Most Taekwondo schools in Leven follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase heart rate and loosen your muscles, a little technical training covering some stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocking techniques, an introduction to forms or patterns, a look at sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch muscles.

Any person who joins a Taekwondo class in Leven has to also register with British Taekwondo which is the official regulating body of the sport in Britain. You can find plenty of details on news, establishing a new club, coaches and referees, safe practices, coaching courses, events, first aid, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, and more, by popping along to British Taekwondo's website.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When getting started with Taekwondo classes in Leven you'll be expecting to get a few benefits to make the entire enterprise worth the effort. So let's investigate some of the positive benefits that you could acquire from learning and doing Taekwondo. Teach self-defence techniques by helping you identify instances where self-defence may be needed, and allowing you to manipulate such situations to your advantage, Develop self-discipline by thoroughly training your mind and body in the techniques and principles of Taekwondo, Boost your confidence by inspiring you to seize control of your life and succeed, Empower your mind and body by accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline, Increase feelings of self-esteem by intensifying your physical and mental fitness, Reduce stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility by means of extreme cardiovascular effort.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In Tae kwon do there is not really any kind of uniformity when it comes to ranking and belts. It is all depending on what style you are reviewing, since there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles and rules. They are however, usually separated into a couple of groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour rankings range from white to red, with anything from eight to twelve ranks, while the senior/black belts usually have nine rankings.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo that are called "Kup". The lowest is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, like most of the martial arts is denoted by a range of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary belts with stripes, specifically 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 Leven will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the various colours until they achieve the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Taekwondo trainees in Leven become known as "black belt candidates" once they've succeeded with this challenge, and they will then need to move through another 9 ranks (called Dans) if they aspire to achieve the greatest accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 classifications; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division are; 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 go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which will take many years.

Taekwondo Forms

Perfecting Tae kwon do calls for getting to grips with many disciplines and one of the key parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of direction, technique and stance which must be memorized in order for pupils to progress through the different dans (belts/grades).

Some Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is widely recognized for its powerful kicks, listed here are the important ones: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi). Blocks: To defend against the various kicks and hand attacks there are an equally diverse selection of blocks. Held in diverse positions, they use the hand and different parts of the arm. Specific attacks call for particular blocks, but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacking manoeuvres by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The key "blocks" include: Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block and Rising Block.