Taekwondo Lewes

Owing to its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is maybe more appropriate for the younger person in Lewes and is especially suited to children as it's excellent for developing respect for others and self-discipline. More elderly people could find it a bit too demanding unless they're especially active and fit. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Lewes at a young age will discover that they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less nimble of you might think about something gentler like Tai Chi.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently established of the martial arts and involves mainly high-kicking moves such as rapid kicking methods, jumping/spinning kicks and head-height kicks. It began when schools known as "kwans" were established by a group of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Lewes and throughout the UK. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you want to get involved, joining a local Lewes Taekwondo club or class is a good place to start. There is no reason why you cannot reach a high standard in this thrilling sport, even if you have no desire to compete in the Olympics.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and not surprisingly this is one of the main reasons that folks in Lewes get involved in classes and take up the sport. There's been a disconcerting increase in violent practices over the last few years and this is particularly rife in town and city centres around East Sussex and the nation as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and a deep respect for others, not such common qualities in Lewes these days.

These self-defence techniques may at some time prove to be useful in the outside world, though it is far more likely you will only be using them within a supervised class environment. Nevertheless it is a wonderful feeling knowing that you will always be able to defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Lesson

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo lesson, you'll be wondering what to expect. This will vary from school to school but will typically involve all or most of the following. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to increase your heart rate and loosen the muscles, a bit of technical training covering some stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks, an introduction to forms or patterns, some tips on sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and finally a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

Everyone who's a member of a Taekwondo class in Lewes or any place else in the United Kingdom, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can find out about news, first aid, events, coaches and tournament referees, members and clubs, starting a new club, coaching courses, safe practices, safeguarding and equality, and more on the official British Taekwondo website, and find out the latest news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the best exponents of Taekwondo in Lewes began their journey as rookies, therefore there is no disgrace in being a beginner at Taekwondo, or any other activity for that matter. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginner class is to provide just a few basics, increase self-confidence and build a solid foundation for the future. Most important of all is that it needs to be enjoyable, trainees having fun will learn faster and be better engaged.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Taekwondo forms (also referred to as Poomse or patterns) are characterised by specific facets such as technique, direction and stance. From the outset you'll be taught a few of the important forms, and so as to advance through the various grades (belts) you'll need to master some more advanced ones.

Taekwondo Competitions

A regular Taekwondo tournament features patterns (forms), breaking and sparring, where the Olympics is concerned only sparring is involved. Having said that there are also a few unique events in particular tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo tournaments are strictly soft-contact events, while ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments allow some hand attacks towards the head. There are in addition some multi-discipline competitions.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll undoubtedly be interested to understand precisely what sort of benefits might be gained by taking part in Lewes Taekwondo lessons and engaging fully in its practices. You could expect that you will: Help with self-defence tactics by helping you recognize scenarios in which self-defence might be necessary, and empowering you to turn these types of situations in your favour, Toughen up your mind and body by enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Build confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Lessen anxiety and stress with controlled breathing, Turbocharge agility, flexibility and stamina by way of strenuous cardiovascular exertion, Enhance your self-esteem by maximizing both physical and mental health, Better discipline and willpower by comprehensively schooling your mind and body in the techniques and principles of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Belts

The belt and ranking structure can get quite confusing in Taekwondo since there's no recognised structure across the different Taekwondo disciplines. Parallels can be found though, and normally there are two distinct belt groupings, represented as "seniors" (black belts) and "juniors" (colours). The number of levels in the junior section varies across the styles but is typically between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior groupings typically has nine dans or belts.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what generally known as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, much like the vast majority of the martial arts is indicated by a range of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Students in Lewes starting out in Taekwondo will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the coloured belts until they reach the 1st Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Lewes are considered as "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through a further nine ranks (Dans) until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt". Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into three divisions; Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of training and dedication.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are quite a few different types of Taekwondo kicks, listed here are just eight of them: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and deflect an incoming attack, blocks (called Makgi) are used. They're held in specific positions and enlist the hands with different areas of the arm. Each form of attack necessitates a specific kind of block, counter-attacks can be produced by integrating a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The main "blocks" (makgi) include: Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Double Forearm Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Upper Block, Nine Block and Single Forearm Block.