Taekwondo Longton

It needs to be said that Taekwondo can be fairly demanding physically, which may put off the older and less nimble folks in Longton from getting involved. To be truthful, the most frequent participants of Taekwondo classes are children and the younger generation, but of course older individuals who're in great physical condition can easily get involved and benefit considerably from this activity.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly comprises kicking manoeuvres, most notably rapid kicking methods, head-height kicks and spinning/jumping kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists established schools known as "kwans", which blended a number of martial arts techniques.

These days an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million followers worldwide, and even though you may not have any ambitions to be an Olympic Games athlete, you're still able to sign up for a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will no doubt prove to be a worthwhile and interesting activity.

For many folks in Longton, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these times of ever increasing violence, especially in town and city centres, it's little surprise that this aspect features high on people's priority lists. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you are able to gain more confidence in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect others and practice self-restraint.

Such self-defence techniques may at some point prove useful in your day to day life, although it is far more likely that you will only be using them within a regulated class environment. Yet it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to successfully defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Class

For those of you who have never tried Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be curious to know just what to expect from your first lesson. The following will give you a good idea, but this could vary from school to school. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, some technical training such as learning some hand attacks, blocks, kicks and stances, learning some Poomse (or forms), a few tips on sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch weary muscles and relax.

Taekwondo also of course has got its own official regulating body, and in Britain it is British Taekwondo. Everyone wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Longton have to become registered members of this organisation. You'll be able to read about first aid, news, coaches and referees, establishing a new club, coaching courses, safe practices, safeguarding and equality, events, members and clubs, and more on the official British Taekwondo website, or find the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

You will probably be fascinated to learn about precisely what kind of benefits could be achieved by attending Longton Taekwondo training and engaging 100% in its activities. You could expect to: Teach self-defence techniques by showing you how to realize circumstances where self-defence may be needed, and enabling you to control these types of circumstances in your favour, Improve flexibility, stamina and agility through intensive cardiovascular effort, Better self-discipline by methodically training your mind and body in the doctrines and techniques of Taekwondo, Improve self-esteem by heightening your mental and physical powers, Reduces stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Grow in confidence by pushing you to take control of your life and succeed, Strengthen your body and mind by means of increased physical coordination and mental discipline.

Taekwondo Tournaments

Taekwondo contests are staged around the world in all the various styles. There is normally not much hard contact but breaking, sparring and patterns (forms). Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) competitions comprise only sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests specific hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other associations stage multi-discipline contests.

Longton Taekwondo for Beginners

Learners starting out on their Taekwondo adventure in Longton will at first enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are fantastic, because there is not any pressure and things are done at a slow, casual pace. Having fun whilst learning is the key aim to start with and students who are having fun tend to learn a lot quicker and digest more of what they are being taught. Even Taekwondo masters began as clueless newbies, so take that initial step and who knows where you'll wind up!

Safety Gear

In all events, competitions and matches being staged under the auspices of British Taekwondo, safety gear such as a gum shield, hand guards, red/blue trunk armour (hogu), a groin guard, a red or blue head protector, forearm guards and shin guards is obligatory. The fast kicking techniques employed in Taekwondo can cause injury and this helps to make this activity much safer for its competitors.

In Conclusion

Precisely what you acquire from Taekwondo will be directly related to what you put into it (as is true of life in general). Many of you will only wish to meet different people, make new friends and improve your fitness levels, some might aspire to progress to tournaments and competitions or perhaps even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we cannot all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.