Taekwondo Luton

While not wanting to discourage any particular age group, it has to be said that Taekwondo is more suited to younger people in Luton, being quite physically demanding. Its teachings of self-discipline and respect for others make it especially appropriate for children. Older adults may find it somewhat too taxing unless they are particularly fit and active. People in Luton who take up Taekwondo when they are young find it easy to continue when they get older. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily features kicking manoeuvres, in particular rapid kicking techniques, spinning/jumping kicks and head kicks. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts enthusiasts established schools called "kwans", which blended a number of martial arts techniques.

With more than sixty million people participating in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has certainly become an extremely popular and worthwhile pastime, and if you really master the sport you might even one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it's been an integral part since the Sydney Games in the year 2000.

In these times of escalating violence, it's hardly surprising that people in locations like Luton are taking up self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them to feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but at the same time it also teaches self-restraint and a respect for other folks, which are characteristics that are frequently absent in this modern age.

Whilst it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have those self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the likelihood is that you will never have to use them outside the controlled environment of an organised Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

For those of you who have never tried Taekwondo before, you will no doubt be intrigued to know what to expect from your first class. There might be variations to the following, depending on which Luton Taekwondo school you attend, but you can roughly expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, a bit of technical training which will involve learning some blocks, hand attacks, kicks and stances, learning the first patterns or forms, some ideas on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and to round off a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

If you want to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Luton, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By going to the British Taekwondo website you will be able to find info regarding news, equality and safeguarding, coaches and referees, first aid, coaching courses, events, safe practices, beginning a new club, members and clubs, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

When you're enrolling in Taekwondo classes in Luton you'll be intending to get some benefits to make the entire project worthwhile. Therefore why don't we look at a few of the many positive benefits that you could acquire through learning and doing Taekwondo. Develop discipline by methodically schooling your body and mind in the principles and techniques of Taekwondo, Enhance self-esteem by heightening your physical and mental fitness, Lower anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Teach you self-defence by helping you to realize occasions in which self-defence might be required, and allowing you to manipulate these scenarios to your advantage, Build up confidence by helping you to take control of your life and succeed, Toughen up your body and mind thru increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Supercharge agility, flexibility and stamina through extreme cardiovascular exertion.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Mastering Tae kwon do necessitates learning a number of disciplines and techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as patterns or Poomse). These are types of direction, stance and technique which have to be memorized in order for pupils to progress through the different dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

When it comes to promotion, ranking and belts there's not actually any real standardisation in Taekwondo, as there are various styles of Taekwondo which each have their own arrangement in place. There are however similarities and they normally consist of 2 groupings of belts "juniors" and "seniors" represented by coloured and black belts respectively, . The senior grades typically have 9 tiers and the junior, 8 to 12 ranks.

Competitions

There are a multitude of tournaments in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They mostly involve breaking, patterns (forms) and sparring with very little "hard contact". ITF competitions don't allow disproportionate contact but sometimes allow hand attacks aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic competitions allow only sparring. Multi-style competitions are also held.

In Summary

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't solely about National Championships and Olympic medals. Most of us are happy to make new friends, meet different people and improve our levels of fitness, and that is precisely how it ought to be. Yet, as with many things in life, what you get from it will depend on what you invest in it. Good luck! 👊