Taekwondo Manningtree

When most people in Manningtree visualize Taekwondo, they picture young kids performing energetic kicking and punching manoeuvres. While the younger and fitter generation should find it easier to cope with the demands of Taekwondo, people of any age can and do practice the sport. Being relatively agile and fit does however help you to enjoy all the complexities of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts fanatics established some new schools which they named "kwans", practicing a combination of martial arts techniques. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head kicks, jumping/turning kicks and rapid kicking methods.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Manningtree and throughout the UK. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in Manningtree is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. There is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

It would seem that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. You shouldn't be surprised by this, when you bear in mind the high incidence of violence seen in today's town centres. The ability to defend yourself while still exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the main benefits of Taekwondo.

While it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have those self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are that you will never be required to use them outside of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First Manningtree Taekwondo Class

If Taekwondo isn't something that you have ever had a go at previously, you'll most likely be curious about what to expect from your initial class if you make your mind up to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in Manningtree have varying thoughts on this but roughly; you will take part in a 15-20 minute warm-up, you'll do a certain amount of technical training, you will learn some forms, you are going to practice sparring methods and last but not least you will warm-down to get your body back into a state of relaxation once more.

The UK official regulating body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you want to sign up to Taekwondo class in Manningtree, you will also be required to register with this respected organization. You will be able to find a lot of information regarding coaching courses, beginning a new club, coaches and tournament referees, first aid, equality and safeguarding, news, safe practices, events, members and clubs, and more, by heading to British Taekwondo's official website.

Safety Gear

Safety gear like a red or blue trunk guard (hogu), forearm guards, a blue/red head protector, a gum shield, shin pads, a groin guard and hand guards must be worn in all contests regulated by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is imperative on account of the formidable kicks that are part and parcel of this sport.

Manningtree Taekwondo for Beginners

As with any sport or activity we've got to start somewhere, and Taekwondo's no different. Even the uppermost Manningtree Taekwondo exponents were total novices at one time. So, what should you be expecting as a total beginner at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its enrollees sufficient instruction to give them the basic principles and enable them to gain self-confidence as they move forward. The ideal beginners class must be enjoyable as well as educational, when individuals are having fun they are far more engrossed and will learn quicker.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

With regards to promotion, ranking and belts there isn't actually any real uniformity in Taekwondo, because there are a number of styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique system. There are however similarities and they typically comprise two groups of belts "juniors" and "seniors" symbolized by coloured and black belts respectively. The senior rankings typically have nine ranks and the junior, between 8 and 12 ranks.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like the vast majority of the martial arts is indicated by a range of 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo beginners in Manningtree will commence with, they can then move up through the colours, eventually achieving the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take about 3-4 years of lessons and training.

Taekwondo students in Manningtree become "black belt candidates" after they've successfully completed this process, and they'll then be faced with moving through another 9 ranks (or Dans) if they wish to achieve the consummate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, to put it simply, there are three principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which takes many years to successfully progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Promotion Manningtree, Taekwondo Belts Manningtree, Taekwondo Belt Order, Belt Order Taekwondo).

To Summarize

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess we wouldn't all want to be. Taekwondo is not just about Olympic titles and National Championships. Most of us are happy to meet different people, make new friends and improve our levels of fitness, and that's exactly how it ought to be. However, as with most things in life, what you get from it will be determined by what you invest in it. Good luck and enjoy!