Taekwondo Mirfield

Taekwondo is generally far more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty fit and agile you might prefer to find something a little bit gentler to improve your fitness levels in Mirfield. Children are clearly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Mirfield, with lots of fast movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul founded some schools which they called "kwans", combining a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was eventually called, mainly involves kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking methods, head-height kicks and jumping/spinning kicks.

With more than 60 million individuals participating in Taekwondo classes all over the world, this has certainly become an extremely popular and beneficial activity, and if you become really good at the martial art you might possibly one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part ever since the 2000 Sydney Games.

For the men, women and children of Mirfield who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a top priority is the element of self-defence. Since this is a central concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to appreciate the appeal of this specific sport. With the extra reward of learning self-restraint and having a deep-rooted respect for other people, registering for a local Mirfield Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be proven outside of an organised Taekwondo class, however being aware that you have them will instill you with self-confidence.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you'll be wondering what to expect. The majority of Taekwondo schools in Mirfield follow a similar routine, but there could be variations to the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen the muscles and increase heart rate, some technical training which will involve learning some hand attacks, kicks, blocks and stances, learning the first forms or patterns, some tips on sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch muscles.

The body governing Taekwondo in the British Isles is British Taekwondo and any individual wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Mirfield must also register with British Taekwondo. You can find lots of details about clubs and members, safeguarding and equality, first aid, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, coaching courses, health and safety, events, referees and coaching, and more, by viewing British Taekwondo's official website.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It matters not who you are or what you're ranking is in the world of Taekwondo, at some time you were a complete novice, fearing failure and knowing absolutely nothing. We've all started out at that point and are only able to develop and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Mirfield are the best place get started on that learning process and to pick up the basics so that you can build self-confidence and move forward in your Taekwondo quest. The majority of beginner classes are set up to be fun and friendly, providing a slow introduction to the basic Taekwondo principles and building a firm foundation moving forward.

Taekwondo Kicks

Among the best known Taekwondo kicks you will learn initially include: Roundhouse Kick, Crescent Kick, Side Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Back Kick, Front Kick, Axe Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To defend against the numerous kicks and hand attacks there are an equally diverse selection of "blocks". Held in diverse positions, they engage the hand and different sections of the arm. Each type of attack calls for a particular style of block, counter-attacks can be created by combining a block with another kick or punch. The key blocks (makgi) include: Low Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

You'll no doubt be interested to find out about exactly what kind of benefits may be obtained by taking part in Mirfield Taekwondo lessons and participating fully in its practices. You may expect that you will: Strengthen your body and mind through improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Build up your confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to take control of your life, Better discipline and willpower by thoroughly schooling your body and mind in the techniques and doctrines of Taekwondo, Increase concentration and self-esteem by elevating your mental and physical powers, Help with self-defence strategies by helping you identify situations in which self-defence could be required, and empowering you to manipulate these kinds of circumstances in your favour, Augment stamina, agility and flexibility by means of intense cardiovascular effort, Lower anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises.

Tournaments and Competitions

There are a whole host of tournaments and competitions in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They primarily include breaking, sparring and patterns (forms) with hardly any "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation contests don't allow substantial contact but may permit hand attacks aimed at the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic competitions only allow sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Belts

In the art of taekwondo there's not really any form of standardization in relation to ranking and belts. It all hinges on what style you're considering, as there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. They are however, generally divided into two groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour ranks consist of white to red, with from 8 to 12 ranks, while the senior/black belts generally have 9 rankings.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are known as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a number of colours, so that the ranks can be easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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 rookies in Mirfield will begin with, they'll then progress through the different colours, eventually attaining the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which will take around 3-4 years.

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Mirfield become "black belt candidates" which involves them moving through an additional 9 ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt" status. Therefore, to put it simply, there are three main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior division 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 demands many years of dedication and training.

In Conclusion

We can practically guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you are going to improve your fitness levels, gain self-confidence and make more friends. If that's all you take away from it, then all well and good, and you can call it a success! We aren't all aiming to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, need to start with the very first step. Good luck with your journey! 👊