Taekwondo Nailsea

Taekwondo is typically much more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty agile and fit you might prefer to find something a little bit gentler to boost your fitness in Nailsea. Younger children are certainly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Nailsea, with a lot of fast paced movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

Based largely around high-kicking manoeuvres and moves like fast kicking techniques, head-height kicks and spinning/jumping kicks, Taekwondo was formulated from the techniques of different martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools known as "Kwans" in the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Chungdo Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Jido Kwan, Songmu Kwan and Changmu Kwan.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Nailsea and with over sixty million others globally. Joining your local Nailsea Taekwondo class or club is an easy way to get involved in this sport which has even been in the Olympic Games since the 2000 Sydney Games. There isn't any reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

The thing about Taekwondo that seems to most appeal to people in Nailsea is the self-defence aspect of it. You should not be surprised by this, when you take into account the high incidence of violence seen in today's town and city centres. Being able to defend yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by learning self-restraint and a respect for others.

Such self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in your day to day life, although it's much more likely that you'll only be using them within a regulated class environment. Nevertheless it is a nice feeling knowing the fact that you'll always be in a position to successfully defend yourself if you need to.

Your First Nailsea Taekwondo Class

If Taekwondo is not a sport that you have ever had a go at before, you will doubtless be wondering what you should expect from your first lesson should you decide to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in the Nailsea area have varying thoughts on this but in brief; you will participate in a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up, you will do a certain amount of technical training, you'll learn some patterns (forms), you are going to practice sparring techniques and lastly you'll do a warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state again.

Everyone who is a registered member of a Taekwondo class in Nailsea or anywhere else in Great Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official governing body of the sport. You will be able to read about events, coaches and referees, news, coaching courses, first aid, safe practices, members and clubs, safeguarding and equality, establishing a new club, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find out the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

The Popular Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is recognized for its impressive kicks, listed here are the basic ones: Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To fend off the many kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse range of "blocks". They're held in specific positions and enlist the hand with different parts of the arm. Certain attacks necessitate particular "blocks", but blocks can also be transformed into counter-attacks by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The main blocks include: Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Nine Block, Rising Block, Double Knife Hand Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

In all contests, events and tournaments taking place under the auspices of British Taekwondo, safety equipment such as forearm protectors, shin protectors, a mouth protector, a red/blue trunk guard (hogu), hand guards, a blue/red head protector and a groin protector is compulsory. The fast kicking moves employed in Taekwondo can cause serious injuries and this helps make the activity safer for its competitors.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking system can get a bit bewildering in Taekwondo as there is no uniform system throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Parallels do exist though, and commonly there are 2 separate belt groups, represented as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of ranks in the junior groupings varies through the styles but is usually somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior groupings typically has nine belts or dans.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks which are referred to as "Kup", these ranks range from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a number of different colours, so that the ranks are 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Nailsea will commence with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the different coloured belts until they earn the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Nailsea are considered as "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through a further nine ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt" status. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 classifications; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. 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 demands many years of dedication and training.

Taekwondo for Beginners

With any sport or activity we need to begin someplace, and Taekwondo is not any different. Even the finest Nailsea Taekwondo exponents were total newbies at one time. So, what should you expect as a complete novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees ample coaching to teach them the fundamentals and enable them to gain self-confidence as they move forward. A perfect beginners class ought to be fun as well as instructional, when individuals are enjoying themselves they are much more engrossed and are going to learn much faster.

Summary

We can more or less guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you'll make new friends, gain self-confidence and improve your fitness. If that is all you take away from it, then that is great, you can call it a success! We're not all vying to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you who are, still have to start with the first step. Good luck on your quest!