Taekwondo Northampton

Since Taekwondo has fairly high physical demands, it's perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Northampton. That is not to say that elderly people cannot take part in this activity, but merely that there might be alternative martial arts that are more suited to the less agile of us. Tai Chi would be the perfect example.

Based mainly around kicking manoeuvres and moves like turning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking methods and head-height kicks, Taekwondo was devised from the practices of various martial arts, by a group of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools called "Kwans" during the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Changmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Songmu Kwan.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over sixty million followers worldwide, and though you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you're still able to enroll in a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and rewarding pastime.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and of course this is one of the principal reasons that individuals in Northampton sign up to classes and take up the sport. There has been a disconcerting increase in violent conduct over the last few years and this is especially rife in city and town centres around Northamptonshire and Great Britain as a whole. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for others, not such familiar characteristics in Northampton these days.

These self-defence techniques may at some time come in handy in your day to day life, though it is much more likely you'll only be using them within a monitored class setting. However it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Northampton Taekwondo Class

Different Taekwondo schools in and around Northampton will have different ideas about what learners should be covering on their first lesson, however to give you a notion of what to expect most first Taekwondo lessons will incorporate a warm-up, some sparring, learning simple forms (Poomse), a quick introduction to kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocks (technical training) and a warm-down to stretch tired muscles and get the body back to a state of relaxation.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within the United Kingdom, and membership of this organisation is compulsory if you would like to sign up with any Taekwondo club in Northampton or nearby. You will be able to learn about events, launching a new club, safe practices, news, coaching courses, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, referees and coaching, first aid, and more on British Taekwondo's website, and find out the latest Taekwondo news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

Since there are various different kinds of Taekwondo there has never really been any uniform system for allocating belts (levels). What does exist however is fairly similar and involves 2 belt groups "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each one of these groups is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours for juniors and 9 for seniors.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo which are known as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. If you're curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is denoted by a number of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" belts with stripes, specifically 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. Students in Northampton starting out in Taekwondo will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and proceed through the coloured belts until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Northampton are considered as "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through yet another nine ranks (Dans) until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt". So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the three main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which will take a number of years.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

There are a multitude of competitions in Taekwondo associated with all the different styles. They mostly consist of patterns, breaking and sparring with almost no hard contact. ITF contests don't permit excessive contact but do allow hand attacks to be aimed at the head. World Taekwondo and Olympic contests only allow sparring. Multi-style competitions also take place.

Taekwondo Forms

Taekwondo forms (also called Poomse or patterns) are categorized by specific activities such as technique, direction and stance. From the beginning you will get to grips with some of the basic forms, and in order to advance through the grades (belts) you will need to master some more complex ones.

Beginners Classes

As with any sport or activity we have to begin someplace, and Taekwondo's just the same. Even the best Northampton Taekwondo exponents were complete beginners at one point. So, what should you be expecting as a total novice at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its enrollees ample training to give them the basics and enable them to develop self-confidence as they progress. An ideal beginners class needs to be fun as well as instructional, when students are having fun they are a lot more committed and will learn much faster.

In Conclusion

We can practically guarantee that if you participate in Taekwondo you are going to make more friends, gain more confidence and improve your levels of fitness. If that is all you get out of it, then that is amazing, 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 who are, still have to begin with the very first step. Good luck with your adventure! 👊