Taekwondo Oadby

Taekwondo is generally a lot more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and agile you may prefer to find something a bit gentler to boost your fitness in Oadby. Children and younger people are clearly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Oadby, with a lot of fast paced movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

With its origins in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently developed of the martial arts and entails mainly high-kicking moves such as fast kicking strategies, spinning/jumping kicks and head kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were founded by a group of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

The number of Taekwondo enthusiasts worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Ever since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to have a bash, signing up for your local Oadby Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get involved. Whilst you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there isn't any reason why you cannot become a master of this fascinating martial art and have some fun in the process.

People in Oadby take up Taekwondo for many reasons but it is the self-defence aspect that appeals to most. And its not surprising that this is on people's list of priorities when you consider the rising levels of violence seen these days in town and city centres throught the United Kingdom. The ability to defend yourself and at the same time exercising self-restraint and a respect for others is one of the key benefits of Taekwondo.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be put to the test outside the regulated atmosphere of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will instill you with self-confidence.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you come to a decision to register for a Taekwondo class in Oadby, the very first thing you'll be wondering is what is going to occur on the very first lesson and what exactly will the trainer be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in Oadby will contrive differing routines for this initial lesson but you can anticipate performing a 20 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood coursing, learn a couple of Poomse (forms, cover some practical training (stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks), do some sparring, and last but not least, warm-down.

British Taekwondo is the regulating body of the sport within Great Britain, and membership of this organisation is mandatory if you want to join any Taekwondo class in Oadby or nearby. You'll be able to read about first aid, health and safety, news, referees and coaching, coaching courses, equality and safeguarding, beginning a new Taekwondo club, events, members and clubs, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and get the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll probably be intrigued to find out about precisely what sort of benefits may be gained by attending Oadby Taekwondo lessons and partaking 100% in its practices. You could expect that you will: Improve flexibility, agility and stamina through intense cardiovascular work-outs, Lessen stress and anxiety using advanced breath control, Greater discipline by extensively training your body and mind in the concepts and techniques of Taekwondo, Enhance your self-esteem by intensifying both physical and mental fitness, Toughen up your body and mind via enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Grow in confidence by encouraging you to take control of your life and succeed, Help with self-defence by showing you how to identify instances in which self-defence may be needed, and allowing you to turn these situations to your advantage.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Forms are a pivotal element of Taekwondo and are vital if you are to excel at this captivating activity. Some basic Taekwondo forms must be learned from the outset and more complicated forms have to be perfected so as to advance through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is categorized by a number of aspects such as direction, technique and stance.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

With regards to promotion, ranking and belts there's not actually any real standardisation in Taekwondo, as there are various different styles of Taekwondo which each have their own specific system. There are however likenesses and they normally comprise 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" symbolized by black and coloured belts respectively, . The senior levels typically have 9 tiers and the junior, 8 to 12 grades.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

In all tournaments, matches and events taking place under the auspices of British Taekwondo, safety equipment such as red/blue body armour (hogu), forearm guards, a mouth guard, a groin guard, a red or blue head protector, hand protectors and shin pads is compulsory. The fast kicking manoeuvres employed in Taekwondo may cause serious injuries and these safety measures help make this activity much safer for its competitors.

In Summary

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll improve your levels of fitness, make more friends and gain more confidence. If that is all you take away from it, then all well and good, you can call it a success! We're not all vying to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, have to start with the initial step. Good luck with your journey!