Taekwondo Penicuik

As Taekwondo has fairly high physical requirements, it is possibly more suited to the younger generation in Penicuik. That is not to say that older people can't take part in this kind of activity, but just that there might be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less nimble among us. Tai Chi would be the perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily consists of high-kicking moves and manoeuvres, in particular jumping/spinning kicks, rapid kicking methods and head kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts enthusiasts established schools known as "kwans", which combined various martial arts practices.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million enthusiasts worldwide, and while you might not have any ambitions to be an Olympic Games medalist, you're still able to join a Taekwondo class or club to master what will no doubt turn out to be a fulfilling and intriguing activity.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and not surprisingly this is one of the principal reasons that folks in Penicuik get involved in classes and take up the sport. There has been a troubling increase in violent behaviour over the last few years and this is especially rife in town and city centres throughout Scotland and Great Britain in general. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such widespread qualities in Penicuik these days.

There is a fairly decent chance that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never need to be tested in the outside world, but it will certainly give you a secure feeling knowing that they're there should you need them.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you decide to register for Taekwondo training in Penicuik, the first thing you will be wondering is what will occur on the very first class and what will the teacher be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Penicuik area will contrive differing routines for this initial introductory lesson but you can anticipate performing a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood pumping, learn a couple of Poomse (forms, go through some technical training (stances, blocks, kicks and hand attacks), do a certain amount of sparring, and last but not least, warm-down.

Everybody who is a member of a Taekwondo class in Penicuik or any place else in the UK, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. By heading to the British Taekwondo website you'll be able to find info on clubs and members, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, coaching courses, referees and coaching, news, first aid, starting a new Taekwondo club, events, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In Taekwondo there's not really any form of standardisation with regards to grades and belts. It's all depending on what style you are considering, as there are so many different Taekwondo styles. However, they are generally divided into 2 groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The junior/colour ranks consist of white to red, with anything from eight to twelve levels, whilst the black/senior belts generally have 9 grades.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are called "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to the vast majority of the martial arts is portrayed by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Penicuik will begin with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and progress through the different coloured belts until they attain the First Kup (Red Belt With Black Stripe)

After this training regime has been accomplished, Penicuik Taekwondo trainees become "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional nine Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the ultimate distinction in this sport. Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into 3 sections; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group comprise; 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 go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process which will take a number of years.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is probably best known for its fast-moving kicks, listed here are a few of the standard kicks you'll be taught as a rookie: Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Blocks: To defend against the various hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse range of blocks (Makgi). Held in particular positions, they use the hands and parts of the arm. Specific attacks call for particular blocks, but blocks can also be changed into counter-attacking manoeuvres by combining retaliatory kicks or punches. The key "blocks" (makgi) include: Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Palm Block and Nine Block.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are needless to say, plenty of benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and listed here are just a selection of the ones which could be of interest to you: Improve stamina, flexibility and agility by means of extreme cardiovascular work-outs, Better self-discipline by extensively training your body and mind in the strategies and principles of Taekwondo, Build confidence by encouraging you to take control of your life and succeed, Strengthen your body and mind via increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Improve your self-esteem by maximizing both mental and physical fitness, Reduced stress and anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Help with self-defence techniques by helping you to recognize instances in which self-defence might be required, and allowing you to control these types of situations in your favour.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Competitions controlled by British Taekwondo policies demand that various pieces of protective equipment be worn, these include things like: a mouth protector, a groin protector, shin pads, forearm protectors, a red or blue head guard, hand guards and a red or blue body guard (hogu). This is necessary due to the vigorous kicking moves being practiced.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Mastering Taekwondo calls for getting to grips with many disciplines and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are types of direction, technique and stance which need to be memorized in order for participants to move through the various dans (belts/grades).

In Summary

So, what do you want from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer will vary for different people. The majority of participants will purely look to meet new people, gain more confidence and improve their levels of fitness. We're not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, you never know?