Taekwondo Polegate

It's got to be asserted that Taekwondo can be very challenging physically, which can unnerve the less agile and more elderly folks in Polegate from taking this up. To be completely honest, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are children and younger people, but obviously older people who are in great physical condition can easily take part and benefit considerably from this activity.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily consists of kicking manoeuvres and moves, in particular head-height kicks, fast kicking styles and spinning/jumping 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 mixed together a variety of martial arts practices.

With over 60 million practitioners globally and quite a few in Polegate, Taekwondo has become very popular. If you would like to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, heading along to a Taekwondo class or club in Polegate is a good place to start. There is no reason why you can't become a master of this exciting martial art, even if you don't aspire to Olympic competition.

In these times of increasing violence, it's hardly surprising that folks in places like Polegate are enrolling in self-defence training such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer in their everyday life. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary factors of Taekwondo but at the same time it also promotes self-restraint and a deep respect for those around us, which are disciplines that are largely absent in 21st century living.

There is a pretty decent chance that your newly learned Taekwondo skills will never see the light of day in your everyday life, but it will most certainly give you reassurance knowing that they're there should you ever need them.

Your First Lesson

Different Taekwondo schools in the Polegate area will have different guidelines for what pupils should cover on their initial class, but to give you a notion of what you can expect most first Taekwondo classes will incorporate a warm-up, a bit of sparring, learning simple Poomse (forms), an introduction to blocks, stances, kicks and hand attacks (practical training) and a warm-down to stretch tired muscles and return the body to a state of harmony.

Taekwondo of course also has its own official regulating body, and in Great Britain it is British Taekwondo. Anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Polegate must become a registered member of this organisation. You will be able to get a lot of info on coaching courses, events, starting a new club, first aid, safe practices, equality and safeguarding, news, coaches and tournament referees, members and clubs, and more, by viewing the official British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Belts

The ranking and belt system can get pretty bewildering in Taekwondo since there is no standardized arrangement throughout the different Taekwondo disciplines. Analogies do exist however, and commonly there are two separate belt groups, represented as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (coloured belts). The number of ranks in the junior section varies over the disciplines but is commonly somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior's groupings generally has nine dans or belts.

In the UK there are a series of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are referred to as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. If you are curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is denoted by a range of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" belts with stripes, 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 Polegate will start out with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and proceed through the various colours until they achieve the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

Taekwondo students in Polegate are considered as "black belt candidates" after they have worked their way through these rankings, and they'll then be faced with proceeding through an additional nine ranks (Dans) if they aspire to achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be grouped into three 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 range from 1st to 9th Dan, a process that will take a number of years.

Beginners Classes

Trainees starting out on their Taekwondo experience in Polegate will at first enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are great, since there are no rigid demands and everything is carried out at a casual, slow pace. Learning and having fun are the main goals at the start and students who are having a good time tend to learn much quicker and absorb significantly more of what they are being shown. Even Taekwondo masters started off as clueless newbies, so take that first step and you never know where you will end up!

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Perfecting the art of Taekwondo will involve learning many disciplines and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also called patterns or Poomse). These are sequences of technique, direction and stance which have to be memorized in order for participants to move through the different dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

Tournaments are a significant part of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all of the different styles across the globe stage contests where Taekwondo masters come together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever allowed in any of these contests which primarily comprise patterns, sparring and breaking. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments, whilst some hand attacks are permitted in International Taekwon-Do Federation events.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo contests require certain safety gear to be worn to protect contenders from personal injury due to the formidable kicks that are used. These safety items include: a gum shield, a blue/red head guard, a groin protector, forearm protectors, hand protectors, shin guards and a red or blue trunk guard (hogu).