Taekwondo Pontefract

Due to its more physical attributes, Taekwondo is possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Pontefract and is particularly suitable for kids because it's fantastic for developing self-discipline and respect for others. More elderly individuals could find it a bit too demanding unless they are particularly active and fit. However, those who persue Taekwondo in Pontefract from a young age will find they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less agile of you could consider participating in something gentler like Tai Chi.

With its beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently established of the martial arts and involves primarily high-kicking moves such as rapid kicking styles, spinning/jumping kicks and head kicks. It started when schools called "kwans" were founded by a bunch of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul, South Korea.

Popular worldwide Taekwondo now has more than sixty million enthusiasts. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you want to get involved, heading along to your local Pontefract Taekwondo club or class is a great starting point. While the likelihood of you getting to Olympic standard are pretty slim, there is no reason at all why you can't master this exciting martial art.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and undoubtedly this is one of the principal reasons that people in Pontefract join classes and engage with the sport. There's been a troubling escalation of violent conduct in recent years and this is especially prevalent in city and town centres around West Yorkshire and the nation in general. The good thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and respect for others, not such familiar qualities in Pontefract nowadays.

While it will instill you with confidence knowing that you have those self-defence skills in your locker, the likelihood is you will never need to use them outside the monitored atmosphere of an actual Taekwondo class.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have not attempted Taekwondo before, you might be interested to know just what is going to occur on your first class. The following will give you a good idea, but this will vary from school to school. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase heart rate and loosen stiff muscles, a little technical training which will involve learning some kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocking techniques, a look at some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including good movement, timing and attack targeting, and last but not least a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping,

Taekwondo of course also has got its own governing body, and in the United Kingdom it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Pontefract must become a registered member of this organisation. You will be able to read about safe practices, establishing a new Taekwondo club, news, clubs and members, coaching courses, events, first aid, coaches and referees, equality and safeguarding, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or get the latest Taekwondo news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Kicks

Of all the martial arts, Taekwondo has the widest assortment of kicking manoeuvres. Amongst them are: Front Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick, Axe Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to fend off the different attacking movements, are known as Makgi. Employing the hand and different sections of the arm, they are held in various positions. Each form of attack calls for a particular sort of block, counter-attacks can be produced by combining a block with another punch or kick. The primary "blocks" include: Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Rising Block, Low Block and Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Perfecting Tae kwon do necessitates learning many disciplines and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are types of direction, stance and technique which must be memorized in order for students to move through the various dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In Tae kwon do there is really no form of standardisation in regards to belts and grades. It is all dependent upon what style you happen to be looking at, because there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles. However, they are typically split into a couple of groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings consist of white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 ranks, while the black/senior belts typically have nine levels.

Tournaments

There are an array of contests in Taekwondo involving all the various styles. They largely involve breaking, patterns and sparring with very little hard contact. International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) competitions do not permit too much contact but do permit hand attacks to be aimed at the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

With any sport or activity we have to begin somewhere, and Taekwondo's just the same. Even the topmost Pontefract Taekwondo exponents were total rookies at one time. So, what can you expect as a total beginner at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their students sufficient training to teach them the basics and enable them to build confidence as they progress. The ideal beginners class must be fun as well as instructional, when folks are having fun they are a lot more invested and are going to learn much faster.

Final Thoughts

So, what are you hoping to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that is a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will purely look to gain more self-confidence, meet new people and improve their fitness levels. We're not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, who knows? 👊