Taekwondo Port Talbot

It's got to be asserted that Taekwondo can be fairly physically demanding, which might intimidate the less nimble and more elderly folks in Port Talbot from becoming involved. To be honest, the most frequent participants of Taekwondo classes are children and the younger generation, but unquestionably older people who are in good physical health can easily get involved and benefit from this sport.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its early beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", incorporating many different martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, mostly consists of kicking manoeuvres, particularly rapid kicking styles, jumping/spinning kicks and head kicks.

With over 60 million fitness enthusiasts participating in Taekwondo instruction all over the world, this has definitely become an extremely popular and beneficial pastime, and if you really master this sport you may possibly one day be eligible for the Olympic Games, of which it's been a part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

People in Port Talbot take up Taekwondo for many reasons but it is the self-defence aspect that appeals to most. And in these days of increased violence, especially in town and city centres, it is no surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. In fact one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

While it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have these self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the likelihood is you'll never have to test them outside of an organised Taekwondo class.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. Most Taekwondo schools in Port Talbot follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A warm up lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, some technical training involving learning some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocks, an introduction to some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including timing, movement and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

The UK's governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you would like to sign up to Taekwondo club in Port Talbot, you will also be required to become a member of this respected organization. You can learn about clubs and members, news, first aid, safe practices, coaching courses, launching a new Taekwondo club, safeguarding and equality, events, referees and coaching, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find out the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

The benefits which can be acquired by participating in Taekwondo classes in Port Talbot are countless, among the most noteworthy are: Better self-discipline by thoroughly training your body and mind in the tactics and doctrines of Taekwondo, Improve stamina, agility and flexibility through intense cardiovascular exertion, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by maximizing your mental and physical powers, Lessen anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Build up your confidence by helping you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Empower your body and mind thru enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Teach self-defence tactics by helping you to understand scenarios in which self-defence could be needed, and enabling you to control these scenarios in your favour.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Taekwondo forms (also called patterns or Poomse) are characterized by specific activities like technique, stance and direction. From the start you'll learn some of the standard forms, and so as to move through the various levels (belts) you will have to learn some more technical ones.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

When it comes to promotion, ranking and belts there is not actually any real standardization in Taekwondo, because there are a number of styles of Taekwondo each of which has their own unique system. There are however parallels and they generally consist of a couple of groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively, . The senior grades typically have nine tiers and the junior, eight to twelve levels.

Taekwondo Competitions

Taekwondo competitions are held internationally in all the various styles. There is generally not a lot of hard contact but breaking, patterns and sparring. Olympic and WT contests consist only of sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments certain hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other organizations stage multi-discipline competitions.

Summary

Precisely what you acquire from Taekwondo are going to be directly related to what you put into it (as applies with life in general). Most of you will just wish to improve your fitness levels, meet different people and make new friends, some might want to move on to competitions or tournaments or perhaps even the Olympic Games. But remember, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊