Taekwondo Porthcawl

Taekwondo is an ideal sport for children in Porthcawl, because it teaches self-discipline and a respect for others. Its more physical aspects make it more suited to younger people. It could prove too taxing for some older adults, but shouldn't be a problem for those who are already fit and active. Quite a few of the older adults who do Taekwondo in Porthcawl, started when they were younger. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

Taekwondo came from Korea in 1945. In Seoul, a group of Korean martial arts enthusiasts established some exciting new schools which they named "kwans", practicing a mixture of martial arts techniques. Kicking movements, especially fast kicking methods, head kicks and spinning/jumping kicks are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it ultimately became known. These days Porthcawl Taekwondo classes adhere to this tradition.

These days an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million followers all over the world, and though you might not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still join a Taekwondo club or class to master what will no doubt turn out to be a fulfilling and intriguing activity.

It seems that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. And when you consider the high levels of violence in town and city centres these days, this is hardly surprising. It is a key factor of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect others and learn self-restraint.

While it will give you peace of mind being aware that you have such self-defence skills tucked away inside you, the chances are that you will never be required to test them outside of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First Porthcawl Taekwondo Class

If you have never dome Taekwondo before, you may be interested to know exactly what is likely to happen on your first class. The following will give you an idea, but this may vary from school to school. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, a little technical training covering some kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks, learning your the basic forms or patterns, some ideas on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to stretch tired muscles and relax.

Everyone who's a registered member of a Taekwondo class in Porthcawl or anywhere else in Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the regulating body of the sport. By viewing British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to find details about news, coaches and competition referees, beginning a new Taekwondo club, safe practices, first aid, coaching courses, events, members and clubs, safeguarding and equality, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Tournaments

Taekwondo competitions and tournaments are staged around the world in all the diverse styles. There is generally not a whole lot of hard contact but breaking, sparring and patterns. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) competitions consist only of sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions specified hand attacks are allowed to the head. Some other associations stage multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Forms are a pivotal part of Taekwondo and are important to learn if you are going to master this intriguing martial art. Several basic Taekwondo forms have to be learned from the beginning and more complex forms will have to be mastered so as to progress through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is characterized by various factors such as direction, technique and stance.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main features of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a small selection of the essential kicks: Back Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Side Kick, Front Kick, Crescent Kick, Push Kick, Axe Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to fend off the various attacks, are known as Makgi. Held in various positions, they involve the hands and areas of the arm. Each and every "block" can be coupled with a punch or kick to create a counter-attack, and each is suitable for a specific attack. The key blocks used in Taekwondo include: Single Forearm Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Palm Block, Double Forearm Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block and Low Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The ranking and belt system can get pretty complicated in Taekwondo as there's no recognised arrangement across the various Taekwondo styles. Likenesses can be found though, and typically there are two distinct belt groupings, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of ranks in the junior group varies through the disciplines but is typically between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior's group commonly has 9 belts or dans.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a range of colours, so that the ranks can be easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo newbies in Porthcawl will commence with, they will then move up through the different colours, finally attaining the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take approximately 3-4 years of training and lessons.

Once this training regime has been successfully completed, Porthcawl Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through an additional nine Dans (ranks) if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the supreme distinction in this sport. Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group of Taekwondo Belts are; Green (Sixth), Green With a Blue Stripe (Fifth), Blue (Fourth), Blue With a Red Stripe (Third), Red (Second), and Red With a Black Stripe (First). The Black division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and involves many years of training and dedication. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Ranks Porthcawl, Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Belts Porthcawl).

Summary

We cannot all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess we don't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't solely about Olympic medals and National Championships. Most of us are happy to meet different people, improve our levels of fitness and make new friends, and that's precisely how it ought to be. Yet, as with many matters in life, what you get from it will hinge on what you invest in it. Good luck and enjoy!