Taekwondo Prestwick

Owing to its more physical aspects, Taekwondo is possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Prestwick and is particularly suitable for children because it is fantastic for developing respect for others and self-discipline. More elderly individuals may find it somewhat too challenging unless they are especially active and fit. Even so, those folks who persue Taekwondo in Prestwick from a young age will discover they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less nimble of you could think about something softer like Tai Chi.

With its root beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is obviously one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts and entails primarily kicking movements such as head kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking strategies. It started when schools known as "kwans" were founded by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

The number of Taekwondo enthusiasts globally, now exceeds sixty million. This sport has even featured in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you would like to get involved, joining a local Prestwick Taekwondo club or class is a great place to start. There is no reason why you can't become a master of this exhilarating martial art, even if you don't aspire to Olympic competition.

It would seem that the most interesting element of Taekwondo is self-defence. And its no surprise that this is on people's list of priorities when you take into account the ever increasing incidence of violence seen nowadays in town and city centres throughout Britain. Actually one of the main principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

There's a pretty good chance that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be proven in the outside world, but it will unquestionably give you reassurance knowing that they are sitting in the background should you need them.

Your First Lesson

If you have booked your first lesson but have not tried Taekwondo before, you will be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an overview, but this may vary from school to school. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase heart rate and loosen stiff muscles, a bit of technical training covering some blocks, stances, kicks and hand attacks, a look at patterns or forms, a look at sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down to loosen up and stretch weary muscles.

If you wish to join a Taekwondo club in Prestwick, you will also have to become a member of the sport's governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can find a lot of info regarding equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, first aid, health and safety, referees and coaching, members and clubs, news, events, beginning a new club, and more, by popping along to British Taekwondo's official website.

Tournaments

There are an array of contests in Taekwondo associated with all the various styles. They mainly involve sparring, breaking and patterns (forms) with almost no "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation tournaments don't allow disproportionate contact but do allow hand attacks towards the head. WT and Olympic contests allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments are also held.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

Trainees setting out on their Taekwondo experience in Prestwick will first of all enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are excellent, because there are no serious demands and everything is done at a slow and relaxed pace. Having fun while learning is the key objective initially and students who are having a good time have a tendency to learn a lot faster and digest significantly more of what they are being taught. Even Taekwondo masters started out as clueless newbies, so take that first step and who knows where you'll wind up!

Taekwondo - The Benefits

The benefits that may be gained by participating in Taekwondo sessions in Prestwick are many and varied, amongst the most advantageous are: Lower anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Enhance self-esteem by sharpening your physical and mental health, Build your confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to take control of your life, Strengthen your mind and body by way of enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Increase flexibility, agility and stamina through intense cardiovascular exertion, Learn self-defence strategies by helping you understand instances in which self-defence may be needed, and enabling you to turn such circumstances in your favour, Better self-discipline by methodically schooling your body and mind in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Belts

In Tae kwon do there's really no form of uniformity in relation to belts and ranking. It is all subject to which style you happen to be looking at, since there are such a lot of Taekwondo rules and styles. They are however, usually split into a couple of groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior ranks consist of white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 rankings, while the senior/black belts commonly have 9 rankings.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. If you're curious about the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is denoted by a range of different colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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. Students in Prestwick getting started in Taekwondo will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the colours until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

Taekwondo students in Prestwick become "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they will then be faced with moving through another nine ranks (Dans) if they wish to achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. Therefore, Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt are the three main classifications in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which can take a number of years to progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Prestwick, Taekwondo Ranks Prestwick, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

Taekwondo Kicks

There are numerous different types of Taekwondo kicks, here are just a few of them: Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: To fend off the various kicks and hand attacks there are a similarly diverse assortment of "blocks". Held in particular positions, they employ the hand and different parts of the arm. Specific attacks call for specified blocks, but "blocks" can also be transformed into counter-attacking manoeuvres by combining retaliatory punches or kicks. The principal "blocks" include: Low Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Nine Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Final Thoughts

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess we don't all want to be. Taekwondo isn't just about Olympic medals and National Championships. Most of us are happy to meet different people, improve our fitness and make new friends, and that's exactly how it ought to be. However, as with most things in life, what you get from it will depend on what you invest in it. Good luck! 👊