Taekwondo Purfleet

As Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it is perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Purfleet. That's not to say that the older generation can't get involved in this particular activity, but merely that there could be other martial arts that are more suited to the less nimble among us. Tai Chi is the perfect example.

Taekwondo was only developed fairly recently in Korea (1945). Some schools called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts devotees. Taekwondo, which it ultimately became known as, mostly involves kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking techniques, spinning/jumping kicks and head-height kicks. Today Purfleet Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

At present an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than 60 million practitioners all around the world, and although you might not have any ambitions to be an Olympic Games medalist, you're still able to join a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fulfilling and fascinating pastime.

For a lot of folks in Purfleet, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these days of increased violence, especially in city and town centres, it's no surprise that this features high on people's priority lists. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your ability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect other people and practice self-restraint.

Such self-defence techniques may at some point prove to be useful in the outside world, though it is far more likely you'll only be putting them to the test within a controlled class setting. Nevertheless it's an amazing feeling knowing that you can always successfully defend yourself when you need to.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you've just booked your very first Taekwondo lesson, you'll be wondering what to expect. This could vary subject to which Purfleet school you attend, but will usually include the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase heart rate and loosen the muscles, a bit of technical training involving learning some stances, blocking techniques, hand attacks and kicks, an introduction to some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and finally a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

The UK official governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you would like to sign up to Taekwondo class in Purfleet, you'll also be required to register with this respected organization. By viewing the official British Taekwondo website you can find information on health and safety, starting a new Taekwondo club, clubs and members, equality and safeguarding, events, coaching courses, news, first aid, coaches and referees, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Tournaments and Competitions

A regular Taekwondo tournament incorporates sparring, breaking and patterns, in the Olympics only sparring is included. With that being said there may also be some unique categories in particular competitions such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT (World Taekwondo) competitions are purely soft-contact events, whilst ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) competitions permit some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are additionally some multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Forms are a pivotal element of Taekwondo and are essential to learn if you're to master this popular sport. Several basic forms should be learned from the outset and more complicated forms have to be perfected in order to move through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is characterized by a number of aspects such as technique, stance and direction.

Taekwondo for Beginners

With any activity or sport we've got to start somewhere, and Taekwondo is no different. Even the best Purfleet Taekwondo masters were complete novices at one time. So, what can you expect as a total novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their pupils sufficient training to give them the fundamentals and enable them to build confidence as they progress. The perfect beginners class should be fun as well as educational, when individuals are having fun they're a lot more engaged and will learn quicker.

Taekwondo Belts

In terms of belts, promotion and ranking there isn't actually any real uniformity in Taekwondo, since there are various styles of Taekwondo which each have their own system in place. There are however likenesses and they usually consist of 2 groups of belts "seniors" and "juniors" represented by black and coloured belts respectively. The senior grades typically have 9 grades and the junior, 8 to 12 ranks.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is First Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is Tenth Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, like many of the martial arts is portrayed by a range of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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 Purfleet will start out with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the different coloured belts until they attain the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After this training regime has been completed, Purfleet Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through a further nine Dans or ranks if they're to achieve the title of Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate accolade. So, Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts are the 3 primary sections in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts comprise; 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 will involve many years of dedication and training. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belts Purfleet, Taekwondo Promotion Purfleet).

Summary

We can't all be like Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, and I guess that we don't all want to be. Taekwondo is not purely about National Championships and Olympic medals. Most of us are happy to make new friends, improve our fitness levels and meet different people, and that is how it ought to be. However, as with many matters in life, what you get out of it will depend on what you invest in it. Enjoy!