Taekwondo Raunds

Taekwondo is typically far more physically demanding than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you're pretty nimble and fit you might prefer to find something a little bit gentler to boost your fitness in Raunds. Children are certainly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Raunds, with lots of fast movements going on and plenty of high kicking.

Based mainly around kicking moves and manoeuvres like head-height kicks, rapid kicking styles and jumping/spinning kicks, Taekwondo was devised from the practices of various martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools known as "Kwans" in the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" had the names Songmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Jido Kwan and Chungdo Kwan.

The number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds sixty million. Signing up for a local Raunds Taekwondo class or club is a great way to get involved in this sport which has even been in the Olympic Games since the 2000 Sydney Games. Whilst you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there isn't any reason why you cannot be a master of this thrilling martial art and have an amazing time in the process.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and of course this is one of the primary reasons that folks in Raunds sign up to classes and engage with the sport. There's been a disturbing increase in violent practices in recent times and this is particularly rife in city and town centres around Northamptonshire and Great Britain as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and respect for other people, not such widespread attributes in Raunds these days.

Such self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove to be useful in the outside world, though it's more likely you will solely be testing them within a controlled class setting. Yet it is a nice feeling knowing that you can always defend yourself if you need to.

Your First Raunds Taekwondo Class

If you have booked your first class but have never done Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an idea, but this may vary from school to school. An initial warm up lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, some technical training such as learning some blocking techniques, kicks, stances and hand attacks, some work on forms or patterns (Poomse in Korean), a look at sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

If you would like to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Raunds, you will also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. By heading to the official British Taekwondo website you can read information on events, launching a new club, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, members and clubs, news, first aid, coaches and referees, coaching courses, and lots more Taekwondo related facts.

Safety Equipment

Safety equipment such as a gum shield, a blue/red body protector (hogu), hand protectors, a red/blue head guard, a groin guard, forearm guards and shin guards have to be worn in all contests overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is vital on account of the vigorous kicks which are part and parcel of this sport.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Because there are many different kinds of Taekwondo there has never really been any standardized system for allocating belts (promotion). What exists however is relatively similar and comprises 2 belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is split into ranks, eight to twelve colours in the case of juniors and 9 for seniors.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is First Kup and the lowest rank is Tenth Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to the vast majority of the martial arts is indicated by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Raunds will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the different colours until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo trainees in Raunds become "black belt candidates" which sees them progressing through a further 9 ranks (Dans) right up until they eventually achieve the distinction of "Black Belt". Hence, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior group of 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 will involve many years of training and dedication. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Raunds, Taekwondo Belt Order, Belt Order Taekwondo, Taekwondo Ranks Raunds).

The Main Taekwondo Kicks

One of the main features of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a small selection of the basic kicking moves: Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to repulse the various attacking moves, are known as Makgi. They're held in various positions and engage the hands with areas of the arm. Each kind of attack necessitates a particular sort of block, counter-attacks can be produced by integrating a block with another kick or punch. The key blocks include: Nine Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block and Palm Block.