Taekwondo Rochester

It must be asserted that Taekwondo can be quite challenging physically, which might intimidate the less nimble and more elderly folks in Rochester from taking this up. To be completely fair, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but obviously older individuals who are in decent physical condition can easily be involved and benefit considerably 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 artists in Seoul founded some new schools which they called "kwans", merging various martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, largely entails high-kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking techniques, head-height kicks and spinning/jumping kicks.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Rochester and throughout the UK. Joining a local Rochester Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

In these times of ever-increasing violence, it is no surprise that individuals in areas like Rochester are getting involved in self-defence classes like Taekwondo to help them feel safer in their local environment. The self-defence aspect is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but it also teaches self-restraint and a deep respect for other individuals, which are qualities that are often missing in 21st century living.

There is a fairly decent likelihood that your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be proven in the outside world, but it will certainly give you self-confidence knowing that they are there should you ever need them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you come to a decision to register for a Taekwondo class in Rochester, the first thing you'll want to know is what will transpire on the initial class and what precisely will the instructor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Rochester area will put together diverse routines for this initial lesson but you can expect to do a 20 minute warm-up to get the blood pumping and loosen your muscles, learn some simple forms (Poomse), go through some practical training (stances, hand attacks, kicks and blocks), do a certain amount of sparring, and last but not least, a warm-down.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Rochester, you will also have to register with the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. By viewing British Taekwondo's website you can discover info regarding events, members and clubs, safe practices, coaching courses, beginning a new Taekwondo club, equality and safeguarding, news, first aid, referees and coaching, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Beginners in Taekwondo don't need to worry excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) in the early days, however they will get to grips with some important ones for starters and move forward to more challenging "forms" as they progress through the various belts (dans/grades). A "form" is indicated by certain aspects of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Getting to grips with such techniques is a vital part of perfecting Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The belt and ranking system can get very complicated in Taekwondo since there is no recognised arrangement throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Parallels can be found though, and normally there are 2 separate belt groups, denoted as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of rankings in the junior groupings varies through the disciplines but is typically somewhere between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior groupings usually has nine belts or dans.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Safety gear such as a blue or red head guard, a groin protector, a mouth guard, shin pads, hand protectors, forearm guards and blue/red body armour (hogu) must be used in all competitions overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is necessary thanks to the powerful kicking which is part and parcel of this activity.

In Conclusion

So, what do you want from Taekwondo? Well, that's a good question, and the answer will vary for different people. Most participants will simply wish to gain more confidence, improve their fitness levels and meet new people. We are not all going to reach the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, who knows?