Taekwondo Ross-on-Wye

When talking about Taekwondo, the majority of people in Ross-on-Wye assume that this is an activity for young children. The truth is though, that people of any age are able to take part in this sport despite its considerable physical demands. Being fairly agile is however a prerequisite of Taekwondo.

The name Taekwondo has only been used since the 1950's, although the discipline started life in Korea in 1945. Some exciting new schools called "kwans", blending various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts devotees. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, mostly entails kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking methods, head-height kicks and jumping/spinning kicks. Today Ross-on-Wye Taekwondo classes abide by this tradition.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million followers all over the world, and though you might not have any ambitions to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you can still register for a Taekwondo class or club to master what will no doubt turn out to be a fascinating and fulfilling pastime.

The thing about Taekwondo that seems to most appeal to people in Ross-on-Wye is the self-defence aspect of it. And in these days of increased violence, especially in town and city centres, it is no surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. Being able to defend yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by learning self-restraint and a respect for others.

While it will instill you with self-confidence being aware that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are you will never have to use them outside of an organised Taekwondo class.

Your First Lesson

If you've never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you could be somewhat anxious as to what you can expect on your very first class. This varies from club to club but will usually consist of some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, a little practical training involving learning some stances, kicks, hand attacks and blocking techniques, learning some forms, a brief introduction to sparring which will include movement, attack timing and timing, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

British Taekwondo is the official regulating body of the sport within the British Isles, and membership of this organization is compulsory should you wish to sign up with any Taekwondo class in Ross-on-Wye or nearby. You can find out about establishing a new Taekwondo club, events, first aid, clubs and members, news, coaches and competition referees, equality and safeguarding, coaching courses, safe practices, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or find out the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are various different kinds of Taekwondo there has never really been any standard arrangement for allocating belts (ranks). What exists is however pretty similar and involves 2 belt groups "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each of these groups is divided into grades, eight to twelve colours in the case of juniors and nine for seniors.

Taekwondo Tournaments

There are a wide variety of contests in Taekwondo involving all the diverse styles. They largely involve sparring, breaking and patterns (forms) with very little "hard contact". International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) contests do not allow disproportionate contact but sometimes permit hand attacks aimed at the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic tournaments allow only sparring. Multi-style tournaments also take place.

Safety Gear

Safety equipment like forearm protectors, a groin protector, a blue/red head protector, red/blue trunk armour, a gum shield, hand guards and shin protectors have to be used in all matches overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is vital due to the formidable kicking which is part and parcel of this activity.