Taekwondo Royton

Taekwondo is typically a lot more physically demanding than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty agile and fit you might prefer to partake in something a bit gentler to boost your fitness in Royton. Younger children are clearly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Royton, with lots of fast paced movements taking place and plenty of high kicking.

With its beginnings in 1940's Korea, South-East Asia, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently created of the martial arts and consists of mostly kicking moves such as head-height kicks, jumping/spinning kicks and rapid kicking styles. It started when schools called "kwans" were established by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Taekwondo has become extremely popular in Royton and all around the world, with more than sixty million practitioners worldwide. Enrolling in a local Royton Taekwondo club or class is a great way to become involved with this sporting activity which has even been a feature of the Olympic Games ever since the Sydney Games in 2000. Although you may not have any aspirations to be involved in Olympic competition, there is certainly no reason why you cannot become an expert at this remarkable martial art and have some fun in the process.

For many people in Royton, it is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that has the most appeal. This is not surprising when you consider the rising levels of violence seen in town and city centres these days. Learning to defend yourself while at the same time applying self-restraint and a respect for others is a key benefit of Taekwondo.

There is a very good likelihood that your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in your everyday life, but it will most certainly give you a secure feeling knowing that they are sitting in the background should you ever be in need of them.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have never tried Taekwondo previously, you may be somewhat concerned as to what you can expect on your very first class. This varies from club to club but will normally consist of some or all of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, some technical training involving learning some stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks, studying some Poomse (forms), an introduction to sparring which will include movement, attack timing and timing, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

The body regulating Taekwondo in Britain is British Taekwondo and anyone wishing to join a Taekwondo class in Royton must also register with British Taekwondo. By exploring British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to discover info regarding safe practices, coaching courses, news, members and clubs, beginning a new Taekwondo club, first aid, safeguarding and equality, events, referees and coaching, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Competitions and Tournaments

A standard Taekwondo competition includes breaking, patterns and sparring, in the Olympics only sparring is included. That said there are also a few unique events in specific tournaments such as self-defence and team demonstrations. WT (World Taekwondo) contests are strictly soft-contact affairs, whilst International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) contests allow some hand attacks to the head. There are also a few multi-discipline contests.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Taekwondo forms (also known as Poomse or patterns) are categorized by certain elements such as technique, stance and direction. From the outset you will be taught some of the important forms, and in order to progress through the various levels (belts) you will need to master some more technical ones.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

You will no doubt be interested to learn about precisely what sort of benefits could be obtained by taking part in Royton Taekwondo classes and participating fully in its practices. You could expect to: Help with self-defence by training you to understand scenarios where self-defence could be required, and enabling you to control these kinds of situations to your advantage, Boost confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to seize control of your life, Enhance your self-esteem by maximizing your mental and physical health, Increase stamina, flexibility and agility by way of intense cardiovascular exertion, Strengthen your mind and body by means of increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Greater discipline by extensively training your body and mind in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Lessen stress and anxiety with controlled breathing.

Some Taekwondo Kicks

One of the primary parts of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a selection of the most widely used kicking movements: Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi). Blocks: To divert and stop an inbound attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are used. Employing the hand and parts of the arm, they're held in diverse positions. Certain attacks necessitate particular blocks, but blocks can also be turned into counter-attacking manoeuvres by the combination of reciprocal punches or kicks. The principal blocks in Taekwondo include: Rising Block, Low Block, Palm Block, Upper Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Tournaments controlled by British Taekwondo guidelines demand that various pieces of protective gear be worn, these include: a mouth guard, a groin protector, hand protectors, a blue or red trunk protector (hogu), forearm protectors, shin protectors and a red/blue head guard. This is important due to the potent kicking attacks being practiced.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The belt and ranking structure can get quite bewildering in Taekwondo since there's no uniform system across the diverse Taekwondo disciplines. Similarities can be found however, and generally there are two distinct belt groups, denoted as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior group varies across the disciplines but is commonly somewhere between eight and twelve belts, while the senior's groupings normally has nine belts or dans.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). If you're interested in the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is indicated by a range of different colours i.e. 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 Royton will begin with the Tenth Kup (White Belt), and move up through the coloured belts until they earn the First Kup (Red Belt With Black Stripe)

When this training has been accomplished, Royton Taekwondo trainees become known as "black belt candidates", and they must then earn a further nine ranks or Dans if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the consummate accolade. So, Junior, Senior and Black Belt are the three main groupings in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior division 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 involves many years of training and dedication. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Ranks Royton, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belts Royton).