Taekwondo Selby

Most people in Selby would assume that the fast punching, high kicking movements demanded by Taekwondo are more suited to young children. While the physical demands of Taekwondo may make it more suited to the younger generation, it can be practiced by people of every age group. Being fairly fit and agile is however a prerequisite of Taekwondo.

The discipline was developed in Korea in 1945, though it was not given the name Taekwondo until the 1950's. This combination of various martial arts techniques were practiced in some new schools in Seoul called "kwans", founded by a group of Korean martial artists. The emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially fast kicking methods, jumping/spinning kicks and head kicks, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".Today Selby Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million practitioners worldwide, and while you may not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you can still join a Taekwondo class or club to master what will undoubtedly turn out to be a fascinating and fulfilling pastime.

While there is much to be gained by doing Taekwondo, it is the self-defence aspect that most Selby people are interested in. You should not be surprised by this, when you take into account the high incidence of violence seen in today's town and city centres. Learning to defend yourself while at the same time applying self-restraint and a respect for others is a key benefit of Taekwondo.

Your newly learned Taekwondo skills will likely never have to be tested outside of an actual Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you've never attempted Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what you should expect on your first class. This could vary subject to which Selby school you attend, but will generally involve the following. A warm up lasting 15-20 minutes, a bit of technical training including learning some stances, kicks, hand attacks and blocking techniques, learning some forms (or Poomse), a look at sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and finally a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping,

Everybody who's a member of a Taekwondo class in Selby or anywhere else in the British Isles, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the regulating body of the sport. You can get loads of info regarding establishing a new club, news, first aid, coaches and referees, events, safeguarding and equality, members and clubs, health and safety, coaching courses, and more, by going to the British Taekwondo website.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

The benefits that can be gained by participating in Taekwondo training in Selby are many and varied, among the most significant are: Boost confidence by pushing you to succeed and to take control of your life, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by raising your mental and physical powers, Teach self-defence by helping you to understand circumstances where self-defence could be required, and allowing you to turn these kinds of situations in your favour, Toughen up your body and mind by way of improved physical coordination and mental discipline, Reduced anxiety and stress with controlled breathing, More self-discipline by exhaustively training your body and mind in the doctrines and tactics of Taekwondo, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility by way of intensive cardiovascular work-outs.

Taekwondo Belts

With there being various different kinds of Taekwondo there's never really been any recognised arrangement for allocating belts (ranks). What does exist is however pretty similar and involves 2 belt groupings "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each one of these groupings is split into ranks, 8 to 12 colours in the case of juniors and nine for seniors.

Beginners Classes

Trainees starting out on their Taekwondo experience in Selby will initially register for a beginners class. Beginners classes are great, as there are no stringent demands and things are done at a relaxed, slow pace. Having fun while learning is the primary intention to start with and trainees who are enjoying themselves have a tendency to learn much quicker and absorb more of what they are being told. Even Taekwondo masters began as clueless novices, so take that initial step and who knows where you'll finish up!

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Safety gear like a red or blue trunk guard (hogu), forearm protectors, shin pads, a groin protector, a blue or red head protector, a gum shield and hand guards have to be used in all competitions supervised by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is imperative thanks to the powerful kicks that are an integral part of this sport.

Final Thoughts

What you get out of Taekwondo will be directly related to what you invest in it (as is true of life in general). Most of you will purely want to meet different people, make new friends and improve your fitness, some may aspire to progress to tournaments and competitions or maybe even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we can't all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊