Taekwondo Shaftesbury

Since Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it is possibly more suited to the younger generation in Shaftesbury. That is not to say that elderly people can't get involved in this kind of activity, but merely that there could be alternative martial arts which are more suitable for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect illustration.

Based mostly around kicking manoeuvres like jumping/turning kicks, head kicks and fast kicking styles, Taekwondo was formulated from the practices of different martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts experts in new schools known as "Kwans" in the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Jido Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Changmu Kwan and Mooduk Kwan.

Taekwondo has grown to be extremely popular in Shaftesbury and all across the globe, with over 60 million practitioners worldwide. Getting started with a local Shaftesbury Taekwondo class or club is an excellent way to get involved with this activity which has even been a feature of the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. While you might not aspire to Olympic competition, there's no reason why you shouldn't become a master of this thrilling martial art and have some fun in the process.

For many folks in Shaftesbury, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo which has the most appeal. And in these times of increasing violence, especially in town and city centres, it is no surprise that this aspect features high on people's priority lists. It is a key factor of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your ability to defend yourself and at the same time learn to respect those around you and learn self-restraint.

These self-defence techniques may sooner or later prove useful in the outside world, although it is much more likely that you'll only be using them within a regulated class setting. However it's an amazing feeling knowing that you will always be able to successfully defend yourself when you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you decide on registering for a Taekwondo class in Shaftesbury, the very first thing you will be wondering is what is going to occur on the initial lesson and what precisely will the instructor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in Shaftesbury will put together diverse routines for this first lesson but you should be expecting to do a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood pumping, learn some simple Poomse (forms, cover some technical training (stances, kicks, hand attacks and blocks), do some sparring, and lastly, warm-down.

If you would like to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Shaftesbury, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. You can find plenty of details of safeguarding and equality, referees and coaching, beginning a new club, coaching courses, news, clubs and members, first aid, health and safety, events, and more, by checking out British Taekwondo's website.

Safety Equipment

Safety gear like a blue/red body guard (hogu), shin guards, forearm protectors, a red or blue head guard, a groin guard, hand guards and a mouth guard have to be worn in all matches overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is needed because of the potent kicks which are an integral part of this sport.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

Contests are an important aspect of the overall Taekwondo experience, and all of the different styles across the world hold competitions where Taekwondo exponents get together to battle it out. Hard contact is hardly ever permitted in any of these contests which mostly incorporate patterns, breaking and sparring. Sparring only is allowed in Olympic and World Taekwondo tournaments, while some hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

Since there are many different styles of Taekwondo there has never been any uniform arrangement for assigning belts (levels). What exists is however quite similar and involves a couple of belt groupings "junior" and "senior" ("colour" and "black"), each of these groups is divided into ranks, 8 to 12 colours in the case of juniors and 9 "blacks" for the seniors.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks (belts) which are generally known as "Kup", these ranks go from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a number of different colours, so that the ranks are easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. Beginners in Shaftesbury getting started in Taekwondo will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the colours until they accomplish the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Taekwondo trainees in Shaftesbury are called "black belt candidates" after they've succeeded with this challenge, and they'll then be faced with proceeding through another nine ranks (or Dans) if they aspire to achieve the consummate distinction of "Black Belt" in Taekwondo. So, Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt are the three main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior division 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 dedicated training. (Tags: Taekwondo Ranks Shaftesbury, Taekwondo Belts Shaftesbury, Taekwondo Belt Order, Order of Belts in Taekwondo).

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Mastering Tae kwon do will involve learning a number of techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are sequences of direction, stance and technique which need to be memorized in order for pupils to progress through the different dans (grades/belts).