Taekwondo Sittingbourne

Most people in Sittingbourne would imagine that the high kicking, fast punching movements demanded by Taekwondo are more suited to young children. While the physical demands of Taekwondo may make it more suitable for the younger and fitter generation, it can be practiced by people of any age. You will however get much more enjoyment out of Taekwondo if you are relatively fit.

Based mostly around kicking moves and manoeuvres like head-height kicks, turning/jumping kicks and rapid kicking strategies, Taekwondo was developed from the practices of various diverse martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools known as "Kwans" during the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Changmu Kwan, Chungdo Kwan, Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Songmu Kwan.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in Sittingbourne is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While the chances of you getting to Olympic standard are pretty slim, there is no reason at all why you cannot master this thrilling martial art.

For many folks in Sittingbourne, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo that holds the most appeal. And in these days of ever increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it is little surprise that this aspect features high up on people's list of priorities. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you are able to become more confident in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect those around you and practice self-restraint.

Such self-defence techniques may at some time come in useful in your everyday life, though it's much more likely that you will only be testing them within a monitored class setting. However it's a wonderful feeling knowing the fact that you can always defend yourself when you have to.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you might be a bit anxious as to what should be expected on your very first lesson. This will vary from school to school but will generally involve some or all of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, some practical training including learning some kicks, blocks, stances and hand attacks, discovering some forms (or Poomse), a brief introduction to sparring which will include the timing of attacks, timing and movement, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

If you want to join a Taekwondo club in Sittingbourne, you'll also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You will be able to get lots of details about referees and coaching, first aid, coaching courses, members and clubs, launching a new club, events, safe practices, news, equality and safeguarding, and more, by exploring British Taekwondo's official website.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are of course, plenty of benefits to be had from practicing Taekwondo, and here are just a few which might be attractive to you: Strengthen your body and mind by means of enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Teach self-defence techniques by coaching you to recognise circumstances in which self-defence could be required, and allowing you to control such scenarios to your advantage, Turbocharge stamina, flexibility and agility by way of intense cardiovascular work-outs, Reduces anxiety with controlled breathing, Build your confidence by motivating you to take control of your life and succeed, Better discipline by methodically schooling your body and mind in the principles and strategies of Taekwondo, Enhance your self-esteem by raising both mental and physical fitness.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In the art of taekwondo there's really no form of standardisation when it comes to ranking and belts. It all hinges on what style you happen to be reviewing, because there are such a diversity of Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they're typically divided into a couple of groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings consist of white to red, with from eight to twelve ranks, whilst the black/senior belts usually have nine rankings.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks (belts) that are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). If you're eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it's as follows, and is portrayed by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" belts with stripes, 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 of Taekwondo in Sittingbourne will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and move up through the different colours until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo students in Sittingbourne are considered to be "black belt candidates" which entails them progressing through yet another nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt". Therefore, the bottom line is, there are three primary divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts comprise; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which takes many years to progress through. (Tags: Taekwondo Belts Sittingbourne, Taekwondo Promotion Sittingbourne, Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Belt Order).

Taekwondo Forms

Forms are a key element of Taekwondo and are vital if you are to excel at this captivating sporting activity. Several basic Taekwondo forms must be learned from the beginning and more elaborate forms have to be perfected in order to progress through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is distinguished by various factors such as stance, direction and technique.

Taekwondo Competitions

Competitions are a significant part of the overall Taekwondo legacy, and all of the different styles all over the world hold contests where Taekwondo exponents come together to compete. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these tournaments which primarily incorporate breaking, patterns (forms) and sparring. Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) tournaments, while certain hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) events.

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is renowned for its powerful kicking movements, the following are the basic ones: Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to fend off the different attacking moves, are called Makgi. Engaging the hands and areas of the arm, they're held in specific positions. Each and every "block" can be coordinated with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each one is appropriate for a specific attack. The main "blocks" include: Rising Block, Nine Block, Palm Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block and Double Knife Hand Block.