Taekwondo St Ives

Due to its rather more physical aspects, Taekwondo is perhaps more suited to the younger person in St Ives and is particularly suitable for children as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. For those people who take up Taekwondo when they are younger, continuing the experience into adulthood should not be a problem. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea in 1945. A number of Korean martial artists in Seoul founded some new schools which they called "kwans", incorporating a number of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which was eventually called, primarily entails high-kicking manoeuvres, especially spinning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking methods and head-height kicks.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million followers worldwide, and although you may not aspire to be an Olympic Games medalist, you can still enroll in a Taekwondo club or class to learn what will no doubt prove to be a worthwhile and interesting activity.

For many folks in St Ives, it is the self-defence element of Taekwondo which has the most appeal. And in these days of increased violence, particularly in city and town centres, it really is no surprise that this aspect sits high up on people's list of priorities. It is a key factor of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your capability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect others and practice self-restraint.

Hopefully, outside your local Taekwondo club environment, you won't ever need to try out your newly perfected techniques to defend yourself.

Your First St Ives Taekwondo Lesson

If you make your mind up to register for Taekwondo training in St Ives, the first thing you will need to know is what will happen on the very first class and precisely what will the instructor expect to see from you. Different Taekwondo masters in St Ives will put together differing routines for this first introductory lesson but you can count on doing a 15 minute warm-up to loosen your muscles and get the blood flowing, learn some basic forms (Poomse), go through some practical training (hand attacks, stances, blocking techniques and kicks), do a small amount of sparring, and last of all, a warm-down.

The UK's official governing body of the sport is British Taekwondo and if you want to sign up with a Taekwondo class in St Ives, you'll also be required to become a member of this respected organization. You will be able to get loads of details about safeguarding and equality, beginning a new club, news, coaching courses, events, first aid, referees and coaching, members and clubs, health and safety, and more, by visiting British Taekwondo's official website.

The Benefits of Taekwondo

When you are registering for Taekwondo classes in St Ives you will be expecting to get some benefits to make the entire adventure worthwhile. So let's look into a few of the many benefits that you may get by learning and practicing Taekwondo. Boost confidence by helping you to seize control of your life and succeed, Strengthen your body and mind via accelerated mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Develop discipline by thoroughly schooling your body and mind in the principles and tactics of Taekwondo, Supercharge agility, stamina and flexibility through intensive cardiovascular effort, Enhance concentration and self-esteem by elevating both physical and mental powers, Reduce anxiety using advanced breath control, Teach you self-defence by helping you understand instances where self-defence might be necessary, and empowering you to turn these types of circumstances to your advantage.

Taekwondo Kicks

Among the basic Taekwondo kicks that you'll learn initially include: Roundhouse Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick, Axe Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To repulse the various hand attacks and kicks there are a similarly diverse array of "blocks". They are held in particular positions and use the hands with parts of the arm. Each "block" can be combined with a kick or punch to establish a counter-attack, and each one is appropriate for a certain type of attack. The main blocks include: Double Knife Hand Block, Palm Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block and Single Forearm Block.

Safety Equipment

Safety gear such as a red or blue trunk guard (hogu), a blue/red head guard, forearm guards, a groin protector, shin pads, hand guards and a mouth protector must be used in all matches overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is needed owing to the formidable kicking that's part and parcel of this activity.

In Summary

So, what do you want from Taekwondo? Well, that is a good question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will purely look to improve their levels of fitness, gain more self-confidence and meet new people. We're certainly not all going to scale the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though perhaps you will, you never know?