Taekwondo Stepps

Due to its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is possibly more suitable for the younger generation in Stepps and is especially suited to children as it's wonderful for developing respect for others and self-discipline. Older adults might find it a bit too strenuous unless they are especially active and fit. However, those who persue Taekwondo in Stepps at a young age will find that they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo started in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some innovative new schools called "kwans", incorporating various martial arts techniques. This ultimately became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, in particular head-height kicks, rapid kicking methods and turning/jumping kicks. Nowadays Stepps Taekwondo classes stick to this tradition.

Taekwondo has grown to become really popular in Stepps and all across the globe, with over 60 million participants worldwide. Signing up for a local Stepps Taekwondo club or class is an excellent way to become involved in this sport which has even featured in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games of 2000. Whilst you might not have any dreams to be involved in Olympic competition, there's 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 Stepps, it is the self-defence element of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these days of increasing violence, especially in city and town centres, it's little surprise that this features high on people's list of priorities. It is a key element of Taekwondo that you are able to become more confident in your ability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect those around you and learn self-restraint.

Such self-defence techniques may at some point prove to be useful in the outside world, though it's far more likely that you'll solely be testing them within a monitored class environment. Nevertheless it's an amazing feeling knowing that you'll always be in a position to successfully defend yourself when you have to.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you have never done Taekwondo before you may be a little concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. This may vary depending on which Stepps school you go to, but will usually involve the following. A warm up lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, a bit of technical training comprising some blocking techniques, stances, kicks and hand attacks, learning some Poomse (or forms), a few ideas on sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down with muscle stretching and relaxing.

Everybody who's a registered member of a Taekwondo club in Stepps or anywhere else in Britain, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can learn about health and safety, members and clubs, referees and coaching, coaching courses, first aid, establishing a new Taekwondo club, events, equality and safeguarding, news, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or find out the latest news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Competitions

There are a multitude of tournaments in Taekwondo involving all the various styles. They largely consist of breaking, patterns (forms) and sparring with not much hard contact. ITF tournaments do not permit substantial contact but sometimes allow hand attacks towards the head. WT (World Taekwondo) and Olympic contests allow only sparring. Multi-style competitions also take place.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

In the art of taekwondo there is really no form of standardisation when it comes to ranking and belts. It all depends on what style you're looking at, because there are such a lot of Taekwondo styles. They are however, normally split into two groups "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior ranks range from white to red, with from 8 to 12 rankings, while the senior/black belts usually have 9 rankings.

Rankings in Taekwondo in the UK are depicted by what are referred to as "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is Tenth Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, like the vast majority of the martial arts is portrayed by a range of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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 Stepps will start out with the White Belt (10th Kup), and progress through the different colours until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

Taekwondo students in Stepps are considered as "black belt candidates" once they have succeeded with this challenge, and they will then be faced with moving through a further nine ranks (called Dans) if they want to achieve the greatest distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belts are the three principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior group of Taekwondo Belts are; 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 group of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and demands many years of training and dedication.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

It matters not what you're ranking is or who you are in Taekwondo, at some point you were a total novice, knowing nothing and fearing failure. We've all started out at that point and are only able to develop and learn with practice. Beginner Taekwondo classes in Stepps are the best place get started on that learning process and to pick up the necessary basics so that you can build confidence and proceed with your Taekwondo adventure. The majority of beginner classes are geared up to be friendly and fun, providing a gradual introduction to the basic Taekwondo values and building a firm base moving forward.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Perfecting Taekwondo calls for learning many disciplines and techniques and one of the key elements of Taekwondo is its forms (also called Poomse or patterns). These are types of direction, stance and technique which have to be mastered in order for students to progress through the different dans (grades/belts).