Taekwondo Stevenston

Taekwondo is generally a lot more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty nimble and fit you may prefer to partake in something a little gentler to boost your fitness in Stevenston. Children and younger people are certainly an ideal participants for Taekwondo classes in Stevenston, with lots of fast paced movements going on and a great deal of high kicking.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in around 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not used until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some new schools known as "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques. The emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, jumping/spinning kicks and rapid kicking techniques, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, meaning "the way of the foot and fist".Today Stevenston Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

With more than 60 million people taking part in Taekwondo sessions all over the world, this has unquestionably become an extremely popular and worthwhile pastime, and if you become really good at this sport you might possibly one day qualify for the Olympic Games, of which it has been an integral part since the 2000 Sydney Games.

In these times of increasing violence, it's hardly surprising that folks in places like Stevenston are signing up for self-defence techniques such as Taekwondo to help them to feel safer and more secure in their everyday life. The self-defence element is one of the key factors of Taekwondo but at the same time it also promotes self-restraint and a deep respect for others around us, which are traits that are largely lacking in 21st century living.

Such self-defence techniques may in due course prove to be useful in the outside world, though it is more likely that you will only be putting them to the test within a supervised class environment. However it is a reassuring feeling knowing that you can always defend yourself when you have to.

Your First Stevenston Taekwondo Lesson

If you elect to register for a Taekwondo class in Stevenston, the very first thing you will be thinking about is what will transpire on the initial class and what exactly will the tutor be expecting of you. Different Taekwondo masters in the Stevenston area will devise diverse routines for this first lesson but you can expect to do a fifteen to twenty minute warm-up to get the blood pumping and loosen your muscles, learn some simple Poomse (forms, go through some technical training (kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocking techniques), do a small amount of sparring, and last of all, warm-down.

Taekwondo of course also has got its own governing body, and in the United Kingdom it is British Taekwondo. Everybody wishing to sign up with a Taekwondo club in Stevenston must become registered members of this organisation. You'll be able to read about beginning a new club, news, coaches and tournament referees, coaching courses, first aid, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, health and safety, events, and more on British Taekwondo's website, or get the latest news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Taekwondo forms (also called Poomse or patterns) are characterised by particular elements such as technique, direction and stance. From the outset you'll learn a few of the important forms, and so as to advance through the various grades (belts) you'll have to learn some more complex ones.

Taekwondo Belts

In the art of taekwondo there is really no form of standardization in relation to grades and belts. It's all determined by what style you happen to be considering, as there are so many different Taekwondo rules and styles. However, they are generally separated into two groupings "junior (colour) belts and "senior" (black) belts. The colour/junior ranks range from white to red, with from eight to twelve rankings, whilst the senior/black belts normally have nine ranks.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks that are referred to as "Kup", these ranks go from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a number of different colours, so the ranks are easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, namely - 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 Stevenston will commence with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and progress through the different coloured belts until they reach the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

When this training has been accomplished, Stevenston Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they must then progress through a further nine Dans (ranks) if they're to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the ultimate accolade. So, Junior, Senior and Black Belt are the 3 main classifications in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts are; 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.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

With any sport or activity we have to start someplace, and Taekwondo is no different. Even the topmost Stevenston Taekwondo exponents were complete novices at one point. So, what can you expect as a total beginner at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their enrollees enough instruction to teach them the basic principles and allow them to develop confidence as they progress. The ideal beginners class must be fun as well as educational, when folks are enjoying themselves they are more engrossed and are going to learn faster.

In Summary

So, what are you hoping to get from Taekwondo? Well, that's an excellent question, and the answer will be different for individual people. Most participants will just wish to improve their fitness levels, meet new people and gain more confidence. We're certainly not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, though maybe you will, who knows?