Taekwondo Stewarton

Taekwondo is typically much 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 bit gentler to improve your fitness in Stewarton. Younger children are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Stewarton, with a lot of fast movements taking place and a great deal of high kicking.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly consists of kicking moves and manoeuvres, in particular jumping/spinning kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking styles. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a number of martial arts enthusiasts founded schools known as "kwans", which mixed together a number of martial arts practices.

Taekwondo has grown to be very popular in Stewarton and all over the world, with more than sixty million practitioners worldwide. Getting started with a local Stewarton Taekwondo club or class is an excellent way to get involved in this sport which has even been included in the Olympic Games since the Sydney Games in 2000. While you may not have any aspirations to take part in Olympic competition, there's certainly no reason why you shouldn't become an expert at this challenging martial art and have a bit of fun along the way.

In these times of ever-increasing violence, it's little surprise that individuals in places like Stewarton are taking up self-defence classes such as Taekwondo to enable them to feel safer in their everyday life. The self-defence element is one of the primary benefits of Taekwondo but it also encourages self-restraint and a respect for those around us, which are characteristics that are largely lacking in 21st century living.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be put to the test outside the regulated setting of a dedicated Taekwondo class, however being aware that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Lesson

If you've booked your first lesson but haven't done Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an illustration, but this could vary subject to which Stewarton school you have signed up for. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to increase your heart rate and loosen the muscles, a little technical training involving learning some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques, learning the basic forms or patterns, some tips on sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

Taekwondo also of course has its own official regulating body, and in the UK it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing enroll with a Taekwondo club in Stewarton has to become a registered member of this organisation. You can find lots of facts about beginning a new Taekwondo club, first aid, events, equality and safeguarding, news, referees and coaching, coaching courses, health and safety, members and clubs, and more, by visiting British Taekwondo's website.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

The ranking and belt structure can get pretty confusing in Taekwondo because there is no recognised arrangement throughout the different Taekwondo disciplines. Parallels do exist however, and generally there are two distinct belt groupings, signified as "seniors" (black dans) and "juniors" (colours). The number of grades in the junior section varies through the disciplines but is generally somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior section commonly has 9 dans or belts.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo that are known as "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is 10th Kup and the highest is 1st Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, just like the vast majority of the martial arts is portrayed by a number 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 Stewarton will begin with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and progress through the various colours until they reach the Red With Black Stripe Belt (First Kup)

Taekwondo students in Stewarton are considered as "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they'll then need to move through another 9 ranks (called Dans) if they plan to achieve the consummate distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, putting it simply, there are 3 main groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group comprise; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior division are; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group range from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process that will take many years.

Taekwondo Kicks

Some of the basic Taekwondo kicking manoeuvres that you'll master initially include: Front Kick, Crescent Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Push Kick, Axe Kick. Blocks: To stop and defend against an incoming attack, "blocks" (called Makgi) are implemented. Held in diverse positions, they engage the hands and different areas of the arm. Each block can be merged with a kick or punch to establish a counter-attacking movement, and each is suitable for a particular attack. The most used blocks (makgi) include: Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Nine Block and Palm Block.