Taekwondo Stourbridge

As Taekwondo has pretty high physical demands, it's possibly more suited to the younger generation in Stourbridge. That isn't to say that elderly people can't be involved in this kind of activity, but merely that there could be other martial arts which are more appropriate for the less nimble of us. Tai Chi would be a perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is a martial art that primarily involves kicking manoeuvres, in particular head kicks, jumping/turning kicks and fast kicking techniques. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists founded schools called "kwans", which merged a number of martial arts practices.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million followers all around the world, and even though you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games athlete, you can still register for a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will no doubt turn out to be a fascinating and fulfilling activity.

It seems that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. This is not hard to believe when you take into account the high levels of violence experienced in town and city centres on a daily basis. Being able to defend yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by learning self-restraint and a respect for others.

While it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have such self-defence skills in your locker, the chances are that you'll never have to test them outside the regulated setting of a dedicated Taekwondo class.

Your First Class

If you've never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you might be somewhat concerned as to what you can expect on your very first class. This varies from club to club but will typically comprise all or some of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen up muscles and increase your heart rate, a little practical training involving learning some hand attacks, kicks, blocking techniques and stances, discovering some forms (or Poomse), an introduction to sparring including movement, timing and attack timing, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

Taekwondo of course also has its own governing body, and in the United Kingdom it is British Taekwondo. Anyone wishing enroll with a Taekwondo club in Stourbridge must become a registered member of this organisation. You'll be able to learn about equality and safeguarding, events, coaching courses, health and safety, referees and coaching, first aid, news, clubs and members, launching a new club, and more on the British Taekwondo website, or get the latest news reports on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the primary aspects of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a handful of the most widely used kicking moves: Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Whip or Hook Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the different attacking movements, are called Makgi. They're held in various positions and use the hand with different parts of the arm. Each type of attack calls for a particular type of block, counter-attacks can be produced by combining a block with another punch or kick. The most important "blocks" (makgi) in Taekwondo include: Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Low Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Nine Block and Rising Block.

Competitions and Tournaments

Taekwondo competitions are staged across the globe in all of the diverse styles. There's usually not a lot of hard contact but patterns (forms), sparring and breaking. Olympic and World Taekwondo tournaments only consist of sparring, in International Taekwon-Do Federation contests specific hand attacks are permitted to the head. Various other bodies hold multi-discipline tournaments.

Final Thoughts

We can more or less guarantee that if you take up Taekwondo you'll gain more confidence, make new friends and improve your wellbeing. If that is all you take away from it, then all well and good, you can call it an achievement! We aren't all vying to be Jade Jones's or Lutalo Muhammad's, but those of you that are, have to begin with that very first step. Good luck with your adventure! 👊