Taekwondo Strood

Taekwondo is generally much more demanding physically than for example Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty agile and fit you may prefer to find something a little bit gentler to boost your fitness in Strood. Younger children are clearly the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Strood, with lots of fast 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 arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. In Taekwondo the emphasis is on kicking, especially rapid kicking strategies, turning/jumping kicks and head kicks.Today Strood Taekwondo classes follow this tradition.

Taekwondo now has over 60 million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Strood and throughout the UK. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to everyone, and joining a local Strood Taekwondo club or class is the best way to get yourself involved. While you may not aspire to Olympic competition, there is no reason why you cannot become a master of this exciting martial art and have some fun along the way.

In these modern times of increasing violence, it is little surprise that people in areas like Strood are taking up self-defence training such as Taekwondo to help them feel safer and more secure in their local environment. The self-defence element is one of the key factors of Taekwondo but it also promotes self-restraint and a deep respect for others around us, which are traits that are frequently absent in this modern age.

While it is good to practice and master these self-defence skills in the protected environment of your local Strood Taekwondo club, hopefully you won't ever be required to use them in the world outside.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you could be somewhat apprehensive as to what should be expected on your first lesson. This can vary from school to school but will generally consist of some or all of these. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase heart rate, a bit of practical training involving learning some stances, blocking techniques, kicks and hand attacks, discovering a few forms (or Poomse), an introduction to sparring including the timing of attacks, timing and movement, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

Taekwondo of course also has its own official governing body, and in Britain it is British Taekwondo. Everybody wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Strood must become members of this organisation. You'll be able to read about news, coaching courses, events, safeguarding and equality, starting a new club, safe practices, coaches and referees, first aid, clubs and members, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or get the latest news stories on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are crucial if you are to master this fascinating martial art. A few basic Taekwondo forms have to be grasped at the start and more elaborate forms have to be perfected in order to move through the various ranks. A Taekwondo form is characterised by a number of variables such as stance, technique and direction.

Taekwondo Tournaments and Competitions

A standard Taekwondo competition includes breaking, sparring and patterns (forms), as far as the Olympics is concerned only sparring is included. Having said that there can also be a few unique categories in certain tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. WT tournaments are purely soft-contact events, while International Taekwon-Do Federation contests permit some hand attacks to be aimed at the head. There are additionally some multi-discipline contests.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

With there being a number of kinds of Taekwondo there has never really been any recognised arrangement for assigning belts (grades). What does exist is however pretty similar and comprises two belt groups "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each one of these groups is divided into grades, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine "blacks" for the seniors.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are known as "Kup". The top rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to the vast majority of the martial arts is indicated by a range of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo beginners in Strood will start off with, they'll then advance through the different coloured belts, finally earning the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will probably take around three to four years of dedicated training.

Taekwondo students in Strood become "black belt candidates" after they have successfully completed this process, and they'll then need to move through an additional nine ranks (or Dans) if they want to achieve the greatest distinction Taekwondo Black Belt. Thus, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into 3 groupings; Junior, Senior and Black Belts. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts comprise; White (Tenth), White With a Yellow Stripe (Ninth), Yellow (Eighth), and Yellow With a Green Stripe (Seventh). The Senior group 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. (Tags: Belt Order Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Belts Strood, Taekwondo Rankings Strood).

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll doubtless be intrigued to understand precisely what sort of benefits may be obtained by attending Strood Taekwondo sessions and partaking 100% in its practices. You may expect to: Toughen up your body and mind thru enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Teach you self-defence tactics by showing you how to realize circumstances where self-defence might be needed, and enabling you to control these situations to your advantage, Improve flexibility, stamina and agility through intensive cardiovascular exertion, Build your confidence by encouraging you to take control of your life and succeed, Enhance your self-esteem by sharpening both mental and physical health, Better self-discipline by methodically training your body and mind in the strategies and concepts of Taekwondo, Reduce anxiety using advanced breath control.