Taekwondo Swanley

It must be said that Taekwondo can be very demanding physically, which may discourage the older and less agile people in Swanley from becoming involved. To be fair, the most frequent people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and the younger generation, but obviously older individuals who are in excellent physical condition can easily take part and benefit considerably from this activity.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some schools which they called "kwans", merging a number of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, primarily entails high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly rapid kicking strategies, head-height kicks and spinning/jumping kicks.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity throughout the world with some 60 million people or more routinely attending classes. And it's by joining a Taekwondo club or class that you are able to begin your quest of learning this remarkable activity.

For a lot of people in Swanley, it's the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that holds the most appeal. And in these times of increasing violence, particularly in town and city centres, it really is little surprise that this aspect sits high up on people's priority lists. It is a key element of Taekwondo that you're able to gain more confidence in your capacity to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect other people and practice self-restraint.

There's a fairly decent likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never need to be proven in the outside world, but it will unquestionably give you a secure feeling knowing that they're there should you ever need them.

Your First Lesson

If you have booked your first lesson but have never done Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. Most Taekwondo schools in Swanley follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little technical training which will involve learning some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocks, learning your the basic forms or patterns, some tips on sparring including good timing, movement and targeting attacks, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

Any individual who joins a Taekwondo class in Swanley has to also register with British Taekwondo which is the governing body of the sport in the British Isles. By viewing British Taekwondo's official website you'll be able to obtain facts about members and clubs, events, health and safety, coaches and competition referees, beginning a new Taekwondo club, first aid, news, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

The benefits that may be achieved by taking part in Taekwondo instruction in Swanley are countless, amongst the most advantageous are: Learn self-defence techniques by showing you how to recognize scenarios in which self-defence may be required, and enabling you to manipulate these situations to your advantage, Lower stress and anxiety with controlled breathing, Enhance your self-esteem by elevating both mental and physical powers, Build confidence by pushing you to succeed and to take control of your life, Empower your body and mind thru improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by means of extreme cardiovascular work-outs, Develop discipline by comprehensively schooling your body and mind in the principles and tactics of Taekwondo.

Some Taekwondo Kicks

Kicking moves play a leading role in Taekwondo, here are a handful of the more basic ones: Axe Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Whip or Hook Kick. Taekwondo Blocks: To stop and avert an inbound attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. Employing the hand and parts of the arm, they're held in various positions. Every "block" can be coupled with a kick or punch to create a counter-attack, and each one is meant for a specific attack. The main Taekwondo blocks include: Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Single Forearm Block, Upper Block, Low Block, Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block and Rising Block.

Beginners Classes

With any activity or sport we've got to start somewhere, and Taekwondo is not any different. Even the best Swanley Taekwondo exponents were total rookies at one point. So, what should you be expecting as a total novice at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their pupils enough instruction to give them the basic principles and allow them to build self-confidence as they move forward. The perfect beginners class should be enjoyable as well as instructional, when people are enjoying themselves they're more engaged and are going to learn much faster.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo matches call for specific safety equipment to be worn to safeguard contenders from being injured as a result of the potent kicking that takes place. These safety solutions include: hand protectors, red or blue body armour (hogu), a red or blue head protector, a gum shield, shin pads, a groin guard and forearm protectors.

To Summarize

The benefits that you get out of Taekwondo will be directly related to what you put into it (as is true of life in general). The majority of you will simply wish to meet different people, make new friends and improve your fitness, some may wish to move on to tournaments and competitions or possibly even the Olympic Games. But remember, we can't all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊