Taekwondo Tenterden

Since Taekwondo has fairly high physical demands, it is possibly more suited to the younger generation in Tenterden. That is not to say that elderly people cannot be involved in this popular activity, but merely that there might be other martial arts that are more suited to the less agile of us. Tai Chi is a perfect example.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly comprises kicking manoeuvres and moves, in particular head-height kicks, fast kicking styles and jumping/spinning kicks. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a number of martial arts specialists founded schools called "kwans", which combined a variety of martial arts techniques.

Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million followers worldwide, and whilst you may not have any ambitions to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you're still able to register for a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will undoubtedly prove to be a fulfilling and intriguing pastime.

For the men, women and children of Tenterden who would like to learn a martial art, a major priority is the element of self-defence. Considering that this is a key principle of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to see the appeal of this specific sport. With the extra benefit of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for those around you, enrolling in a local Tenterden Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Even though you'll take a lot of trouble mastering these essential self-defence skills, with luck you will not ever need to apply them except within your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Tenterden Taekwondo Lesson

If you've never attempted Taekwondo before you may be a bit anxious as to what you should expect on your first class. This may vary from school to school but will typically include most or all of the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen stiff muscles and increase heart rate, a little technical training covering some kicks, blocks, hand attacks and stances, an introduction to some Poomse (or forms), a look at sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch weary muscles.

Taekwondo also of course has got its own official regulating body, and in the British Isles it is British Taekwondo. Anyone wishing enroll with a Taekwondo club in Tenterden has to become a member of this organisation. You can find out about first aid, news, safe practices, coaching courses, events, launching a new club, equality and safeguarding, coaches and referees, members and clubs, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or find the latest news on their Twitter or Facebook page.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The belt and ranking structure can get rather confusing in Taekwondo because there is no uniform arrangement throughout the diverse Taekwondo styles. Likenesses can be found however, and usually there are 2 separate belt groups, signified as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of rankings in the junior section varies through the disciplines but is generally somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior groupings normally has nine belts or dans.

In the UK there are a series of ranks in Taekwondo which are called "Kup". The lowest (beginners) rank is Tenth Kup and the highest rank is First Kup. As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is portrayed by a number of different colours, so that the ranks are easily identified. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. Students in Tenterden starting out in Taekwondo will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and proceed through the coloured belts until they accomplish the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup).

After this training has been successfully completed, Tenterden Taekwondo students become known as "black belt candidates", and they must then earn an additional nine Dans if they are to achieve the Taekwondo "Black Belt", which is the consummate accolade in this sport. Therefore, to put it simply, there are 3 main groups in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belt, Senior Belt and Black Belt. The Junior group of 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 will involve many years of dedication and training. (Tags: Taekwondo Black Belts, Taekwondo Belts Tenterden, Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Rankings Tenterden).

The Benefits of Taekwondo

You'll no doubt be fascinated to understand exactly what sort of benefits might be gained by attending Tenterden Taekwondo sessions and partaking 100% in its activities. You could expect to: Lessen anxiety and stress using advanced breath control, Empower your body and mind by improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Beef up your confidence by pushing you to succeed and to take control of your life, Teach self-defence by helping you to realize situations in which self-defence might be needed, and empowering you to manipulate these kinds of circumstances to your advantage, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by elevating both mental and physical fitness, Improve agility, stamina and flexibility through strenuous cardiovascular exertion, Better discipline by extensively educating your body and mind in the doctrines and strategies of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Beginners in Taekwondo do not have to stress excessively about forms (Poomse, patterns) initially, however they'll learn some standard ones to start with and move forward to more complex forms as they move through the various belts (grades/dans). A form is indicated by certain areas of Taekwondo including direction, technique and stance. Learning such techniques is a key part of perfecting Taekwondo.