Taekwondo Tranent

Because Taekwondo has fairly high physical requirements, it's perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Tranent. That isn't to say that older individuals can't participate in this popular activity, but merely that there could be alternative martial arts that are more appropriate for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect example.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently introduced of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial artists in Seoul founded some schools which they called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, mostly consists of high-kicking manoeuvres, particularly head kicks, jumping/turning kicks and fast kicking techniques.

With over sixty million practitioners all over the world and quite a few in Tranent, Taekwondo has become extremely popular. This sport has even been included in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you would like to get involved, joining your local Tranent Taekwondo class or club is an excellent starting point. While nobody would seriously expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Tranent.

For the people of Tranent who like the idea of learning a martial art, a major priority is the element of self-defence. Since this is an important principle of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to appreciate the appeal of this specific sport. With the extra benefit of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for those around you, enrolling in a local Tranent Taekwondo class would seem to be an easy decision.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will more than likely never have to be put to the test outside of an organized Taekwondo class, however being aware that you've got them will instill you with self-confidence.

Your First Tranent Taekwondo Lesson

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you may be a little anxious as to what you can expect on your first lesson. This will be different from school to school but will normally comprise all or some of these. A 15-20 minute warm up to loosen muscles and increase your heart rate, some technical training including learning some kicks, stances, blocking techniques and hand attacks, discovering a few forms (or Poomse), a brief introduction to sparring which will include movement, timing and the timing of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo class in Tranent, you will also have to register with the sport's regulating body, namely British Taekwondo. By visiting British Taekwondo's website you can discover facts about equality and safeguarding, clubs and members, news, first aid, health and safety, events, establishing a new club, coaches and competition referees, coaching courses, and a lot more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Perfecting Tae kwon do will involve learning many techniques and disciplines and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also called patterns or Poomse). These are types of technique, stance and direction which must be memorized in order for students to progress through the different dans (grades/belts).

Taekwondo Kicks

Kicks play a significant role in the art of Taekwondo, here are a selection of the best known ones ones: Roundhouse Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Front Kick. Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to repulse the various attacks, are called Makgi. They are held in specific positions and enlist the hands with sections of the arm. Each form of attack calls for a particular type of block, counter-attacks can be produced by integrating a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The main blocks used in Taekwondo include: Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Single Forearm Block, Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

British Taekwondo matches require specific safety equipment to be worn to safeguard contenders from getting injured as a result of the forceful kicks that occur. These safety products include: forearm guards, shin protectors, a groin protector, a blue or red trunk guard (hogu), hand guards, a mouth guard and a red or blue head guard.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In Taekwondo there's not really any form of uniformity in relation to belts and ranking. It all depends on which style you're reviewing, since there are so many different Taekwondo styles and rules. However, they are normally split into two groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior ranks range from white to red, with anything from 8 to 12 ranks, while the senior/black belts generally have 9 levels.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are represented by what are known as "Kup". The highest rank is 1st Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is 10th Kup. As is the case with many of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is indicated by a number of different colours, so the ranks are easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, 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. Beginners of Taekwondo in Tranent will commence with the White Belt (10th Kup), and move up through the different colours until they achieve the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup).

After successfully completing this challenge, Taekwondo students in Tranent are considered to be "black belt candidates" which sees them moving through a further 9 ranks (Dans) up until they eventually achieve the accolade of "Black Belt". So, to put it simply, there are 3 main groups in the Taekwondo belt order, namely 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 division of Taekwondo Belts comprise First to Ninth Dan rankings, and will involve many years of dedication. (Tags: Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Ranks Tranent, Taekwondo Belts Tranent, Taekwondo Belt Order).

Tournaments

Tournaments are a significant aspect of the overall Taekwondo experience, and all the different styles across the world stage tournaments where Taekwondo masters band together to battle it out. Hard contact is rarely allowed in any of these competitive events which primarily comprise breaking, sparring and patterns (forms). Sparring only is permitted in Olympic and World Taekwondo (WT) tournaments, whilst specified hand attacks are tolerated in International Taekwon-Do Federation events.