Taekwondo Tullibody

Because of its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is maybe more suitable for the younger generation in Tullibody and is especially suited to kids because it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for other people. Older adults might find it somewhat too demanding unless they're especially active and fit. Even so, those who persue Taekwondo in Tullibody at a young age will discover they can easily carry it on into older adulthood. The less agile of you might consider something softer like Tai Chi.

Based primarily around high-kicking manoeuvres and moves like spinning/jumping kicks, rapid kicking strategies and head-height kicks, Taekwondo was created from the practices of various martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools known as "Kwans" in the nineteen forties and fifties. These "Kwans" were given the names Jido Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Songmu Kwan, Mooduk Kwan and Chungdo Kwan.

Taekwondo has become extremely popular in Tullibody and around the globe, with more than sixty million practitioners worldwide. Joining your local Taekwondo class or club in Tullibody is the best way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While reaching Olympic standard may be aiming a bit high, there is no reason why you can't still become a Taekwondo master.

It is the self-defence aspect of Taekwondo that generally has the most appeal to people in Tullibody. And when you consider the high levels of violence in town and city centres these days, this is hardly surprising. Being able to defend yourself is a key factor of Taekwondo, but this is tempered by learning self-restraint and a respect for others.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be tested outside the regulated setting of an organized Taekwondo class, however knowing that you have them will give you peace of mind.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you've never done Taekwondo previously, you could be a little anxious as to what to expect on your very first lesson. This may vary from school to school but will usually involve some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen up muscles, a little practical training including learning some hand attacks, blocks, stances and kicks, discovering a few forms, a quick introduction to sparring which will include attack timing, movement and timing, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

British Taekwondo is the governing body of the sport within Britain, and membership of this organisation is mandatory should you wish to join any Taekwondo club in Tullibody or nearby. By going to British Taekwondo's website you will be able to read information about first aid, referees and coaching, health and safety, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, coaching courses, starting a new club, news, events, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Taekwondo Competitions

A regular Taekwondo competition incorporates breaking, sparring and patterns, in the Olympics only sparring is included. That said there are also a few special categories in certain tournaments such as team demonstrations and self-defence. World Taekwondo tournaments are purely soft-contact affairs, while International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) tournaments permit some hand attacks towards the head. There are also some multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo for Beginners

With any sport or activity we have to begin somewhere, and Taekwondo's exactly the same. Even the foremost Tullibody Taekwondo exponents were total rookies at one time. So, exactly what can you expect as a total beginner at Taekwondo? Beginner classes should give their pupils sufficient instruction to teach them the fundamentals and allow them to build confidence as they move forward. The perfect beginners class ought to be fun as well as instructional, when folks are enjoying themselves they're a lot more invested and are going to learn much faster.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

In the art of taekwondo there's not really any form of standardisation in relation to ranking and belts. It all depends on which style you happen to be considering, as there are so many different Taekwondo styles and rules. However, they are commonly separated into 2 groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior rankings range from white to red, with anything from eight to twelve grades, while the black/senior belts normally have 9 ranks.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are known as "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest rank (beginners) is Tenth Kup. If you're eager to know the Taekwondo belt order, it is as follows, and is portrayed by a number of colours i.e. white, yellow, green, blue and red, with "in-between" 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. Beginners in Tullibody getting started in Taekwondo will begin with the White Belt (10th Kup), and advance through the colours until they earn the 1st Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt).

Taekwondo students in Tullibody are considered as "black belt candidates" after they've successfully completed this process, and they will then be faced with progressing through another 9 ranks (called Dans) if they want to achieve the ultimate accolade Taekwondo Black Belt. Therefore, putting it simply, there are three main divisions in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Junior division Taekwondo Belts are; 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 dedicated training.

Taekwondo Kicks

One of the key features of Taekwondo is kicking, here is a selection of the best known kicking movements: Push Kick, Back Kick, Whip or Hook Kick, Side Kick, Crescent Kick, Axe Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick. Blocks: To stop and avert an inbound attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. They are held in specific positions and engage the hands with different parts of the arm. Certain attacks necessitate particular blocks, but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacks by combining retaliatory punches or kicks. The most important "blocks" (makgi) include: Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Low Block, Double Forearm Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Knife Hand Block and Rising Block.

Safety Equipment

Contests governed by British Taekwondo policies demand that specific items of protective gear be used, these include: shin pads, a mouth guard, hand guards, forearm guards, a groin guard, a red or blue trunk guard (hogu) and a red/blue head guard. This is important on account of the forceful kicking attacks being employed.