Taekwondos - Updated Pages

Because of its somewhat more physical elements, Taekwondo is possibly more suited to the younger person in UK and is especially suitable for children as it is terrific for developing self-discipline and respect for others. Older adults might find it a bit too taxing unless they are particularly fit and active. Carrying their Taekwondo experience through into older adulthood shouldn't however be an issue for those who begin when they are younger. If you are less agile you could always try something a bit softer such as Tai Chi or Yoga.

The name Taekwondo has only been used since the 1950's, although the discipline started life in Korea in 1945. Some new schools called "kwans", combining various martial arts techniques were established in Seoul by a group of Korean martial arts fanatics. This eventually became known as Taekwondo and the main emphasis of the discipline was on kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/spinning kicks, head kicks and rapid kicking techniques.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Joining a local Taekwondo club or class in UK is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. While the chances of you getting to Olympic standard are pretty slim, there is no reason at all why you cannot master this thrilling martial art.

A key aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the principal reasons that individuals in UK sign up to classes and take up the sport. There has been a worrying increase in violent practices in recent times and this is especially widespread in town and city centres around UK and the British Isles as a whole. The beauty of Taekwondo though, is that it also promotes self-discipline and respect for others, not such common qualities in UK nowadays.

Although it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have these self-defence skills in your locker, the odds are that you'll never be required to test them outside of an organized Taekwondo class.

Your First UK Taekwondo Class

If you have booked your first class but have not tried Taekwondo before, you will be wondering what to prepare for. The majority of Taekwondo schools in UK follow a similar routine, but there may be some variation to the following. A warm up of 15-20 minutes to increase your heart rate and reduce stiffness in the muscles, some technical training comprising some stances, kicks, blocking techniques and hand attacks, a look at some forms (Poomse), a look at sparring including movement, timing and attack targeting, and to finish off a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping,

Everybody who's a registered member of a Taekwondo class in UK or anywhere else in the British Isles, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the official regulating body of the sport. You can learn about first aid, equality and safeguarding, coaches and tournament referees, safe practices, clubs and members, events, coaching courses, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, or get the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

When you're signing up for Taekwondo classes in UK you'll be wanting to get some benefits to make the whole venture worth the effort. And so let us examine some of the many positive benefits that you could gain by doing and learning Taekwondo. Enhance feelings of self-esteem by raising both mental and physical health, Strengthen your mind and body by enhanced mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Beef up your confidence by motivating you to seize control of your life and succeed, Supercharge stamina, agility and flexibility through extreme cardiovascular effort, More discipline and willpower by comprehensively educating your body and mind in the techniques and doctrines of Taekwondo, Learn self-defence by showing you how to recognize occasions where self-defence might be necessary, and empowering you to control these types of situations in your favour, Reduce anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises.

Some Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is well known for its impressive kicks, here are the important ones: Axe Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick, Crescent Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To repulse the various hand attacks and kicks there are an equally diverse array of "blocks" (Makgi). Using the hand and areas of the arm, they're held in various positions. Certain attacks require specified "blocks", but blocks can also be turned into counter-attacks by combining reciprocal kicks or punches. The principal "blocks" include: Palm Block, Single Forearm Block, Low Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Rising Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block and Double Knife Hand Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Ranking)

With there being a number of kinds of Taekwondo there's never really been any uniform arrangement for allocating belts (levels). What does exist is however fairly similar and involves 2 belt groupings "senior" and "junior" (black and colour), each of these groups is divided into ranks, eight to twelve colours for juniors and nine for seniors.

In the UK there are a series of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are generally known as "Kup". The lowest is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. As is the case with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a range of 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo newbies in UK will begin with, they can then advance through the colours, finally reaching the Red With Black Stripe Belt (1st Kup), which will probably take around three to four years.

Safety Gear

British Taekwondo competitions require specific safety gear to be worn to protect competitors from being injured as a result of the potent kicks being used. This safety gear includes: a groin protector, a gum shield, red or blue body armour (hogu), a red or blue head guard, forearm guards, shin guards and hand protectors.

In Summary

The benefits that you get from Taekwondo are going to be proportional to what you invest in it (as applies with life in general). Most of you will simply wish to improve your fitness levels, meet different people and make new friends, some might aspire to take part in tournaments and competitions or possibly even the Olympic Games. But bear in mind, we cannot all end up being a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊