Taekwondo Upminster

While not intending to be in any way ageist, Taekwondo can be rather physical and is generally more suited to younger people in Upminster, it is especially good for children who will learn to be self-disciplined and respecting of others. Older adults trying Taekwondo for the first time often find it too taxing, unless they have kept themselves active. People in Upminster who take up Taekwondo when they are young find it easy to continue when they get older. Something a bit softer like Tai Chi might be more suitable for the less agile of you.

The sport was first practiced in Korea in about 1945, though the name Taekwondo was not coined until the 1950's. A group of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some schools known as "kwans", mixing various martial arts techniques. The main focus of the discipline was on kicking movements, in particular head-height kicks, spinning/jumping kicks and fast kicking strategies, and it was later given the name; Taekwondo, roughly meaning "the way of the foot and fist". These days Upminster Taekwondo classes comply with this tradition.

Popular worldwide Taekwondo now has over 60 million enthusiasts. Now an Olympic sport, Taekwondo is accessible to anyone, and joining a local Upminster Taekwondo club or class is the most effective way to get yourself involved. There isn't any reason why you cannot become a master of this fascinating martial art, even if you do not aspire to Olympic competition.

For the people of Upminster who like the idea of learning a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. Because this is a key concept of Taekwondo, it is easy to see the appeal of this unique sport. With the extra reward of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for those around you, registering for a local Upminster Taekwondo class seems to be an easy decision.

Your eagerly mastered Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be tested outside of an organized Taekwondo class, however being aware that you've got them will give you peace of mind.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo before, you could be a bit anxious as to what you can expect on your very first class. This will vary from school to school but will typically involve all or some of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a little practical training involving learning some kicks, hand attacks, stances and blocking techniques, discovering a few forms (or Poomse), an introduction to sparring which will include timing, movement and the timing of attacks, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax tired muscles.

The official body regulating Taekwondo in the UK is British Taekwondo and any person wanting to join a Taekwondo class in Upminster has to also register with British Taekwondo. You will be able to learn about news, equality and safeguarding, launching a new Taekwondo club, members and clubs, coaching courses, first aid, health and safety, coaches and tournament referees, events, and more on the British Taekwondo website, and get the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Tournaments and Competitions

Taekwondo tournaments are staged across the globe in all the various styles. There's normally not much hard contact but patterns (forms), breaking and sparring. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments consist only of sparring, in ITF competitions certain hand attacks are permitted to the head. Other bodies hold multi-discipline competitions.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

In Taekwondo there's really no standardization with regards to belts and ranking. It all depends upon what style you're considering, as there are such a diversity of Taekwondo styles and rules. However, they are commonly split into two groups "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The junior/colour rankings consist of white to red, with anything from eight to twelve levels, whilst the senior/black belts usually have nine grades.

In the UK Taekwondo has a series of ranks that are generally known as "Kup", these ranks range from 10th (lowest) to 1st (highest). The Taekwondo belt order, just like most of the martial arts is indicated by a range of different colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediary 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 Upminster getting started in Taekwondo will begin with the 10th Kup (White Belt), and advance through the coloured belts until they achieve the 1st Kup (Red Belt With a Black Stripe).

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Upminster are known as "black belt candidates" which involves them proceeding through another nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt". Therefore, the Taekwondo belt order can be put into three sections; Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Junior division 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. (Tags: Taekwondo Belt Order, Taekwondo Rankings Upminster, Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Belts Upminster).

The Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is famous for its dynamic kicks, here are the basic ones: Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi). Blocks: To stop and defend against an incoming attack, blocks (called Makgi) are implemented. Using the hand and different sections of the arm, they're held in specific positions. Certain attacks necessitate specified blocks, but "blocks" can also be turned into counter-attacks by linking retaliatory punches or kicks. The most important "blocks" (makgi) include: Nine Block, Rising Block, Single Forearm Block, Palm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Low Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Tournaments regulated by British Taekwondo rules demand that various pieces of protective equipment be used, these include: forearm guards, hand guards, a red/blue head guard, blue/red trunk armour, a mouth protector, a groin protector and shin pads. This is crucial on account of the potent kicking attacks being practiced.

Taekwondo Patterns (Forms)

Newcomers just beginning their journey in Taekwondo don't have to stress too much about forms (Poomse, patterns) in the early days, however they'll have to learn some basic ones to begin with and move forward to more complicated "forms" as they move up the various belts (dans/grades). A form is denoted by certain aspects of Taekwondo including technique, direction and stance. Learning these techniques is a vital part of mastering Taekwondo.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

When you are enrolling in Taekwondo classes in Upminster you'll be hoping to get some benefits to make the whole adventure worth the effort. So we should take a look at some of the many positive benefits that you might gain from practicing and learning Taekwondo. Learn self-defence by training you to realize occasions where self-defence may be required, and enabling you to manipulate these types of scenarios to your advantage, Reduced anxiety by doing deep breathing exercises, Empower your body and mind by improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Augment stamina, agility and flexibility by way of intense cardiovascular effort, Enhance feelings of self-esteem by elevating your physical and mental health, Beef up your confidence by encouraging you to succeed and to take control of your life, Better discipline by extensively educating your body and mind in the techniques and concepts of Taekwondo.

Conclusion

So, what do you want from Taekwondo? Well, that's an excellent question, and the answer to that will vary for different people. The majority of participants will purely look to meet new people, gain more self-confidence and improve their fitness. We are certainly not all going to reach the heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, you never know?