Taekwondo Verwood

While people of all ages in Verwood can of course participate in Taekwondo, it is particularly suited to the younger generation since it can be quite physically demanding, children can especially benefit from its teachings of self-discipline and the respect of others. Unless they are particularly fit and active, older adults may find it too physically taxing. However those in Verwood who take up Taekwondo at a young age, will find that carrying it on into older adulthood is not a problem. If you are less agile you could always try something a bit softer such as Tai Chi or Yoga.

With its early beginnings in 1940's Korea, Taekwondo is certainly one of the more recently created of the martial arts and involves mostly high-kicking moves such as spinning/jumping kicks, head-height kicks and fast kicking methods. It started when schools called "kwans" were set up by a bunch of Korean martial artists in Seoul, South Korea.

Since the Sydney Olympic Games in the year 2000, Taekwondo has been a competitive Olympic sport. This has added to its popularity worldwide with some 60 million people routinely participating in classes. And it is by joining a Taekwondo class or club that you can commence your quest of mastering this unique art.

A key element of Taekwondo is self-defence, and obviously this is one of the primary reasons that individuals in Verwood sign up to classes and take up the sport. There has been a disturbing increase in violent behaviour in recent years and this is particularly widespread in city and town centres throughout Dorset and the UK as a whole. The fantastic thing about Taekwondo though, is that it also encourages self-discipline and a deep respect for other people, not such common attributes in Verwood nowadays.

Your eagerly learned Taekwondo skills will most likely never have to be tested outside the regulated environment of a dedicated 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 tried Taekwondo before, you might be somewhat concerned as to what to expect on your first lesson. This can vary from school to school but will normally involve all or some of the following. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to loosen up muscles and increase heart rate, a little technical training involving learning some hand attacks, stances, kicks and blocks, studying a few Poomse (forms), a brief introduction to sparring which will include timing, the timing of attacks and movement, and finally a warm down to stretch and relax weary muscles.

Any person who joins a Taekwondo club in Verwood must also register with British Taekwondo which is the governing body of the sport in the British Isles. By visiting British Taekwondo's official website you can obtain info regarding coaches and referees, events, coaching courses, beginning a new club, clubs and members, news, equality and safeguarding, first aid, safe practices, and lots more Taekwondo related issues.

Safety Gear

Safety equipment such as a groin guard, forearm guards, hand guards, a red/blue body guard (hogu), a gum shield, shin guards and a red/blue head protector are used in all matches overseen by British Taekwondo. Protection from injuries is necessary because of the forceful kicks that are part and parcel of this sport.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo has just about the greatest range of kicking techniques in all the recognized martial arts. Listed here are some: Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi), Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi). Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", which are used to defend against the various attacks, are called Makgi. They're held in specific positions and use the hands with different areas of the arm. Each form of attack calls for a particular type of block, counter-attacking manoeuvres can be created by combining a block with another kick or punch. The primary "blocks" include: Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Upper Block, Nine Block, Low Block, Rising Block, Palm Block and Double Forearm Block.

Taekwondo Belts (Promotion)

The belt and ranking structure can get a bit confusing in Taekwondo since there's no standard system throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Parallels do exist though, and usually there are two separate belt groupings, denoted as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of ranks in the junior section varies through the styles but is typically between eight and twelve belts, whilst the senior's groupings typically has nine dans or belts.

In the UK there are a sequence of ranks (belts) in Taekwondo which are known as "Kup". The lowest rank is Tenth Kup and the highest is First Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to many of the martial arts is denoted by a range of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate belts with stripes, 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. Beginner students of Taekwondo in Verwood will commence with the White Belt (Tenth Kup), and advance through the colours until they attain the First Kup (Red With Black Stripe Belt)

After this training regime has been successfully completed, Verwood Taekwondo trainees advance to "black belt candidates", and they then need to earn a further nine Dans (ranks) if they are to become a Taekwondo "Black Belt", which of course is the ultimate accolade in this sport. Therefore, to put it simply, there are 3 main groupings in the Taekwondo belt order, namely Junior, Senior and Black Belt. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior group are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group comprise; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group go from 1st to 9th Dan, a process which takes a number of years. (Tags: Order of Belts in Taekwondo, Taekwondo Promotion Verwood, Taekwondo Belts Verwood, Taekwondo Belt Order).

Summary

What you get out of Taekwondo will be proportional to what you invest in it (as applies with life on the whole). Most of you will only want to improve your fitness levels, make new friends and meet different people, some might aspire to take part in competitions or tournaments or maybe even the Olympics. But bear in mind, we cannot all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad. 👊