Taekwondo Viewpark

Due to its rather more physical attributes, Taekwondo is possibly more suitable for the younger person in Viewpark and is particularly suitable for kids as it is great for developing self-discipline and respect for other people. Older adults may find it somewhat too demanding unless they are particularly active and fit. However, those who take up Taekwondo in Viewpark from a young age will find they can easily continue with it into older adulthood. The less agile of you could consider participating in something softer like Tai Chi.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently formulated of the martial arts, with its beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial arts specialists in Seoul founded some new schools which they called "kwans", incorporating a variety of martial arts techniques. Taekwondo, which was ultimately called, mainly involves high-kicking manoeuvres, especially head-height kicks, rapid kicking methods and spinning/jumping kicks.

The total number of Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, now exceeds 60 million. Since the Sydney Games (2000) Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport and if you want to give it a go, joining a local Viewpark Taekwondo club or class is a good way to get involved. While nobody would expect you to get to Olympic standard, you can certainly be one of the best Taekwondo exponents in Viewpark.

For many people in Viewpark, it's the self-defence element of Taekwondo which holds the most appeal. And in these days of increasing violence, particularly in city and town centres, it really is little surprise that this aspect sits high up on people's priority lists. It is a primary element of Taekwondo that you can become confident in your capability to defend yourself while at the same time learning to respect others and practice self-restraint.

These self-defence techniques may in due course come in handy in your day to day life, though it's much more likely you'll only be using them within a regulated class setting. Nevertheless it's a reassuring feeling knowing that you can always successfully defend yourself if you need to.

What to Expect From Your First Class

If you have made up your mind to learn Taekwondo and are heading to your first lesson, you will be wondering what will happen. Most Taekwondo schools in Viewpark follow a similar pattern, but there may be variations to the following. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to increase your heart rate and reduce stiffness in the muscles, some technical training which will involve learning some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques, an introduction to some forms, a look at sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to stretch muscles and relax.

Taekwondo also of course has got its own regulating body, and in Great Britain it is British Taekwondo. Anybody wishing enroll with a Taekwondo club in Viewpark has to become a registered member of this organisation. You can find plenty of information on coaching courses, news, clubs and members, events, first aid, equality and safeguarding, coaches and tournament referees, launching a new club, safe practices, and more, by dropping by at the British Taekwondo website.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The ranking and belt system can get pretty confusing in Taekwondo because there isn't any standard system throughout the various Taekwondo styles. Parallels can be found however, and usually there are two distinct belt groupings, represented as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of levels in the junior groupings varies over the styles but is generally somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, while the senior groupings normally has nine belts or dans.

Ranks in Taekwondo in the UK are symbolized by what are called "Kup". The top rank is First Kup and the lowest (beginners) is Tenth Kup. The Taekwondo belt order, similar to many of the martial arts is denoted by a number of colours, these colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with intermediate 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. The White Belt (10th Kup) is what Taekwondo novices in Viewpark will start off with, they'll then proceed through the coloured belts, eventually attaining the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take about 3-4 years of dedication.

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Viewpark are considered as "black belt candidates" which sees them moving through yet another 9 ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate accolade of "Black Belt". Therefore, putting it simply, there are 3 principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order, that is Junior Belts, Senior Belts and Black Belts. The Junior Taekwondo Belts are; White (10th), White With Yellow Stripe (9th), Yellow (8th), and Yellow With Green Stripe (7th). The Senior Taekwondo Belts comprise; Green (6th), Green With Blue Stripe (5th), Blue (4th), Blue With Red Stripe (3rd), Red (2nd) and Red With Black Stripe (1st). The Black Taekwondo Belts go from 1st to 9th Dan which will take a considerable number of years to progress through.

Beginners Taekwondo Viewpark

Trainees setting out on their Taekwondo experience in Viewpark will initially enroll in a beginners class. Beginners classes are awesome, because there is not any pressure and everything is carried out at a slow and relaxed pace. Having fun whilst learning is the main intention in the beginning and students who are having a great time tend to learn a lot faster and absorb considerably more of what they're being shown. Even Taekwondo masters began as inexperienced newbies, so take that initial step and you never know where you will finish up!

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

Taekwondo tournaments are held around the world in all the various styles. There's usually not a lot of hard contact but patterns, breaking and sparring. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) competitions consist only of sparring, in ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) contests specific hand attacks are allowed to the head. Other bodies stage multi-discipline tournaments.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are of course, a number of benefits to be gained from participating in Taekwondo, and here are just some which could be attractive to you: Teach you self-defence by helping you recognise scenarios where self-defence might be necessary, and empowering you to turn these situations in your favour, Develop discipline by methodically training your mind and body in the principles and strategies of Taekwondo, Grow in confidence by motivating you to take control of your life and succeed, Augment flexibility, stamina and agility through intense cardiovascular effort, Reduces anxiety and stress with controlled breathing, Improve feelings of self-esteem by sharpening your mental and physical health, Toughen up your body and mind through accelerated physical coordination and mental discipline.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Contests regulated by British Taekwondo guidelines require various pieces of protective gear to be worn, these include things like: shin guards, hand protectors, a blue or red trunk guard (hogu), a groin guard, a red/blue head guard, a mouth protector and forearm guards. This is a must due to the vigorous kicking moves being practiced.