Taekwondo Westbury

It's got to be asserted that Taekwondo can be fairly challenging physically, which might put off the less nimble and more elderly people in Westbury from taking this up. To be completely truthful, the most common people participating in Taekwondo classes are kids and younger people, but of course older people who are in excellent physical condition can easily take part and benefit considerably from this activity.

Based primarily around high-kicking manoeuvres and moves like jumping/spinning kicks, rapid kicking techniques and head kicks, Taekwondo was formulated from the techniques of various martial arts, by a number of Seoul martial arts specialists in new schools known as "Kwans" during the 1940's and 1950's. These "Kwans" had the names Jido Kwan, Mooduk Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Songmu Kwan and Chungdo Kwan.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has more than sixty million followers all around the world, and although you might not aspire to be an Olympic Games athlete, you are still able to join a Taekwondo class or club to learn what will no doubt prove to be a fulfilling and intriguing pastime.

For the people of Westbury who are keen on the idea of learning a martial art, a big priority is the aspect of self-defence. As this is an important concept of Taekwondo, it's not difficult to see the appeal of this particular sport. With the added benefit of learning self-restraint and having a degree of respect for those around you, getting involved in a local Westbury Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

There is a pretty good likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in your everyday life, but it will undoubtedly give you a secure feeling knowing that they're there should you ever be in need of them.

Your First Taekwondo Class

If you have never had a go at Taekwondo previously, you could be a little apprehensive as to what to expect on your first class. This varies from school to school but will typically involve all or some of these. A fifteen to twenty minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, a bit of practical training involving learning some stances, kicks, hand attacks and blocking techniques, discovering some forms, a quick introduction to sparring including attack timing, timing and movement, and finally a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

If you wish to sign up to a Taekwondo club in Westbury, you will also have to become a member of the sport's official governing body, namely British Taekwondo. You can read about events, coaching courses, referees and coaching, beginning a new Taekwondo club, news, safe practices, members and clubs, first aid, equality and safeguarding, and more on British Taekwondo's official website, and find the latest news on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo - The Benefits

When getting involved in Taekwondo classes in Westbury you will be expecting to get a few benefits to make the entire enterprise worthwhile. So we should consider some of the benefits that you may acquire through learning and practicing Taekwondo. Grow in confidence by pushing you to succeed and to take control of your life, Reduce stress with controlled breathing, Supercharge agility, stamina and flexibility by way of intense cardiovascular exertion, Develop discipline by exhaustively training your mind and body in the doctrines and tactics of Taekwondo, Empower your mind and body by way of improved mental discipline and physical co-ordination, Enhance your self-esteem by raising your mental and physical powers, Teach you self-defence by helping you to identify instances in which self-defence may be needed, and empowering you to manipulate these scenarios in your favour.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Forms are a pivotal part of Taekwondo and are crucial if you are to master this captivating sporting activity. Several basic Taekwondo forms should be learned from the beginning and more complicated forms have to be perfected so as to progress through the various belts. A Taekwondo form is characterised by various points such as direction, stance and technique.

Tournaments and Competitions

Taekwondo tournaments and competitions are staged across the globe in all the various styles. There's usually not a whole lot of hard contact but patterns (forms), sparring and breaking. Olympic and WT (World Taekwondo) tournaments only consist of sparring, in ITF tournaments specified hand attacks are allowed to the head. Various other bodies hold multi-discipline tournaments.

Taekwondo Beginners Classes

Even the very best exponents of Taekwondo in Westbury set out as novices, therefore there's no shame in being a beginner at Taekwondo, or in fact any other activity. The aim of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few of the basics, raise self-confidence and develop a solid base for the future. Most importantly of all is that it should be fun, students having a good time are going to learn faster and be more committed.

Taekwondo Safety Equipment

Safety equipment like shin pads, a groin protector, a red or blue head protector, a gum shield, forearm protectors, hand guards and red or blue trunk armour (hogu) are used in all matches regulated by British Taekwondo. Protection from injury is important thanks to the formidable kicks which are part and parcel of this sport.