Taekwondo Willington

Taekwondo is typically far more demanding physically than for instance Tai Chi, so unless you are pretty fit and nimble you may prefer to partake in something a bit gentler to improve your fitness levels in Willington. Younger children are definitely the perfect participants for Taekwondo classes in Willington, with lots of fast paced movements going on and plenty of high kicking.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mainly features kicking moves and manoeuvres, most notably jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and rapid kicking techniques. It started in Seoul, in southern Korea in the 1940's, when a group of martial arts enthusiasts founded schools known as "kwans", which mixed together a number of martial arts techniques.

Taekwondo is popular with the people of Willington and with more than sixty million others around the world. This sport has even been included in the Olympic Games since 2000, and if you want to get involved, joining your local Willington Taekwondo club or class is a good starting point. While the chances of you reaching Olympic standard are pretty slim, there isn't any reason at all why you can't master this exciting martial art.

For the men, women and children of Willington who would like to learn a martial art, a major priority is the element of self-defence. As this is a pivotal concept of Taekwondo, it isn't difficult to see the appeal of this unique sport. With the additional benefit of developing self-restraint and having a degree of respect for others, registering for a local Willington Taekwondo class would seem to be a no brainer.

There is a fairly good likelihood that your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will never need to be proved in your everyday life, but it will undoubtedly give you reassurance knowing that they are there should you ever need them.

What to Expect From Your First Lesson

If you've just booked your very first Taekwondo class, you will be wondering what to expect. There could be variations to the following, depending on which Willington Taekwondo school you go to, but you can pretty much expect; A fifteen to twenty minute warm up, a little technical training comprising some kicks, stances, hand attacks and blocking techniques, learning some forms (or Poomse), a few ideas on sparring including movement, timing and the targeting of attacks, and last but not least a warm down to prevent cramping and muscle spasms.

Everybody who is a member of a Taekwondo class in Willington or any place else in the UK, is also required to join British Taekwondo, which is the governing body of the sport. By checking out British Taekwondo's website you will be able to discover details on events, news, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, safe practices, clubs and members, first aid, coaches and competition referees, beginning a new club, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo is famous for its dynamic kicks, here are the important ones: Crescent Kick (Bandal Chagi), Front Kick (Ap Chagi), Back Kick (Dwo Chagi), Hook or Whip Kick (Huryeo Chagi), Side Kick (Yeop Chagi), Push Kick (Meereo Chagi), Roundhouse Kick (Dollyo Chagi), Axe Kick (Naeryeo Chagi). Taekwondo Blocks: Taekwondo "blocks", that are used to defend against the various attacking movements, are called Makgi. Employing the hands and sections of the arm, they are held in various positions. Each and every block can be coupled with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attack, and each "block" is meant for a particular attack. The main blocks (makgi) include: Upper Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Palm Block and Nine Block.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Perfecting Taekwondo will involve getting to grips with many techniques and disciplines and one of the pivotal parts of Taekwondo is its forms (also known as Poomse or patterns). These are types of direction, technique and stance which need to be mastered in order for pupils to move through the different dans (belts/grades).

Taekwondo Competitions and Tournaments

There are a wide variety of competitions in Taekwondo involving all the different styles. They primarily consist of sparring, breaking and patterns with hardly any "hard contact". ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tournaments don't allow excessive contact but may allow hand attacks to be aimed at the head. World Taekwondo (WT) and Olympic tournaments only allow sparring. Multi-style contests are also held.

Taekwondo for Beginners

Even the finest exponents of Taekwondo in Willington had to start as rookies, therefore there's no disgrace in being a beginner at Taekwondo, or in fact any other activity. The purpose of a Taekwondo beginners class is to provide a few basics, improve confidence and develop a firm foundation for the future. Most importantly of all is that it should be fun, trainees having fun will learn faster and be better engaged.

In Conclusion

Precisely what you get from Taekwondo will be proportional to what you invest in it (as applies with life in general). Most of you will just want to improve your fitness, meet different people and make new friends, some might want to progress to tournaments and competitions or maybe even the Olympics. But remember, we can't all be a Jade Jones or a Lutalo Muhammad.