Taekwondo Yeovil

Since Taekwondo has quite high physical demands, it is perhaps more suited to the younger people of Yeovil. That's not to say that the older generation cannot be involved in this particular activity, but simply that there might be alternative martial arts that are more suited to the less nimble of us. Tai Chi is a perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is a martial art that mostly involves high-kicking manoeuvres and moves, most notably jumping/spinning kicks, head-height kicks and rapid kicking techniques. It began in Seoul, in southern Korea during the 1940's, when a group of martial arts specialists founded schools known as "kwans", which mixed together various martial arts techniques.

Taekwondo now has more than sixty million practitioners worldwide and has become very popular in Yeovil and throughout the UK. If you want to get involved in this activity, which is now an Olympic sport, heading along to a Taekwondo club or class in Yeovil is a great place to start. There's no reason why you cannot become a master of this thrilling martial art, even if you don't aspire to Olympic competition.

It seems that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. This is not surprising when you consider the rising levels of violence seen in town and city centres these days. In fact one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

There's a fairly decent chance that your newly learned Taekwondo skills will never have to be used in your everyday life, but it will undoubtedly give you peace of mind knowing that they're there should you ever need them.

Your First Yeovil Taekwondo Lesson

If you have booked your first class but have never done Taekwondo before, you may be wondering what to expect. The following will give you an idea, but this may vary from school to school. A warm up of fifteen to twenty minutes to loosen your muscles and increase your heart rate, some technical training comprising some hand attacks, kicks, blocking techniques and stances, some work on forms or patterns, a look at sparring including good timing, precise movement and the accurate targeting of attacks, and lastly a warm down to prevent muscle spasms and cramping.

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

The 8 Basic Taekwondo Kicks

Taekwondo has just about the greatest variety of kicking manoeuvres in all of the recognized martial arts. The following are just a few: Roundhouse Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick, Hook or Whip Kick, Back Kick, Push Kick, Crescent Kick, Side Kick. Blocks: To stop and avert an inbound attack, "blocks" (known as Makgi) are implemented. Held in specific positions, they employ the hand and different areas of the arm. Each form of attack necessitates a particular type of block, counter-attacking moves can be produced by integrating a block with a retaliatory kick or punch. The primary blocks used in Taekwondo include: Knife Hand Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Rising Block, Palm Block, Nine Block, Double Forearm Block, Low Block, Single Forearm Block and Upper Block.

Taekwondo Forms (Patterns)

Taekwondo forms (also known as patterns or Poomse) are categorized by certain facets such as technique, direction and stance. From the beginning you'll get to grips with a few of the basic forms, and so as to advance through the rankings (belts) you'll have to learn some more technical ones.

Yeovil Taekwondo for Beginners

As with any activity or sport we need to start someplace, and Taekwondo's just the same. Even the best Yeovil Taekwondo exponents were complete newbies at one time. So, what should you be expecting as a complete beginner at Taekwondo? A beginners class should give its pupils enough instruction to teach them the basics and allow them to gain self-confidence as they move forward. The perfect beginners class needs to be enjoyable as well as instructional, when people are having fun they're much more engrossed and are going to learn much faster.