What Is Taekwondo?

Taekwondo is Korea’s most famous martial art and was developed in the Korean military by General Choi Hong-Hi in the 1940s and 1950s. Taekwondo combines various blocks, strikes, and punches, with a particular focus on kicks.

Literally translated, Taekwondo is ‘the way of the foot and the fist’ (‘Tae’ means to use the foot to attack, ‘Kwon’ means to strike with the fist and ‘Do’ means the art or way).

Taekwondo is split into two main federations – the ITF (International Taekwondo Federation) and the WTF (World Taekwondo Federation). In the UK, there is also the TAGB (Taekwondo Association of Great Britain). Although similar, there are distinct differences when it comes to sparring competitions and in the way that individual techniques are performed between each federation. WTF is the main governing body and is followed as the official criteria for the Olympics.

WTF sparring rules prohibit direct hand attacks to the head and as a result, hand techniques are rarely used. Talon TKD believes in the employment of the whole body during combat to provide versatility and a broader array of self-defence skills – hence our club follows ITF and TAGB regulations.

The core syllabus of Taekwondo revolves around patterns, which are a set of pre-determined moves against imaginary opponents. Patterns vary in their number of moves and complexity, ranging from 19 to nearly 70 moves, testing practitioners’ memory, stamina and technique.

There are a total of 25 unique patterns in Taekwondo, and students will learn at least one new pattern each time they achieve their next belt. To progress to the next grade, amongst other things, students must be able to perform their current grade’s pattern as well as their previously learnt patterns. This means that as well as learning and performing more intricate patterns, they must also be able to recall everything from previous examinations. As a result, Taekwondo is a challenging, yet rewarding learning experience for people of all ages.

While Taekwondo in its simplest form concentrates on sport and performance, it contains practical elements that can be used for self-defence in a variety of situations. There is a common misconception that martial artists must perform intricate acrobatics to overcome their opponents, however, the most powerful and versatile techniques are often the simplest, making it easily accessible.

Situational control and methods of de-escalation are also emphasised to minimise the chance of physical confrontation. Prevention is by far the best protection, and so social awareness and public safety are at the focal point of all our self-defence lessons.

our self-defence classes

In addition to the physical side of Taekwondo, students will also delve into the history and cultural significance of each element of the martial art and its country of origin, Korea.

Throughout their training, students will learn Korean phrases and commands, gradually building their vocabulary as they progress to higher grades.

Theoretical concepts are integrated into practical lessons and further reinforced through independent study outside of class.

Like any other physical activity or sport, students will naturally improve their fitness levels over time. Taekwondo classes provide physical and mental challenges for all participants, regardless of their initial fitness level. Injuries can be accommodated by adjusting activities to suit the individual’s needs. No one will be forced to do anything they are not comfortable with.

Patterns, individual and team sparring, and breaking (also known as destruction) are all events that may be featured in Taekwondo tournaments and competitions.

Patterns are scored based on the individual’s power and technique. Each contestant performs their chosen or given pattern in turn and is then graded by a board of judges. The process repeats until there is a clear winner based on their total score.

In individual sparring, two fighters compete to score the most points by landing punches, strikes, and kicks to target areas; namely the head and torso. Team sparring is similar but the scores of each team’s fighters are combined. The fighters take turns entering the ring to fight until a point is scored, and then they are replaced by the next pair. In both individual and team sparring, the highest score at the end of the match time wins.

Breaking or destruction requires competitors to break boards with increasing difficulty in both the rigidity of the boards and the complexity of the techniques performed. Candidates are eliminated if they fail to break a board. The last contender to be eliminated wins.

Taekwondo Classes In Guildford