Introduction To Taekwondo

The following section will provide a very brief insight into Taekwondo.

What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean fighting art that has been developed through long years of history and tradition. Although the art itself is relatively young, having been established around the middle of the Twentieth Century, its roots lie much deeper.

History
Like most other modern martial arts, Taekwondo has grown and evolved from various influences over hundreds of years and yet some fundamental elements stay the same. Part of the enjoyment of Taekwondo is learning about its rich heritage and interesting past.

Features and Benefits
Students of Taekwondo learn punching, blocking and kicking techniques along with respect and control. Benefits such as feeling fitter, being more flexible, and increasing self-confidence.

How Long Will It Take Me To Get To Black Belt?
Students can generally achieve black belt standard in 3-4 years with regular training. Tan’Gun Taekwondo has a structured grading syllabus to enable measured progression throughout your Taekwondo training.

Training
A typical session will include a 10-15 minute warm-up and stretching session then some or all of the following three fundamental elements of Taekwondo training:

Kibon (Basic techniques)
Basic techniques include various different punching, kicking and blocking techniques either performed on their own or in combination.

Kyorugi (Sparring)
To begin with all students learn simple sparring techniques within a rigidly structured format gradually becoming more complex and evolving into freestyle fighting.

Poomse (Patterns)
Patterns are set forms, sequences of a multitude of techniques, which in some ways resemble both a fight against multiple invisible opponents and a graceful dance.

For all grades students are expected to learn one pattern per belt starting with the simplest combination of punching and blocking to complex sequences involving all sorts of punching, kicking, blocking, and throwing techniques.

Strenuous sessions will usually conclude with a warm-down.