The 11 Key Benefits of Taekwondo
If you are thinking about joining a Martial Arts club, it’s no doubt you’ve done your research and Taekwondo will feature high on your priority list. Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports worldwide. It’s a time honoured and real-world tested Martial Art originating in Korea. It is a sport which concentrates on Fitness & Health, Flexibility, Self-defence, discipline, focus and respect. It’s a well rounded Olympic sport which will deliver a massive amount of benefits to students of all ages.
The benefits of Taekwondo training are extensive, and will improve both your physical and mental health. We’ve created a guide to help you better understand the key benefits in more detail.
The 11 key benefits of Taekwondo
1. Self-Defence
Taekwondo training will provide you with the speed, precision and technique to strike quickly and deadly. With regular training you will develop the ability to quickly analyse situations and keep yourself in the most advantageous position, to give you the best chance of safely defusing the situation or survival. Real World aggressive and dangerous situations don’t always happen in front of you, often attackers & muggers will approach from behind with the element of surprise. With Taekwondo you’ll always be able to react very quickly to shift the balance into your favour, and regular professional training will mean subconsciously you will react quicker than you think you will.
One of the biggest conditions of Taekwondo teaching is that it’s not to be used for offensive purposes, but in certain circumstances you may feel threatened or in a situation where you or your family are in danger, sometimes the only way to deal with them is by striking first to defend yourself. A big part of being able to analyse these dangerous situations is by remaining calm, and our training in Taekwondo will give you the confidence to remain calm and focus on the best outcome.
Our classes are split across the multiple disciplines of Taekwondo, including Self-Defence. Below is a video outlining a few of the movements you can learn during more advanced Taekwondo lessons:
2. Cardiovascular Health & Fitness
Taekwondo is a well rounded Martial Art which will contribute to a healthy body, an important aspect of your journey to becoming a Black Belt and ultimately a master of Taekwondo.
As a beginner the class intensity will be geared to a more basic level, so everyone can enjoy to push themselves but in a controlled environment. As you progress the training sessions will intensify and you’ll develop strong cardiovascular endurance to get through the hour-long sessions. Laps, Circuit Training and Sparring will push and progress your physical endurance and your stamina will increase with every session.
Taekwondo is more intensive than running or more moderate exercise, in fact research has shown that each hour-long Taekwondo class can burn up to 937 calories for a person who weighs 90kg. The repetitive training with striking pads, kicking a bag, Sparring, and body weight circuit training forms the basis of a routine which will burn through your fat reserves and help you lose weight. There is also evidence that regular exercise increases your metabolic rate, meaning that regular training will help maintain a healthy balance and keep your weight under control.
3. The Social Aspect
One of the biggest benefits of Taekwondo is that it’s a group activity. We train with and help improve the skills of people from a multitude of backgrounds, professors, teachers, police officers, factory workers, graphic designers, accountants, delivery drivers, soldiers, there really isn’t a type for Martial Arts, there are benefits for everyone and anyone.
Getting out the house and changing your scenery is a great way to improve your mental health, and enjoying the physical benefits and improving your defence capabilities all the while training with new found friends and family creates an environment where students can excel together.
Over the decades Evesham Taekwondo has trained a large number of students, many of which met at our club and have gone on to be long-term friends. Being part of the TAGB we also share a strong bond with other TAGB clubs, and many of our students have friends and family who train at clubs around the local area or country. With regular events, seminars and meet-ups we are one big TAGB family with over 25,000 members!
4. Discipline & Focus
Discipline is a key aspect of Taekwondo teaching, the instructions given to students from a Instructor or Black Belt are important and help guide the student to improve and develop. Being able to listen, understand and follow those instructions is about discipline and focus. Taekwondo is about respect for elders, for instructors, understanding that those that have progressed further than you are to be respected and to learn from your leaders.
Discipline to authority is most important in younger members. Those who are over the age of 18 should have developed some understanding and respect for their elders, but children especially can learn a great deal from their time at Evesham Taekwondo.
5. Increased Flexibility
Alongside Circuit training, sparring and self-defence, Taekwondo teaches you how to stretch properly. You need to stretch in preparation for strenuous exercise and to reduce the chances of injury during training sessions.
Over time you will develop much greater flexibility, the more you stretch, the more supple and flexible you muscle become, extending your range of motion and allowing you to push further than you felt was possible previously. Flexibility is not only key in Martial Arts, but you’ll see improvements in life. Reduced chance of injury, increased balance, improved posture, greater strength and less pain in your back and joints.
6. Improving Mood & Mind
There is no doubt Taekwondo will transform your life. Not just in a physical sense but also your emotional state. It’s been proven that Martial Arts can make students more assertive and emotionally stable, with improvements in self-esteem and alleviation of depression and anxiety.
Taekwondo creates a more balanced mindset, not just in a way that you feel confident that you can defend yourself but also the training techniques will bring balance to you body and mind. Taekwondo training regularly helps regulate your breathing, and the intense aerobic workout provides the perfect anger and tension release.
According to numerous medical journals physical activity such as Martial Arts training can help reinforce the neural pathways, with drills designed to help you focus on one point, distractions go away and you develop sharp concentration on the present moment.
7. Strengthening Muscles
One of the great benefits you’ll get from Taekwondo is a big improvement in your muscle strength and tone. There are a lot of different body weight and strength exercises you will be taught which will improve your ability to punch, kick and spar.
As you advance through the ranks, you’ll move onto more advanced techniques and everything you have been taught as a beginner will build your strength to that point, so your body is ready for the next stage. More advanced techniques include breaking boards with various techniques and parts of both the upper and lower body, and advanced techniques to leverage your strength and take down bigger and stronger opponents.
Taekwondo is particularly great for your leg muscles, kicks required strong legs. Strong legs will not only benefit you in your Taekwondo journey, it will also play a big part in your everyday life. Your legs are your biggest muscle group and activating them on a regular basis will also help you lose weight.
8. Being Part of the TAGB
The TAGB stands for the Taekwondo Association of Great Britain, which was formed in 1983. The TAGB is Europe’s largest single martial arts organisation, with over 20,000 members training in over 600 clubs throughout the UK. With certified experienced instructors all of whom have undertaken specialist instructors course, are CRB checked and have full indemnity insurance.
TAGB instructors are highly qualified, accredited individuals with many years’ experience in teaching mixed classes which often include young children and disability groups. The TAGB is a great advocate of fun and fitness at an early age and TAGB instructors often work with local schools to teach self-defence.
Tae Kwon Do training is about learning to discipline your mind as well as your body and TAGB instructors always include elements in their teaching which help their students to develop mentally as well as physically. Being part of the group you will also gain access to seminars with World Masters, demonstrations, plus national, regional and international championships every month of the year.
By choosing to train with a TAGB registered club you are starting your martial arts journey in the best way possible. Being part of a professional and successful organisation provides assurance that you will get the most from your training.
9. Reducing Stress
Taekwondo plays a key role in reducing your stress levels. There are several reasons that Taekwondo can help with stress, with the main reason being the ability to work through your frustrations through punching, kicking and yelling when you execute your technique.
Being physically fit reduces general stress on the body, and Taekwondo is proven to increase your fitness levels as we previously mentioned being one of the biggest calorie burning sports you can take part in. Stretching also plays a key role with stress relief, combined with breathing exercises it can be a powerful form of calming exercise relieving tension and helping you focus on the task at hand.
Patterns are performed regularly to develop and practise your Taekwondo techniques, master body shifting, build and tone muscles, with the added benefit that patterns are a proven form of meditation improving your balance and breathing control while you focus on the movements. Mind, body and spirit all working harmoniously together.
10. Learning Respect
Alongside confidence and self-defence, learning respect is one of the most valuable lessons your child can gain in life. Taekwondo provides a sense of respect, both for authority figures and their peers. Taekwondo clubs are formal environment, where students are expected to maintain discipline. During lessons students bow to their instructor and their peer as a mark of respect and signalling their focus to begin training or sparring.
Getting along and working with others is a key aspect in Taekwondo teaching, being able to engage with others in a respectful and productive way is imperative to your development in Taekwondo, and poor behaviour in class won’t be tolerated. through training children will learn to stay calm even when making mistakes, work with others to improve their skills, and the greatest lesson will be humility in defeat. We’ll always at some point come up against someone with greater skill, speed and precision and being able to respect their talents and learn from their skills is about being humble which is an integral part of being respectful.
We generally expect students over the age of 18 to have learnt how to be respectful at this age, however there are times when young adults are taught the lessons of respect and humility while training at Evesham Taekwondo.
11. Olympic Sport
Taekwondo rightfully became and an official Olympic Sport at the Sydney games in 2000. Since then Taekwondo has featured at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. As technology has progressed they’ve introduced the protector and scoring system alongside the three corner judges.
The PSS system has impact sensors built into the protective equipment of the athlete. The sock, the trunk and head protector wirelessly link to the electronic scoreboard. When impact is made to these sensors points flash up on the scoreboard.
Conclusion
Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in the world. Combining all of the organisation around the world, it’s estimated 80 million people in 209 countries practice Taekwondo.
There is no doubt that the values Taekwondo will teach you, your friends and your family will stick with you for life. You will be more confident in your ability to defend yourself, have a more focused mind, feel happier and be fitter and stronger to face everyday life. You’ll be training with like-minded people from different backgrounds who all want to learn and develop at a pace set by your instructor.
Being part of the TAGB brings confidence in the credentials of an organisation who have been training for multiple decades, developing teaching techniques and following sports science developments, to train and guide their instructors and ensure a high standard of training is delivered with every training session. Simply put, you will be in the best hands for you to get the most out of your Martial Arts journey.