for Ladies A call to all women “Give Tae kwon do a go”

Tae Kwon Do- The Benefits - By Joanne Smith 2nd Degree Black Belt TAGB Instructor

The Hollywood stereo typical Martial Art action hero who we have all experienced is merely a theatrical choreographed source of athletic entertainment which is fantastic to watch and improves the visual side of many action films. This “Hollywood” trait has assisted the wide misconception of the true Martial Art world and Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon do has unlimited personal benefits which have a positive effect your life. It’s can be a hobby, lifestyle, fitness regime, a sport, but it is, first and foremost, a Martial Art open to anyone, no matter what age, sex, race or ethnic background.

I am a local Residential Lettings Manageress in JD Lettings Ltd in Bath and remember the case of Suzy Lamplugh, a 25 year old estate agent who arranged to view a property to a potential buyer in 1986 and was never seen again. A shocking, scary yet real concept which has happened and could happen again to anyone and unfortunately the Victim is usually a woman. Many hard working professional women experience the late night walk back to the car, the meeting of unfamiliar potential clients, even walking the dog on an evening, nowadays has a potential risk. All those Mums, Auties,Sisters and Daughters can feel more confident and increase their sense of awareness in everyday life by removing the victim tag which criminals can seem to sense. Women as well as Men benefit from such a skill as self defence. Tae kwon do provides many self defence techniques, many if not most techniques studied are based on Surprise, Timing and Awareness which can be acquired by training in Tae kwon do and when applied correctly are very effective. Self Defence skills can get you swiftly out of a potentially harmful situation, it may give you time to run, get help or provide a defence from various forms of attack.

Tae Kwon Do literally means; ‘Tae’ to jump kick or smash with the foot, ‘Kwon’ means to punch or destroy with the fist & Do means, Art, Way or Method in the sense of a “path you should follow” I feel that Taekwondo is not just for men although it is a predominantly male sport women can benefit from TaeKwonDo in such a positive and safe way. You will be pleased to know that Taekwondo training today differs widely, although Taekwondo stems from all 3 sources, we now practice a new system that reflects a truly unique blend of characteristics. Taekwondo kicking techniques are widely regarded as the most sophisticated in the martial world. I am currently a 2nd Degree Black Belt and the first female fully Qualified TAGB Taekwondo Instructor in the Bath Taekwondo Club. As a qualified instructor I am registered with the British Tae Kwon Do Council the BTC and continue to train towards my 3rd Degree Black belt qualification.

I can remember my first training lesson in Bath Sport Centre, I was really apprehensive and didn’t have the confidence or self belief to think I would make it through a lesson let alone become a black belt and instructor. There was a lot to learn, and even getting over the personal space issue when practicing technique was rather odd at first. I can remember asking merely to sit and watch and promising I would turn up next week and train. After a small pep talk from the 5th Dan Instructor at the time and a lot of positive feed back, I decided to give it a go. I can remember really enjoyed the challenge and my fitness levels improved dramatically within 6 months. Now with over 12 years of training I can look back through my life and see many examples where my tkd training has assisted me in such a positive way. The benefits of continued training, which I feel can improve in anyone’s life, are the physical benefit, such as fantastic personal fitness training, body conditioning, improved sense of awareness, co-ordination and a sharpening of reflexes, self defence skills, increased stamina and so much more. It also has many benefits in a psychological sense, improving your confidence, developing a sense of calm in stressful or difficult situations can help remove the “Victim label” which so many innocent people carry. Taekwondo becomes a way of life which promotes personal confidence and positive self belief which pours into many aspects of day to day life, work family & personal discipline.

If you’re looking for a great new hobby which could eventually become a part of your life style and you find the Gym boring, you like to socialise and meet a variety of people from all walks of life, then why not give Tae kwon do a go, you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain. You will be amazed can what you can and will achieve!