Just like all martial arts, the Korean martial art of Taekwondo combines a variety of techniques and mindsets to bring about improved fitness, increased body awareness and mental sharpness. This martial art offers its practitioners a plethora of benefits and advantages.
Of course, the earlier you start learning Taekwondo, the more beneficial the advantages will be to you. Kids that start learning Taekwondo will learn valuable skills that they can apply to their lives – for the rest of their lives. If you want to find out how Taekwondo introduces all of the below-mentioned benefits to practitioners, read on.
These are 20 benefits and advantages of Taekwondo. Taekwondo:
1. Builds fitness.
It’s hard not to get fit when you are practicing Taekwondo for several hours each week. All Taekwondo classes are high-energy with a series of punching and kicking drills. The lessons also focus a lot of time on strength building and core-strength development. People who start out Taekwondo with little fitness to speak of are soon fighting fit. And if you keep practicing Taekwondo throughout your lifespan, there will be little need to do any other form of exercise to keep fit.
2. Provides social opportunities.
Taekwondo is a social martial art. Very often, students that practice together form their own “family” or like-minded individuals. This is particularly beneficial as Taekwondo demands a healthy lifestyle from its students as well as a lot of time on the mat. Students have the opportunity to experience a sense of community without having to look any further than their own Taekwondo classmates.
3. Teaches goal setting.
Taekwondo techniques are not easy to learn. Once the basic moves and stances are taught, students have to build on them to learn more complex techniques. In order to advance at a steady pace, students have to learn to set goals and work towards them. Of course, Taekwondo students have to set goals to achieve the various belts awarded in the art. 1st Degree Black Belt can take 3 to 5 years to achieve, and those who want to fully master the art and become a Grand Master, which is 9th Degree Black Belt, can take more than 30 years. As you can imagine, this takes a lot of goal setting and dedication.
4. Builds quality bone strength.
We are all taught growing up, that strong bones and teeth are essential. It’s the same throughout the human lifespan, actually. You can’t just get enough calcium and hope for strong bones for the rest of your life. Weight training is required for developing stronger, denser bone matter. With the amount of kicking, punching, jumping, and sparring that is involved in Taekwondo, bone strength is developed continuously.
5. Teaches discipline.
Students of Taekwondo have to be extremely disciplined. They have to learn and carry out movements and techniques to the letter, and they have to lead a healthy lifestyle. Defaulting in any of these areas will have a detrimental impact on their progress in the martial art. In order to keep up with peers in the class and progress at a steady pace, students quickly learn discipline.
6. Instills respect.
Beginner students of Taekwondo, especially very young beginners, can learn a valuable lesson in respect during practice. The instructor provides instructions, and students are to follow them. Respecting a student or instructor that holds a higher belt title is imperative when in Taekwondo training scenarios. Students that don’t respect authority quickly learn to, if they want to thrive in Taekwondo. Students who have a lack of required respect for each other and those who rank higher don’t tend to do well.
7. Improves self-esteem.
When practicing Taekwondo, you will do a large amount of exercise which tones the body and released much-needed endorphins. This means that you will look and feel good about yourself. That alone increases self-esteem, but that’s not the only way that Taekwondo improves self-esteem. It also requires students to learn new movements, stances, and poses. Each of these must be perfected, and when a student achieves the approval of the instructor, it’s a massive self-esteem boost. This simply makes students have more faith in their own capabilities.
8. Is usefull for self-defense.
Taekwondo is not an offensive sport. Students are not taught how to be aggressors, but they are trained to protect themselves in dangerous situations. All of the moves in Taekwondo are designed to double up as a form of therapeutic exercise as well as self-defense. These are skills that you will be able to use to protect your safety for your entire life.
9. Improves concentration.
There are many strikes, kicks, jumps, and movements that students are taught in Taekwondo classes. In the very beginning, all of these will feel foreign to the student, which immediately kicks the brain into action. Students have to concentrate on precisely how to carry out each movement and technique correctly. You won’t find students having chats or getting distracted in class, as concentration is a crucial element to progressing in the art.
Learning concentration in the Taekwondo environment can help students in other areas of life, such as at school, at work, or while attending a course.
10. Boosts cardio health.
A healthy heart is vital for a long and happy life. If you have never been to a Taekwondo class before, you might not think that there is too much cardio involved, but there actually is. Students need to get through physically demanding classes of at least one hour long. For this, their cardio training is essential. Most classes incorporate some form of cardio, such as circuit training, running laps, and skipping rope exercises. The more cardio you do, the healthier you will be over your whole lifespan.
11. Develops a healthy, happy mindset (endorphins).
Taekwondo, much like all other sports, is a good form of exercise that releases endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good neurotransmitters that are essential for a healthy and happy mental state. With regular exercise in Taekwondo classes, students benefit from a healthy mindset.
12. Builds muscle strength and stamina.
Taekwondo training places a considerable amount of focus on building strong legs and arms for kicking, grappling, punching, and sparring. This tones and strengthens the muscles, which keeps students fit and strong. The constant exercise also ensures increased stamina.
13. Relieves stress.
After a hectic day at school or the office, stress levels are bound to be high. People very rarely have a healthy outlet for their frustrations and so tend to carry their daily stresses around with them until they eventually reach burn-out. With something like Taekwondo to look forward to, the stresses and frustrations of the day can be worked off in a physical way that’s absolutely healthy for the body and mind too.
14. Promotes weight loss.
Taekwondo is a physically demanding exercise. Committed Students usually practice for at least 1 hour 2 times per week – at the very minimum. Many students put a good few more hours into their practice. Because of the nature of the art, many students keep junk food, alcohol, and caffeine to a minimum, which means that there is little opportunity to gain weight while practicing the art. Use Taekwondo practice as your fitness plan, and you won’t have to worry about your weight!
15. Provides a fun challenge.
Taekwondo is challenging. There is no doubt about that, but it’s also fun. You won’t attend a Taekwondo class and find students being genuinely aggressive towards each other. Achieving the correct techniques, winning, and losing, all become fun when working with a close-knit team of like-minded students. It’s all part of the challenge.
16. Defeats boredom.
Boredom and free time are two things that get kids into trouble. If you want to provide your child with something to defeat boredom and keep him busy in a healthy way, Taekwondo is a great option. Children that stay out of trouble when they are growing up because they have a healthy distraction grow up to be well-rounded individuals.
17. Teaches self-control & decision making.
In Taekwondo, principles teach that practitioners should only use their skills in self-defense or to spar with others. It is not intended as a way to act on angry or jealous emotions. Even if a student has the power to harm another, they need to choose the path of least resistance. This teaches students the art of self-control and also teaches them to be able to decide when a situation really calls for the use of Taekwondo and when it doesn’t.
18. Boosts memory function.
When you first join Taekwondo, your memory function will receive a massive boost, which can be quite beneficial, as there is always something new to learn and remember in this art. Students are taught a lot of new things that they have to perfect, remember, and recall in an instant.
19. Improves posture & balance.
In order to get all of the Taekwondo techniques right, students have to correct their posture and work on balance. For children, these are skills that can be highly beneficial. As children develop their Taekwondo skills, they’ll have greater stability and correct posture early on and for the rest of their life.
20. Quells personal insecurities.
Feeling insecure can be a life-changer, but with Taekwondo training, students often quell their insecure feelings. When a student knows Taekwondo and knows that they can protect themselves in any situation, their sense of security increases. Taekwondo also boosts self-esteem and confidence, which helps with feelings of insecurity.
Last Word
Are you ready to add a few of these lifelong benefits to your life? Perhaps it is time to sign up for a Taekwondo class.