The Way Of Kicking And Punching
Designed For Development
Taekwondo Tribe is affiliated to British Taekwondo - the UK's national governing body that sets standards for taekwondo. We not only meet these standards, but exceed them with a broad and robust syllabus that aims to develop strong martial artists from white belt to black belt and beyond.
Kibon
All students start their taekwondo journey learning the kibon or 'basic' punches, kicks, and blocks. Usually performed in lines, these techniques will be practiced on kick pads as the student progresses.
Poomsae
Also called 'forms' or 'patterns', poomsae (poom-say) are sets of pre-arranged block and attack movements that are an essential part of the grading syllabus and now growing in popularity as a competition discipline. Poomsae helps develop co-ordination, memory, posture, and breathing.
Kyorugi
The 'sparring' discipline made famous by the Olympics. All students should practise sparring, unless there are medical grounds to forbid it. Sparring consists of various forms, including (amongst others) one-step sparring, one-for-one kicking and sport sparring. Sport sparring may be light-contact or full-contact. Full-contact sport sparring is permitted once students have reached at least yellow belt and have full protective equipment.
Self-defence
This encompasses techniques necessary for basic self-defence skills, such as joint locks, throws, grappling or restraint techniques, attacks to pressure points and use of appropriate materials or weapons.
Breaking
At Taekwondo Tribe you will learn how to generate incredible power from your kicks and punches. The classic way to demonstrate this power - without hurting another - is through breaking of boards (the cool stuff you've probably seen in movies or You Tube!). Students will be expected to demonstrate their power at intermediate and higher belt levels.
Competitions
Taekwondo Tribe is a sport-focussed martial arts club. As such, all students are encouraged to participate in competitions to help develop their skills, character and self-belief. Students will have the chance to enter both contact (kyorugi) or non-contact (poomsae) taekwondo disciplines locally, regionally, and nationally. No one is forced to compete.
Gradings
More than just a belt, gradings are a chance to challenge yourself, demonstrate what you have learned in front of a panel of masters, and celebrate how far you have come in your martial arts journey. Like judo and karate, taekwondo has a grading system representing progression by ten coloured belts, ranging from white to yellow, green, blue, red and black, with a 'stripe' of the subsequent colour in between each full colour.
10
5
Avg. years to black belt
Coloured belts
”Growth and development in taekwondo should not be defined just by coloured belts, but instead through resilience, integrity, healthy relationships, and competition”
- Head Coach, Matthew Fagg