What Tae Kwon Do Is Not

Before explaining what Tae Kwon Do is, let’s examine what Tae Kwon Do is not. There is nothing mystical or magical about Tae Kwon Do, it is only one of many martial arts. Any claims made by Tae Kwon Do are also made by other martial arts and vice versa. Some martial art styles claim to be the best, but when examined closely, all the empty hand martial arts are basically the same. Some may concentrate on different areas, such as arm locks or grappling, but underlying all martial arts are the same basic principles.

It is not a fad

Oriental style martial arts have not always been popular in the United States. They were relatively rare until after World War II when military personnel began returning after being stationed in Japan during the post-war occupation. In the 1950’s, Japanese Jujutsu and Judo were popular. In the 1960’s, Karate gained popularity with Tae Kwon Do starting its foothold, again due to being brought back by retuning military personnel, and also by Japanese (karate) and Korean (Tae Kwon Do) instructors who were immigrating into the country. In the 1970’s, President Nixon’s opening of relations with China led to Kung-fu being the “in” martial art. James Bond movies and Bruce Lee in the television show Longstreet caused increased interest in the martial arts. The Hong Kong Kung-fu movies began invading theaters. In the 1980’s, the high kicks and clever marketing of Tae Kwon Do made it the dominant art, while the mystique and weapons of the Teenage Ninja Turtles drew more children to the martial arts in general. In the 1990’s, the eclectic or freestyle martial arts gained favor. In the 1990’s Kickboxing, Muay-thai, Shoot-fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts came into favor, along with aerobic exercise programs, such as Boxercise, Kickbox, and Taebo. Through all of this, karate and Tae Kwon Do maintained their hold as the most popular of the martial arts. However, karate has so many variations that no one style was able to gain a stronghold, while Tae Kwon Do took over and has maintained its popularity until it has become the most popular martial art in the United States and most of the world.

Tae Kwon Do has demonstrated that it is not a fad. It has been around for decades and has been popular in the United States for over 45 years. Fads usually do not require physical or mental disciple, they only require physical action. With no discipline required, fads tend to get boring after a while, so people move to the next thing in vogue. Taebo, Chibo, Boxing Aerobics, etc., are in style now, but they will be replaced with a new fad at some point. Since they do not require any disciple, only physical action, there is no commitment. In Tae Kwon Do, one does not just perform a movement; the movement must be performed with power in a precise way at a precise time. To achieve this, Tae Kwon Do students must commitment themselves to strict physical and mental disciple for a long period. Students who stay with Tae Kwon Do long enough to develop this disciple will probably stay committed to Tae Kwon Do for the rest of their lives.

Is it the best martial art?

Students of a particular martial art tend to defend it and think it is the best martial art in the world. Just as college students defend the college they attend; martial students tend to defend the style in which they first started training. Tae Kwon Do students are no different. Like other martial arts, Tae Kwon Do is a physical and mental discipline. There are many other physical endeavors that require physical and mental discipline, such as body building, distance running, golf, auto racing, and even bowling. Some are more physical than mental and vice versa. Therefore, Tae Kwon Do is not unique in what it does. Some sports are practiced for pure sport, while others, such as Tae Kwon Do have an underlying purpose. The underlying purpose of Tae Kwon Do is combat. Tae Kwon Do may be practiced as a pure sport, as a pure fighting art, or as a combination of both.

Is it an Ancient Korean marital art?

Sort of! Although modern Tae Kwon Do has actually only existed for about 50 years, it is based upon Shotokan Karate, another 20th century martial art, and ancient Korea martial arts, such as Taekkyon and Subak, that have lost favor in modern times.

Is it a sport or art?

Tae Kwon Do is actually two separate martial arts, one a traditional martial art and the other martial sport, so confusion is understandable. Traditional Tae Kwon Do is a martial art with all the characteristics of other classical martial arts, as such; it considers sparring competition to be only one aspect of the overall art. In sport Tae Kwon Do, sparring competition is its primary concern. The two types of Tae Kwon Do differ in their approaches to teaching and in some of their basic theories. The two types are in constant conflict with each other.

Do not get caught up in the hype surrounding Tae Kwon Do or its organizations. Do not let power hungry instructors or the power struggles between Tae Kwon Do organizations interfere with your study of Tae Kwon Do. Enjoy Tae Kwon Do for what it is, a fighting art that require intense physical training and strict mental discipline, while also being fun to perform.

What is Tae Kwon Do?

Tae Kwon Do is a modern Korean martial art, characterized by fast, high, jumping, spinning kicks, and quick footwork. It is an all-around program that offers self-defense training, physical exercise, and artistic expression; all taught by an experienced professional instructor.

Meaning of the term “Tae Kwon Do”

Literally translated, Tae Kwon Do breaks down to “tae” meaning to kick with the foot, “kwon” meaning to punch or strike with the hand, and “do” meaning art or way. Therefore, Tae Kwon Do translates to “the art of kicking and punching.” Its physical aspects come from the kicking and punching, while its spiritual aspects come from the art.
Many times the word Karate is used in the name of a Tae Kwon Do school. This seems strange since karate is a Japanese word and Tae Kwon Do is Korean. This occurs purely as a business decision. More people are familiar with the word Karate, so when they see it they will know what a Tae Kwon Do school is about. Also, the word karate has fewer letters than Tae Kwon Do. When putting up a sign on a school building for advertisement, the smaller word karate means the letters on the sign may be larger and possibly lighted for less cost than for the word Tae Kwon Do.

Objectives of Tae Kwon Do

• To develop an appreciation for Tae Kwon Do as a sport and as an art.
• To achieve physical fitness through positive participation.
• To improve mental discipline and emotional equanimity.
• To learn self-defense skills.

Introduction to Tae Kwon Do

Although Tae Kwon Do is modern martial art, its origins and evolution may be traced back through 2,000 years of Korean history. For centuries, martial arts have been an integral part of Korean culture and heritage; improved and passed down from teacher to student. After the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea after the end of World War II, there was an insurgence of national pride that led Korean martial artists to renew their links to Korean’s ancient martial arts. This led to the development of a new Korean martial art that, in 1955, was officially named Tae Kwon Do. Today, Koreans practice Tae Kwon Do during military training, as well as in grade school, as a way to build a strong sense of justice, fortitude, and humility using strict discipline, physical conditioning, and mental training. Tae Kwon Do gradually spread to countries around the world where it is practiced as both a traditional self-defense system, and as a competitive sport. Tae Kwon Do is a way for people of any age to learn self-defense and increase their physical fitness while training with others who have similar interests. Tae Kwon Do not only develops the physical being; it also develops the moral being, which involves such things as character, integrity, and honor. These moral aspects develop unconsciously while students consciously train in the physical aspects of Tae Kwon Do.

Tae Kwon Do is a combat sport that uses only bare hands and feet, no weaponry, to fend off attackers. Due to its numerous unique kicks, each with many variations, many people call Tae Kwon Do the “kicking martial art.” This is not to say that Tae Kwon Do does not use hand techniques; it uses the same basic hand techniques used in other martial arts, which makes it a well-rounded empty-handed martial art. Over the last few decades, sport Tae Kwon Do organizations have worked together to develop Tae Kwon Do into a modern international amateur and Olympic sport, while maintaining its proud tradition as a martial art spirit.

Tae Kwon Do is a physical science. While training, individual movements of the body are perfected so they become one. Tae Kwon Do techniques are always evaluated and improved on the basis of their scientific applications. Tae Kwon Do is a type of physical fitness; the training required to perfect each technique requires the muscular exercise of the whole body. Tae Kwon Do is a discipline of both mind and body. Tae Kwon Do techniques look easy but take time to learn. It takes concentration and effort to attain perfection; the mind and body must work in concert for a technique to be effective. Tae Kwon Do is a martial art. Tae Kwon Do techniques may be used with deadly effectiveness and, with training; students learn to tailor the power of their techniques to fit the situation.

Tae Kwon Do has become one of the most practiced martial arts in the world. Its popularity may be attributed to it being an official Pan-American sport, a demonstration sport in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, and a full medal sport in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. However, its popularity is mainly due to its spectacular techniques and its being fun for all ages to learn and perform.

Offense or Defense

Tae Kwon Do is a defensive art. The Tae Kwon Do practitioner does not attack unless being attacked. If an opponent does not pose a threat, the practitioner does not attack, and, once a threat is neutralized, the attack stops. Most Tae Kwon Do blocking techniques may be used as attacks and vice versa. To reinforce the defensive principle, most Tae Kwon Do patterns begin with a block.

Tae Kwon Do philosophy

Although the literal translation of Tae Kwon Do is the art of kicking and punching, it is only a superficial translation. “Do” in Korean implies a philosophical approach to life, a pathway to achieve enlightenment. Tae Kwon Do is not only a method of self-defense; it is also a way of life. Students of Tae Kwon Do, through rigorous physical training, try to improve themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. True Tae Kwon Do practitioners extend the art to all aspects of their lives to achieve harmony with nature and a stable and peaceful existence.

Value of Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do has practical value as a martial art, a self-defense system, and as a competitive sport. It also has ideological value, based upon its technical, artistic, and philosophic ideals. The technical ideal is derived from Tae Kwon Do’s stress on performing techniques with technical perfection. The artistic ideal derives from personal expression while performing Tae Kwon Do techniques. The philosophic ideal is attained when the technical and artistic aspects of Tae Kwon Do bring balance and harmony to ones daily life. The ultimate value of Tae Kwon Do is attained when the practitioner becomes aware of changes or threats in his or her environment and is able to effortlessly and properly react to them. This state of mind becomes possible through the mastery of a broad range of offensive and defensive Tae Kwon Do skills.

Tae Kwon Do as a life leveler

Tae Kwon Do is a life leveler. It evens out attitudes, emotions, and actions. If you are short-tempered, it makes you more tolerant. If you are aggressive, it makes you calmer. If you are meek, it makes you more assertive. If you are anti-social, it makes you friendlier. If you are weak, it makes you stronger. If you are impulsive, it makes you more restrained. These changes will occur slowly so you may not notice them, but your friends and family will notice the changes.

Basic Tae Kwon Do training

Tae Kwon Do training begins with basic stances, blocks, kicks, and punches. Beginning students then use these techniques in predetermined block/attack/counterattack movements in response to prearranged attacks (one step sparring). Students learn to perform these techniques deliberately and precisely by practicing patterns. Students then put all these skills together and learn to free-spar against opponents of lesser, equal, or greater skills. Students also learn self-defense techniques to allow them to respond to real life “street” situations.

Tae Kwon Do for children

Tae Kwon Do has no age limits and is a very good sport for children. Tae Kwon Do for children is a watered down version of traditional Tae Kwon Do that removes the stress on realistic self-defense. Usually no mention is made of the brutal aspects of Tae Kwon Do techniques. Tae Kwon Do for children is a pure sport. The stress is on helping children build themselves physically, and on instilling character, self-esteem, effort, concentration, sincerity, respect, self-control, and etiquette. It is a fun, safe system of self-improvement and personal development that is highly recommended by parents, physicians, and educators. Competition for children is basically the same as it is for adults; both wear protective equipment and use only light contact. Like any other sport, children are the future champions and instructors of Tae Kwon Do.

Tae Kwon Do for adults

Tae Kwon Do for adults is for men and women who want to learn Tae Kwon Do for self-defense, fitness, or weight control. This is the traditional Tae Kwon Do that stresses discipline, speed, power, and combat techniques. It includes free-sparring techniques as well as combat techniques for real-life self-defense situations. Children will transition to Adult classes in their early teens.

Things you will do in Tae Kwon Do class

General exercise

You will perform various types of general exercises, such as push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, etc., to develop strength, flexibility, and conditioning.

Stretching

You will stretch at the start of training classes to warm up and loosen ligaments, muscles, and joints. At the end of class, while your body is warm and loose, you will perform serious stretches to increase your flexibility.

Floor drills

Floor drills are moves or techniques done while moving up and down the dojang floor. The instructor “calls out” the moves and the class immediately performs them. Floor drills help develop technical preciseness in techniques and build strength and stamina. Floor drills help to develop discipline, since students must remain focused to correctly respond to given commands.

Target drills

Target drills are techniques performed against a hand target held by a partner. They permit students to practice full-power techniques against a moving target.

Bag drills

Bag drills are techniques performed against a heavy bag. They permit full-power techniques to be tested against a solid object.

Pad Drills

Pad drills are techniques performed against a heavy pad held by a partner. They permit full-power techniques to be performed against a moving, resisting object.

Pattern training (Hyungs)

Pattern training involves a series of predetermined moves applied against an imaginary opponent or opponents. Traditional patterns were developed to reflect the history of the development of Korea and its people. Pattern training helps students develop proper blocking and striking techniques, proper stances, focus on target area, breath control, flexibility, agility, mental discipline, and strength.

Step-sparring (1, 2 & 3 Step)

In step-sparring, students work with a partner to practice blocks and attacks in a more realistic manner. Movements may be predetermined or the instructor may direct the training by assigning the attacks and blocks. It teaches students ways to defend themselves against a variety of attacks or attackers, builds confidence with techniques that provides power, speed, and accuracy, and increases knowledge of opponent’s vital areas. Multiple attackers may also be used.

Free-sparring

In free-sparring, students learn to develop mental approaches and fighting techniques in a free flowing sparring environment. It gives students an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills developed they learned, in mock combat. Precise control is used to prevent injury. As skills and experience increase, blocks and attacks become “second nature;” they occur without conscious thought.

The basic types of free-sparring are:

• Class sparring where you try new techniques and work with your partner to develop your sparring skills.
• Test sparring where you work with your partner to highlight each others sparring skills for the testing judges. For the best results a variety of techniques need to be demonstrated in a fluid, controlled manner. Partners should work at a balance of steady blocks, attacks, and counterattacks.
• Point sparring where you try to “outplay” your opponent in a competition and score more points than he or she. Little to no contact is allowed.
• Semi-contact sparring is a type of tournament sparring where light contact is required to earn a point.
• Full-contact sparring where competitors try to knockout their opponents or have their opponents submit.
• Self-defense sparring where you practice realistic street techniques with your partner. It helps students develop their action and reaction skills. Students develop defenses and counterattacks to holds, takedowns, hand and foot strikes, and weapons.

Pre-arranged sparring

Pre-arranged sparring is a mix between step-sparring and class free-sparring. It is a series of instructor determined moves where both sides attack and counter attack. It helps improve sparring techniques.

Board breaking

Board breaking, using either wood or plastic re-breakable boards or some other material, gives students an opportunity to demonstrate power, gain confidence in their skills, and to gauge the effectiveness of their techniques. A 12” x 12” x 1” pine board is said to be the same strength as a lower rib.

JUST DO IT

Tae Kwon Do may be just what you need. The only way to find out is to take the first step and go to a class. Most instructors have a free introductory class so you may judge if Tae Kwon Do, or their school, is right for you. When you first see some of the things that Tae Kwon Do students do, you may think it is impossible for you to do them. When you think something is impossible for you, just remember, that with small changes, the word impossible becomes “I’m possible.” With small changes to your life, you may achieve things you thought were impossible.