When one hears the term ‘martial arts’ one’s mind often goes to the fighting aspect of the activity. Although Taekwon-Do – which originates in Korea – is classified as a martial art, it is not in the combative arena such as other oriental martial arts are.
According to Team USA, Taekwon-Do focuses on developing our spirit and improving our life through training our bodies as well as our minds. This philosophy is shown in the words which make up Taekwon-Do:
- “Tae” means “foot”, “leg”, “to step on.”
- “Kwon” means “fist” or “fight.”
- “Do” means “way” or “discipline.”
Taekwon-Do is all about the correct way to use your feet, legs or fists and is also a way to calm fights down and make sure that they don’t result in injury. This comes from the fact that “Tae Kwon” means “to keep your fists under control”. If you were to put all of these concepts together, “Tae Kwon Do” means “the correct way of utilising all parts of your body to cease fighting and assist with building a better and more peaceful world”.
What Are The Principles Of Taekwon-Do?
At the beginning of every Taekwon-Do class, as Taekwon-Do is very much a type of mind-body discipline (like yoga and Pilates are), according to the Hydra Martial Arts Society of Calgary students recite the following oath:
- I shall observe the tenets of Taekwon-Do
- I shall respect the instructor and seniors
- I shall never misuse Taekwon-Do
- I shall be a champion of freedom and justice
- I shall build a more peaceful world
What Are The Principles Of Taekwon-Do?
In addition, Taekwon-Do has a number of principles:
- Courtesy: Students must be courteous to all, both fellow students as well as everyone who they meet.
- Integrity: Taekwon-Do practitioners must be able to recognise the difference between right and wrong, feel guilty if they have done wrong and stand up for what is right.
- Perseverance: Mastering the Art of Taekwon-Do does not happen overnight. Students must be prepared to dedicate years of their life to becoming a master and constantly learning in this discipline.
- Self-control: A student of Taekwon-Do must have control over their physical actions as well as their minds. This ties in very strongly with the fact that this martial art is not just about physicality and that it’s also about health and fitness of mind.
- Indomitable spirit: Closely related to integrity and perseverance, indomitable spiritual is all about having the courage to stand up for what you believe in – no matter what – and doing everything that you do to the best of your ability.
Taekwon-Do’s signature moves are, among others, head-height kicks, jumping spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques with kicks. This is in contrast with a martial art such as karate which is characterised by more fluid motions. So, if you’d like to get into a martial art that’s as fun as playing https://onlinecasinogames.co.nz/roulette/ – and can’t decide whether or not to choose Taekwon-Do – our advice is that you go to a class or two and see if you gel with it.