What Taekwondo Is Not

Before explaining what Taekwondo is, lets examine what Taekwondo is not. There is nothing mystical or magical about Taekwondo, it is only one of many martial arts. Any claims made by Taekwondo are probably 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 Taekwondo starting its foothold, again due to being brought back by retuning military personnel, and also by Japanese (karate) and Korean (Taekwondo) 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 Taekwondo 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, Shot-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 Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo 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.

Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo, 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, Taekwondo students must commitment themselves to strict physical and mental disciple for a long period. Students who stay with Taekwondo long enough to develop this disciple will probably stay committed to Taekwondo 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. Taekwondo students are no different. Like other martial arts, Taekwondo 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, Taekwondo is not unique in what it does. Some sports are practiced for pure sport, while others, such as Taekwondo have an underlying purpose. The underlying purpose of Taekwondo is combat. Taekwondo may be practiced as a pure sport, as a pure fighting art, or as a combination of both.

Is it a Ancient Korean marital art?

Sort of! Although modern Taekwondo 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?

Taekwondo is actually two separate martial arts, one a traditional martial art and the other martial sport, so confusion is understandable. Traditional Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo, sparring competition is its primary concern. The two types of Taekwondo differ in their approaches to teaching and in some of their basic theories. As is explained in other topics in TKDTutor.com, the two types are in constant conflict with each other.

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

What is Taekwondo?

Taekwondo 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 "Taekwondo"

Literally translated, Taekwondo 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, Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo school. This seems strange since karate is a Japanese word and Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo school is about. Also, the word karate has fewer letters than Taekwondo. 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 Taekwondo.

Objectives of Taekwondo

• To develop an appreciation for Taekwondo 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.

• To develop a sense of responsibility for oneself and others.

Introduction to Taekwondo

Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo the "kicking martial art." This is not to say that Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo organizations have worked together to develop Taekwondo into a modern international amateur and Olympic sport, while maintaining its proud tradition as a martial art spirit.

Taekwondo is a physical science. While training, individual movements of the body are perfected so they become one. Taekwondo techniques are always evaluated and improved on the basis of their scientific applications. Taekwondo is a type physical fitness; the training required to perfect each technique requires the muscular exercise of the whole body. Taekwondo is a discipline of both mind and body. Taekwondo techniques look easy but are 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. Taekwondo is a martial art. Taekwondo techniques may be used with deadly effectiveness and, with training, students learn to tailor the power of their techniques to fit the situation.

Taekwondo 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.

No first hand

"Karate ni sen te nashi" is a favorite saying of the great Karate Master Gichin Funakoshi, the "father" of modern karate. It means "In karate there is no first hand." Taekwondo is based on the same principle. Taekwondo is a defensive art. The Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo blocking techniques may be used as attacks and vice versa. To reinforce the "no first hand" principle, most Taekwondo patterns begin with a block.

Taekwondo philosophy

Value of Taekwondo

Taekwondo as a life leveler

Taekwondo 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 make you calmer. If you are meek, it makes you more assertive. If you are anti-social, it makes you more friendly. 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 Taekwondo training

Taekwondo 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 (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.

Modern Taekwondo

Taekwondo has evolved in recent years into three distinct entities: Taekwondo for children, Taekwondo for women, and Taekwondo for adults. 

Taekwondo for children

Taekwondo has no age limits and is a very good sport for children. Taekwondo for children is a watered down version of traditional Taekwondo, that removes the stress on realistic self-defense. Usually no mention is made of the brutal aspects of Taekwondo techniques. Taekwondo 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. Although people of all ages practice Taekwondo, many call it "the children's martial art" because it is so popular with, and beneficial to children. For commercial schools, children are where the money is; they build the base for school income. Without all the children, most schools could not afford to stay open. Like any other sport, children are the future champions and instructors of Taekwondo. 

Taekwondo for women

Taekwondo for women is an extension of the aerobics craze of recent years. Just like the different styles of Karate, there are different styles of aerobic Taekwondo, such as Tae Bo, cardio kickboxing, aerobic kickboxing, Tae Aerobics, etc. Students go through the motions of kicking and punching, but there is no stress on technique or power, only on continuous motion. Aerobic Taekwondo is not just for women, men and children also practice it, but it was designed to attract women. Since it is just the latest exercise fad and does not have the discipline required of Taekwondo, it will gradually lose its appeal, just as the previous fads it replaced. To cash in on the latest craze, most dojangs teach classes in aerobic Taekwondo as a part of their curriculum. One advantage to teaching it in a dojang is that students may develop an interest in Taekwondo and decide to study the art itself.

Taekwondo for adults

Taekwondo for adults is for men and women who want to learn Taekwondo for self-defense, fitness, or weight control. This is the traditional Taekwondo that stresses discipline, speed, power, and combat techniques. It includes free-sparring techniques as well as combat techniques for real-life self-defense situations.

Things you will do in Taekwondo 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.

Wall drills

Wall drills are techniques performed while moving down the length of a dojang wall or while standing still and using the wall as a support. The wall is used for balance while learning new kicking techniques. Students concentrate on achieving perfection of technique.

Bag drills

Bag drills are techniques performed against a heavy bag, either a Wave master or a hanging 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

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 it’s 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

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.

Semi-free sparring

Semi-free 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.

Forging

Some schools may use forging. Forging is conditioning body parts to toughen them so they may be used for extreme breaking techniques or for self-defense. This may include repeated striking of a hard, but padded object, plunging the hand into deep sand, or two students performing simultaneous full-power blocks against each others arms.

JUST DO IT

Taekwondo 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 Taekwondo, or their school, is right for you. When you first see some of the things that Taekwondo 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.