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Taekwondo is a Korean traditional martial art that carries five thousand years of history.
Tae means foot, Kwon means fist and Do means the art. Therefore, Taekwondo is a self-defense using “the way of foot and the fist."
In understanding Taekwondo, it can be divided into 3 different categories- Exercise, Performance and Sparring. Taekwondo is a fun activity for young children in educating their mind and strengthening their body. Through the practice of discipline, children learn to be a better person in the society as well. Also, for adults it is a stress free exercise that refreshes and enhances the spirit. Taekwondo is not only for children, it is never too late for seniors to come out and exercise for well-being of their health.
Taekwondo is also famous for its fascinating breaking demonstration. 1988 Summer Olympic in Korea was the day view of the very first taekwondo performance to the world. This demonstration was a stepping stone towards the globalization of Taekwondo. The performance brought back great interest and reputation that eventually drove Taekwondo in being one of the 33 summer sports in the Olympic Games.
If demonstration is the flower of Taekwondo with its eye catching amusement, sparring is the pride of Taekwondo. Most of other sports start as a team and finish as a team but in Taekwondo, player may start with his team but will have to endure the finish by himself. As soon as you step into that ring, it becomes a battle with his opponent as well as with himself. Technique is very important however without self-control and courage in the fight, player cannot make a wise performance and win. Thus, it takes lot of self pride and trust. Perhaps this is why Taekwondo champions display such a powerful charisma. They not only show strong technique but also extremely strong mentality.
What is wonderful about Taekwondo is the clean sportsmanship it shows. The level of respect and courtesy is very high compared to any other sports. Bowing to the flag to respect the country we live in, respect towards Master and learning to show respect towards training partners and family who support. Also, courtesy we show to an opponent before and after fight is one of many Taekwondo’s fine sportsmanship. Thus, it is important for trainee to know that Taekwondo is not a place to learn how to fight – it is a disgrace to use our skills to power over someone, only in a necessary situation of danger to protect ourselves and others is the reason to use our technique. That is why Master strictly instructs his students of the philosophy that Taekwondo possesses instead of simply training his students to fight.
This brief information about Taekwondo is not enough to truly understand the martial art. The best way to know is to experience it! Don’t be afraid, it is never too late to try different activity- Greatest thing about all sport is that, sports makes you feel confident, strong and happy. Only thing it takes away is your weight!
