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Taekwondo
Taekwondo is an ancient martial art and a
modern sport. The art of Taekwondo originated nearly 2,000
ears ago in Korea, and it was an Official Demonstration
Sport in the 1988 Olympic Games on Seoul, Korea and at the
1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Literally
translated, Taekwondo means way of the striking hand and
kicking foot. But to its students, Taekwondo is a way of
life. Beginning students learn the five tenets of Taekwondo:
courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and
indomitable spirit. It is essential to develop the right
attitude toward instructors and fellow students and to show
respect for elders in class as well as outside of class.
Taekwondo teaches students to respect themselves so that
they can respect others. What better gift can a parent give
a child than the gift of self-respect.
Taekwondo History
The modern philosophy of Taekwondo comes
largely from the 7th century Hwarang-do, which means "way of
the Flowering Manhood," a group of noblemen in the kingdom
of Silla, the smallest of the three kingdoms on the Korean
peninsula for the first time in history. The five principles
they lived by were: be loyal to your country; be obedient to
your parents; be honorable to your friends; never retreat
from adversity; and never take life unnecessarily. This is
the nonaggressive foundation of modern Taekwondo, the
respectful philosophical foundation that sets it apart from
other martial arts.
Toward the end of end of the 10th
century, Silla was overthrown and the kingdom of Koryo was
founded. For the next 500 years it was compulsory for all
young men to learn martial arts such as Tae Kyon and Soo Bak.
Then the old arts declined and they would have been lost if
it had not been for the Buddhist monks who kept them alive
in their mountain refuges. During the Japanese occupation
from 1910 through 1945, the practice of the martial arts was
banned in an attempt to suppress the Korean nationalist
spirit. Following World War II came a flowering of Korean
arts and , in 1955, Taekwondo acquired its modern name.
Since then it has spread throughout the world and is called
by some the fastest growing sport in the world.
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Taekwondo Tenets
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Courtesy (Yelu)
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to
promote the spirit of mutual concessions
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to
be ashamed of one's vices, contemplating, those of others
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to
be polite to one another
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to
encourage a sense of justice
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to
distinguish instructor from student and senior from junior
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Integrity (Yom Chi)
Integrity, in Taekwondo, means being able to define right from wrong
and to have the conscience, if wrong to feel guilt. Examples:
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the instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by
presenting improper techniques to his students because of lack
of knowledge of because of apathy
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the student who misrepresents himself by "fixing" breaking
material
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the student who request rank from an instructor or attempts to
purchase rank
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the student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of
power
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the instructor who promotes the art for materialistic gains
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Perseverance (In Nae)
There
is an old oriental saying, "Patience leads to virtue or merit." A
serious student must learn not to be impatient: to continue
steadfastly, to presever.
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Self-Control (Gulk Gil)
This
tenet is extremely important inside and outside of the Djang whether
conducting one's self in free sparring or in one's personal affairs.
A loss of one's self-control can prove disastrous to both student
and opponent. An inability to work within one's capability is also
lack of self-control.
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Indomitable Spirit (Baekjul Boolgool)
A
serious student will at all times be modest and honest. If
confronted with injustice, he will deal with the belligerent without
fear or hesitation and with an indomitable spirit, regardless of
whomever or how many the number may be.
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