Overview

Taekwon-do is a version of unarmed combat designed for the purpose of self defence. It is however, more than that. It is the scientific use of the body in the method of self defence; a body that has gained the ultimate use of its facilities through intensive physical and mental training.

It is a martial arts that has no equal in either power or technique. Though it is a martial art, its discipline, technique and mental training are the mortar for building a strong sense of justice, fortitude, humility and resolve. It is the mental conditioning that separates the true practitioner from the sensationalist, content with mastering only the fighting aspects of the art.

This is one of the reasons why it is called an art of self defence. It also implies a way of thinking and life, particularly in instilling a concept and spirit of strict self-imposed discipline and an ideal of noble moral rearmament.

Translated literally “TAE” stands for jumping or flying, to kick or smash with the foot. “KWON” denotes the fist – chiefly to punch or destroy with the hand or fist. “DO” means an art or way – the right way built and paved by the saints and sages in the past. Thus taken collectively “TAEKWON-DO” indicates the mental training and the techniques of unarmed combat for self defence as well as health, involving the skilled application of punches, kicks, blocks and dodges with bare hands and feet to the rapid destruction of the moving opponent or opponents.

Taekwon-do enables the weak to possess a fine weapon together with a confidence to defend him or herself and defeat the opponent as well. Of course, wrongly applied, taekwon-do can be a lethal weapon. Therefore mental training must always be stressed to prevent the student from misusing it.

Even if taekwon-do is practiced for the sake of exercise alone, the enjoyment derived will justify the time invested and spent. As an exercise, it is equally suitable for the young and old, male and female.

(Encyclopedia of Taekwon-do. General Choi Hong Hi. Vol 1. Pg 21)

History of Taekwon-Do

Although the origins of the marital arts are shrouded in mystery, we consider it an undeniable fact that time immemorial there have been actions involving the use of hands and feet for the purpose of self protection. If we were to define these physical actions as “Taekwon-Do” any country might claim credit for inventing it. There is however, scant resemblance between Taekwon-Do, as it is practiced today, and the crude forms of unarmed combat developed in the past.

Modern Taekwon-do differs greatly from other martial arts. In fact, no other martial art is so advance with regards to the sophistication and effectiveness of its techniques or the overall physical fitness it imparts to its practitioners.

When & Where did Taekwon-Do begin?

A combination of circumstances made it possible for General Choi Hong Hi to originate and develop Taekwon-Do. In addition to his knowledge of Taek Kyon, he had an opportunity to learn Karate in Japan during the unhappy thirty-six years when his native land was occupied by the Japanese. Soon after Korea was liberated in 1945, he was placed in privileged position as founding member of the newly formed South Korean Armed Forces.

This provided him with a definite sense of creation, and the latter gave him the power to disseminate Taekwon-Do throughout the entire armed forces, despite furious opposition.

The emergence of Taekwon-Do as an international martial art in a relative short period of time was due to a variety of factors. The evils of contemporary society (moral corruption, materialism, selfishness, etc) had created a spiritual vacuum. Taekwon-Do was able to compensate for the prevailing sense of emptiness, distrust, decadence and lack of confidence.

In addition these were violent times, where people felt the need for a means of protecting themselves. And the superiority of Taekwon-Do technique came to be widely recognized. General Choi Hong Hi’s social status, the advantage of being Taekwon-Do’s founder and his god-given health also contributed to the rapid growth.

(Encyclopedia of Taekwon-do. General Choi Hong Hi. Vol 1. Pg 21)

Taekwon-Do

By PLAVEB
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PROFILE

NAME: Shawn Sutton, 1st Degree

LOCATION: Coomera, Gold Coast

shawnsutton

BRIEF HISTORY:

I first came across Taekwondo when I was looking for a sport to get my 10 year old daughter into, something that will keep her physically active, but also teach her discipline and respect. She had attended a Taekwon-do class with a friend and thought she might want to give it a go. I knew a friend from Soccer that ran a local school (Mr Wayne Ebert at Lower Hutt Taekwondo Academy) so I took her and two of her brothers to have a look. All three decided they wanted to give it a go, although they felt a little embarrassed because it seemed quite strange to them. I joined them up and wearing their new Doboks they got into it.

I had broken my leg playing soccer the year before and mentioned to Mr Ebert that I needed to get active again. He said “why don’t you join in”, now at 37  I thought I would look a little silly at the back in my white belt with a bunch of kids, then an ex work colleague of mine walked in with a yellow tip on a white belt. Without being disrespectful, he was a “little” bit older than me and I though well if he can do it so can I. There my journey in learning Taekwon-do began

For the first year or so I felt fairly uncoordinated but managed to work through to my Green tip, I was more enthusiastic than my kids at this point as there was something about Taekwon-do that was alluring. At the beginning of 2009 my family and I all moved to the Gold Coast for a better lifestyle and future for the family. I asked Mr Ebert who to contact about ITF Taekwon-do on the Gold Coast, he advised me to “contact Master Daher as he is a good friend of ITFNZ”, I went on to their website and found some contact details for the only club on the Gold Coast, it was a bit further from where I live than I first wanted to travel, but after a couple of months on the Coast I thought it was time to check out Mr Abdullah’s club, and I liked what I saw, a family friendly ITF style Taekwon-do school.

We joined up and I haven’t looked back since, at one stage my wife Helen and all 4 kids had joined, but the logistics and the kids other sporting activities worked against us. My 3 boys and I are the only ones currently training.

As I progressed through to my Red belt, I began looking for ways I might assist Mr Abdallah in running the club. I think it extremely important that all members assist with the running of the club where they can. I began helping to update the website and thought “why not put a new website together” I socialised this with Mr Abdallah and away we went, we also created a presence on Facebook.

I’ve also recently had the privilege of working with Master Daher to add more value to the ITF Australia/IL Shim Taekwondo Website, and  a number of other activities that Master Daher is working on as he brings the organisation back up to it heydays of the 1990s. I am also fortunate to be to train at Master Daher’s Parramatta club when in Sydney for work, and this has given me an opportunity to learn from the most senior Master in Oceania.

Inspired by the passion and drive from Master Daher and Mr Abdallah, I am opening a club at Coomera, Northern Gold Coast. My aim is to help students, young or old, be the best they can be in Taekwon-do and take that through to life in general.

Kind regards,

Shawn Sutton