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
Memories

Henry’s Corner July 2011 (2)

 MEMORIES

 Dear Friends

In one of my previous contributions, I commented on the interconnectivity of our lives’ events and their complex causal relationships. Our participation in Taekwon-Do brings us some interesting experiences and I thought I would share an episode from my past.

In the mid-seventies I had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia in Africa. I was a teenager attending Sydney Boys High School and very dedicated to my training in Tae Kwon Do under Master Young Ku Yun at the Australian Tae Kwon Do Academy in Sydney. My father was posted to Ethiopia as the South Korean Ambassador after having served as Consul General in Sydney and my sister and I went to visit our parents in Addis Ababa (capital city of Ethiopia) during our summer holidays.

It was one of the more exotic places I would have the pleasure of visiting and I looked forward to seeing my parents and anticipated an adventurous time. The flight into Addis Ababa was itself a bit of an adventure. My sister and I were flying Ethiopian Airlines and the entire cabin was full of Chinese people in their Mao uniforms. I am guessing they were some sort of government delegation from communist China on an official visit to Ethiopia. They were all staring at us stony-faced and were probably wondering what these two offspring of capitalism were doing.

Addis Ababa is seven thousand feet above sea level and has a shortage of oxygen. No need to go anywhere else to do high altitude training! This is probably one of the reasons why Ethiopia has produced some world class marathon runners. Until I got acclimatised, I was developing headaches when I worked out and I noticed the locals had a habit of gasping for air when they spoke.

I could go on forever describing my experiences there, but since this is not a travel diary I am writing, I will exercise the self control Tae Kwon Do practitioners are supposed to have and desist.

 My father informed me during my stay there that an American diplomat, the Second Secretary at the American Embassy, is a fifth degree black belt in Taekwon-Do and has invited me to attend his class which he conducts at the American International School. His name was Robert Walson and I later learnt that he was considered by General Choi Hong Hi to be one of the foremost authorities on American Taekwon-Do at the time. Mr. Walson, in fact, helped General Choi Hong Hi write the comprehensive book on Taekwon-Do which was first published in 1972 and there is a picture of him with General Choi Hong Hi in the beginning of the book.

I was a first degree black belt at the time and, when I got to his class, Mr Walson wanted me to help him conduct his class. I did this with pleasure and one of the things he wanted me to do was demonstrate various jumping kicks to his students since he was unable to do them due to an injury to his ankle. I missed the bag with just one of them, which was the jumping back kick. Mr Walson was kind enough to tell the class that this was the most difficult of all the kicks. A jumping back kick is one of Master Daher’s favourite kicks and I am sure, if he had done it, he would have kicked the bag off its chain.

Some of us were invited back to Mr. Walson’s house after the class and, as we were talking in his living room, the cries of hyenas in the bushes nearby reminded me of which part of the world I was in.

When I look back on this experience, I realise how Taekwon-Do had already gained so much popularity and reached the far corners of the world.

The task ahead is to protect the essence of Taekwon-Do and not allow any rogue elements to corrupt the spirit of the art. The moral culture of Tae Kwon Do has to be maintained and developed. There is a unifying force in Taekwon-Do because it contains values which transcend all races and nationalities but perhaps we can dwell on this further some other time.

Have you ever considered the emotional content of all the moves you make in a dojang? Have you ever wondered what drives that kick and punch? Have you ever pondered upon the significance of those physical actions? We also need to contemplate on these issues sometime.

May we bring about peace and harmony through the practice of our art.