TAE KWON DO Just for You

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Ever thought of it from our point of view? Try that next time, before supposedly pitying us for doing something we enjoy. We can certainly decapitate our attackers or at the very least eliminate the threat, but we can also get overwhelmed. We are human too, after all. If we can chop through three inch thick cement slabs, then we can chop through other things as well. Should either side be scared of the other in a healthy relationship? Trust me, buddy, when you see the two women scream and charge at each other, arousal is going to be the last thing on your mind.

While Taekwondo — like any other martial art — teaches you to deliver maximum force most efficiently, the way each martial art approaches that and the motivation behind delivering that force is different. Obviously one of the first rules of Taekwondo is to only use it for sport, for sparring, or for self-defense, but never for offensive purposes.

Well, sometimes things go south and some people may threaten you. There are bullies and robbers all over this world, and sometimes the only way to deal with them is to physically defend yourself.

13 Benefits of Taekwondo That Will Make You Want Your Black Belt

Taekwondo is an amazing thing to know in sticky situations and it is by far one of the best forms of martial arts that will allow you to defend yourself. When it comes to a life or death situation, when it is you versus them, Taekwondo will allow you to come away unscathed. Another big benefit that you can get from practicing Taekwondo on a regular basis is that it can go a very long way in increasing your confidence and your self-esteem.

First of all, Taekwondo involves learning various different poses, patterns, moves, strikes, and anything else that comes with this martial art. Taekwondo can also help you improve your self-confidence because it tones your muscles and helps you lose weight, both which happen through the virtue of it being a high-intensity martial art to be practicing. Simply put, when you look better you will also feel better, and there is no better feeling than when you look in the mirror and you see a muscly hunk staring back at you.

Finally, as we mentioned before, a martial art like Taekwondo teaches you how to defend yourself, and knowing that you can hold your own in a tough situation definitely inspires confidence and self-esteem. Taekwondo is much like any other martial art where you do many different kinds of training which contribute to a healthy body, something which is necessary in order to become a master at any fighting style. It takes a lot of cardiovascular endurance to be able to get through an hour-long Taekwondo class and you train for that in various ways.

Running laps, doing circuit training, and jumping rope are all things which a practitioner of Taekwondo does in order to get into the proper physical shape. Moreover, while an hour-long Taekwondo class is not the same as going for an hour-long run, the constant physical motion will get your heart pumping at an increased rate. Of course, training your heart through cardiovascular exercise is essential for several different reasons. First of all, a stronger heart means that it can pump blood and oxygen to your muscles with increased efficiency, something that is important for increasing your physical output.

The more blood and oxygen your muscles receive the longer and harder they can work without getting tired. Furthermore, a strong heart is also very important because it leads to a reduction in heart disease, arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes, it helps keep cholesterol in check, it helps keep blood sugar levels in moderation, it helps keep your blood pressure at a respectable level, and it keeps your resting heart rate lower too. In essence, Taekwondo makes your heart stronger and that means that you will live longer. The next big mental benefit that comes along with practicing Taekwondo is that it can go a very long way in helping you to better your focus.

It takes a whole lot of time and constant repetition to master absolutely anything and everything in Taekwondo and that requires a whole lot of focus. Whether you are mastering a grappling move, practicing various strikes and kicks, or if you are trying to break a board, you need to spend a lot of time focusing on one specific task at hand in order to perfect whatever you are trying to master.

Focus is not just something that falls out of trees, and just like any other skill that we have, it needs to be practiced and learned. Taekwondo can definitely teach you to focus on a given task at hand, and that is something which can translate to your everyday life. It takes focus to drive a car, to work at your job, and even to participate in a boring conversation, focus which you can learn through Taekwondo.

Another upside to practicing Taekwondo is that it works to increase your flexibility. This is because before and after you do a Taekwondo class, your instructor will have you go through a series of stretches. Stretching is of course beneficial because it loosens and limbers your muscles, getting them ready for strenuous activity and greatly reducing the chances of suffering from an injury such as a pulled muscle. Obviously, the more you stretch the longer, more limber, and more flexible your muscles get, thus ultimately increasing the range of motion and also increasing how far you can push your limbs before something goes wrong.

Of course, having better flexibility is also beneficial because it helps to do things like reduce back pain, reduce the chances of injury, increase your ability to balance, and a whole lot more. Being more flexible can even be quite a big attribute in terms of your ability to perform in the bedroom! Yet another big benefit that you can get from practicing Taekwondo on a regular basis is that it makes you feel happier. One of the main ways in which Taekwondo can make you feel happier is because of the nature of any type of exercise.

Exercising causes your brain to produce an excess of neurochemicals, the most important of which is serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical produced by your brain which produces feelings of happiness, joy, elation, and calmness. This is a chemical which makes you feel happier than you usually would.

Taekwondo Lyrics

This is something that can help you fight things like depression and anxiety, things which are caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain and an overall imbalance of neurochemicals. Taekwondo can help to balance those chemicals and that will make you feel happy. Creative hyeong are created by the performer and are generally acrobatic in nature and do not necessarily reflect the kinetic principles intrinsic in any martial system.

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Even within a single association, different schools in the association may use slightly different variations on the forms or use different names for the same form especially in older styles of taekwondo. This is especially true for beginner forms, which tend to be less standardized than mainstream forms. Taekwondo ranks vary from style to style and are not standardized. Typically, these ranks are separated into "junior" and "senior" sections, colloquially referred to as "color belts" and "black belts":.

Some styles incorporate an additional rank between the geup and dan levels, called the "bo-dan" rank—essentially, a candidate rank for black belt promotion. At age 15, their poom rank is considered to transition to equivalent dan rank automatically. To advance from one rank to the next, students typically complete promotion tests in which they demonstrate their proficiency in the various aspects of the art before their teacher or a panel of judges. Promotion tests vary from school to school, but may include such elements as the execution of patterns, which combine various techniques in specific sequences; the breaking of boards to demonstrate the ability to use techniques with both power and control; sparring and self-defense to demonstrate the practical application and control of techniques; physical fitness usually with push-ups and sit-ups; and answering questions on terminology, concepts, and history to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the art.

For higher dan tests, students are sometimes required to take a written test or submit a research paper in addition to taking the practical test. Promotion from one geup to the next can proceed rapidly in some schools since schools often allow geup promotions every two, three, or four months.

Students of geup rank learn the most basic techniques first, and then move on to more advanced techniques as they approach first dan. Many of the older and more traditional schools often take longer to allow students to test for higher ranks than newer, more contemporary schools, as they may not have the required testing intervals. In contrast, promotion from one dan to the next can take years.

In fact, some styles impose age or time-in-rank limits on dan promotions. For example, the number of years between one dan promotion to the next may be limited to a minimum of the practitioner's current dan-rank, so that for example a 5th dan practitioner must wait 5 years to test for 6th dan. Black belt ranks may have titles associated with them, such as "master" and "instructor", but taekwondo organizations vary widely in rules and standards when it comes to ranks and titles.

What holds true in one organization may not hold true in another, as is the case in many martial art systems. For example, achieving first dan black belt ranking with three years' training might be typical in one organization but considered too quick in another organization, and likewise for other ranks. Similarly, the title for a given dan rank in one organization might not be the same as the title for that dan rank in another organization.

In the International Taekwon-Do Federation , instructors holding 1st to 3rd dan are called Boosabum assistant instructor , those holding 4th to 6th dan are called Sabum instructor , those holding 7th to 8th dan are called Sahyun master , and those holding 9th dan are called Saseong grandmaster. In the American Taekwondo Association, instructor designations are separate from rank. Black belts may be designated as an instructor trainee red, white and blue collar , specialty trainer red and black collar , certified trainer black-red-black collar and certified instructor black collar.

After a one-year waiting period, instructors who hold the sixth dan are eligible for the title of Master. Seventh dan black belts are eligible for the title Senior Master and eighth dan black belts are eligible for the title Chief Master.

Students who hold a 4th - 6th dan are considered Masters. Those who hold a 7th - 9th dan are considered Grandmasters. The oldest Korean martial arts were an amalgamation of unarmed combat styles developed by the three rival Korean Kingdoms of Goguryeo , Silla , and Baekje , [30] where young men were trained in unarmed combat techniques to develop strength, speed, and survival skills. The most popular of these techniques were ssireum , subak , and taekkyeon. The Northern Goguryeo kingdom was a dominant force in Northern Korea and North Eastern China prior to the 1st century CE, and again from the 3rd century to the 6th century.

How people react when you tell them you do Taekwondo

Before the fall of the Goguryeo Dynasty in the 6th century, the Shilla Kingdom asked for help in training its people for defence against pirate invasions. During this time a few select Silla warriors were given training in taekkyeon by the early masters from Goguryeo. These Silla warriors then became known as Hwarang or "blossoming knights. The guiding principles of the Hwarang warriors were based on Won Gwang 's five codes of human conduct and included loyalty, filial duty, trustworthiness, valour, and justice.

In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and martial arts, Korean martial arts faded during the late Joseon Dynasty.

Benefit #2: Goal Setting & Discipline

Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism , and martial arts were poorly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings. However, taekkyeon persisted into the 19th century as a folk game during the May-Dano festival, and was still taught as the formal military martial art throughout the Joseon Dynasty. Early progenitors of taekwondo - the founders of the nine original kwans - who were able to study in Japan were exposed to Japanese martial arts , including karate , judo , and kendo , [33] while others were exposed to the martial arts of China and Manchuria, as well as to the indigenous Korean martial art of taekkyeon.

Different styles of taekwondo adopt different philosophical underpinnings. Many of these underpinnings however refer back to the Five Commandments of the Hwarang as a historical referent. Modern ITF organizations have continued to update and expand upon this philosophy.

Benefit #1: It Is A Social Activity

The WT's stated philosophy is that this goal can be furthered by adoption of the Hwarang spirit, by behaving rationally "education in accordance with the reason of heaven" , and by recognition of the philosophies embodied in the taegeuk the yin and the yang, i.

The philosophical position articulated by the Kukkiwon is likewise based on the Hwarang tradition. Taekwondo competition typically involves sparring , breaking , and patterns ; some tournaments also include special events such as demonstration teams and self-defense hosinsul. In Olympic taekwondo competition, however, only sparring using WT competition rules is performed. There are two kinds of competition sparring: Sparring involves a Hogu, or a chest protector, which muffles any kick's damage to avoid serious injuries. Helmets and other gear are provided as well.

Though other systems may vary, a common point system works like this: One point for a regular kick to the Hogu, two for a turning behind the kick, three for a back kick, and four for a spinning kick to the head. A win can occur by points, or if one competitor is unable to continue knockout. However, there are several decisions that can lead to a win, as well, including superiority, withdrawal, disqualification, or even a referee's punitive declaration.

Tournaments sanctioned by national governing bodies or the WT, including the Olympics and World Championship, use electronic hogus, electronic foot socks, and electronic head protectors to register and determine scoring techniques, with human judges used to assess and score technical spinning techniques and score punches. Points are awarded for permitted techniques delivered to the legal scoring areas as determined by an electronic scoring system, which assesses the strength and location of the contact.

The only techniques allowed are kicks delivering a strike using an area of the foot below the ankle , punches delivering a strike using the closed fist , and pushes. In some smaller tournaments, and in the past, points were awarded by three corner judges using electronic scoring tallies. All major national and international tournaments have moved fully as of to electronic scoring, including the use of electronic headgear. This limits corner judges to scoring only technical points and punches.

Some believe that the new electronic scoring system reduces controversy concerning judging decisions, [45] but this technology is still not universally accepted. Because the headgear is not able to determine if a kick was a correct taekwondo technique, and the pressure threshold for sensor activation for headgear is kept low for safety reasons, athletes who improvised ways of placing their foot on their opponents head were able to score points, regardless of how true to taekwondo those techniques were.

Techniques are divided into three categories: The referee can give penalties at any time for rule-breaking, such as hitting an area not recognized as a target, usually the legs or neck. Penalties, called "Gam-jeom" are counted as an addition of one point for the opposing contestant. Following 10 "Gam-jeom" a player is declared the loser by referee's punitive declaration [43]. At the end of three rounds, the competitor with most points wins the match. In the event of a tie, a fourth "sudden death" overtime round, sometimes called a "Golden Point", is held to determine the winner after a one-minute rest period.

In this round, the first competitor to score a point wins the match. If there is no score in the additional round, the winner is decided by superiority, as determined by the refereeing officials [48] or number of fouls committed during that round. If a competitor has a point lead at the end of the second round or achieves a point lead at any point in the third round, then the match is over and that competitor is declared the winner. In addition to sparring competition, World Taekwondo sanctions competition in poomsae or forms, although this is not an Olympic event. Single competitors perform a designated pattern of movements, and are assessed by judges for accuracy accuracy of movements, balance, precision of details and presentation speed and power, rhythm, energy , both of which receive numerical scores, with deductions made for errors.

In addition to competition with the traditional forms, there is experimentation with freestyle forms that allow more creativity. The World Taekwondo Federation directly sanctions the following competitions: The International Taekwon-Do Federation 's sparring rules are similar to the WT's rules but differ in several aspects. Competitors do not wear the hogu although they are required to wear approved foot and hand protection equipment, as well as optional head guards.

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