Taekwon-Do            Home Results Ely TKD About TKD Fun stuff Quiz Gallery Links Guest Book The International Tae Kwon Do Oath I shall observe the tenets of Tae Kwon Do I shall respect the instructor and seniors I shall never misuse Tae Kwon Do I shall be a champion of freedom and justice I shall build a more peaceful world                The cornerstone of Tae Kwon-do is its philosophy. It is a vast topic. Here is a brief look at the main aspects : All Tae Kwon-do students swear an oath never to misuse the martial art, to respect others, to obey the tenets, to support freedom and justice and to build a more peaceful world. Tae Kwon-do is about moral and spiritual standards, continuous personal development throughout life and teaches us that the only way in which man can become immortal is to leave a spiritual legacy that benefits mankind. "The eternal teacher teaches with body when young, with words when old and by moral concept even after death." What is a tenet? A tenet is a belief or principle by which we should aim to achieve and live by. The tenets of Tae Kwon-Do should serve as a guide for all serious students of the art. Courtesy (Ye Ui) It is proper that all people have good manners, are polite, respectful and courteous to one another. Integrity (Yom Chi) This is the quality of being honest. A person with high integrity is said to be completely just and trustworthy. Perseverance (In Nae) The determination to complete, with the firm belief that what you are doing is right, what has been started and overcoming difficulties along the way. It must be remembered that no one said Tae Kwon-Do would be easy, and no true martial artist was born a black belt or a master, only perseverance helps achieve these goals. Self Control (Guk Gi) This is the ability to exercise control over ones actions and emotions. The inability to live and work without losing one's temper shows lack of self-control and the loss of dignity. Indomitable Spirit (Beakjul Boolgool) This is the inner spirit a person has. A Spirit that produces courage at a time of injustice to deal with the perpetrators regardless of who or what they may be. Signifies innocence. No previous knowledge of Tae Kwon Do, as that of a beginner student. Represents the earth where the seed of Tae Kwon Do is planted as the foundation of Tae Kwon Do is being laid. Represents the green plant growing as the skills of Tae Kwon Do develop.   Signifies the sky and the heavens, towards which the tree grows as Tae Kwon Do training progresses. Signifies danger, cautioning the student to exercise control, and warning an opponent to stay away. The opposite of white, there for signifying a maturity and proficiency in Tae Kwon Do. It also indicates the holder's imperviousness to darkness and fear. Sparring: is the physical application of offensive and defensive techniques gained from patterns and other fundamental exercises against a moving opponent or opponents. The two most common forms of sparring are set-sparring and free sparring. Set-sparring can incorporate many offensive and defensive techniques. There are various subdivisions but all involve one partner executing either one or a series of offensive techniques and the other partner using the appropriate defensive techniques. Free sparring is more common and is the more popular side of Tae Kwon-do. It is used in competitions and only allows techniques to be executed above the waist and to the front part of the body. In the UK the semi-contact style is the most common where techniques score points if they are executed to within 2cm of the opponent and were not blocked. Light pads are worn for safety. In other countries and the Olympics the full contact style is used and heavy body armour is necessary. The disadvantage of sparring is that only a fraction of techniques are legal so many techniques useful for self-defence cannot be practised.                       Power: As the Tae Kwon-do student becomes more advanced demonstrations of destructive techniques must be given. These techniques are performed against wooden boards and to obtain a black belt a brick must be broken. The techniques used become more technical as the student's grade advances. There are 6 principals that apply to all techniques that must be adhered to in order for them to have power. These are explained in the theory of power. An untrained person only uses 10-15% of their potential when trying to perform Tae Kwon-do techniques. 1. Reaction Force (bandong ryok) If you strike an opponent who is rushing towards you at speed, the force of the blow is the combination of your opponent's movement and your own. Techniques can be of considerable force if timed well. Another type of reaction force is to use the two sides of the body in harmony. If the right fist is used to execute a punch the left fist should be drawn backward to the hip to maximise the effectiveness of the blow. 2. Concentration (jip joong) Pressure = Force/Area. As with high-heel shoes being more damaging than a bare foot, Tae Kwon-do techniques use the smallest surface area as possible when in contact with an opponent. For example, a Tae Kwon-do punch uses only the bottom two knuckles of the index and middle fingers where as a boxer would use the entire fist. 3. Equilibrium (kyn hyung) Balance should be maintained at all times - when moving or stationary. The body is therefore able to respond quickly and to execute techniques as fast as possible. 4. Breath Control (hohup jojul) The body must always have a good oxygen supply but sharp exhalations at the moment a technique is performed temporarily tense the body to make techniques more powerful and diminishing the impact of any blow received. There are claims that it helps release a person's chi, or life force. 5. Mass (zilyang) Force = Mass x Acceleration By raising the body and dropping it at the moment of impact the force of a technique is dramatically increased. 6. Speed (sokdo) Continuing with Force = Mass x Acceleration, a technique should accelerate quickly and be at its maximum acceleration at the moment of impact. Korean Terminology Terminology - click link for more Korean  1 hana  2 dool  3 set  4 net  5 tasot  6 yosot  7 ilgop  8 yodol  9 ahop 10 yol 11 yolhana 12 yoldool 13 yolset 14 yolnet 15 yoltasot 16 yolyosot 17 yolilgop 18 yolyodol 19 yolahop 20 samul 30 sorun 40 mahun 50 chiun 60 yessun 70 irun 80 ahun 90 yodun 100 pek Click for patterns: