Koryo Family Taekwondo Center

Taekwondo Students Warming up

Before I answer this question, we must come to a common understanding of the term “effective”.  Too many times, when people say something, they have a certain meaning or intent for that word which may or may not match with those on the receiving end.

To this end, let’s define “effective”.

The term “effective” shall be used in the context of self-defense, not in pitting one art against another.  Too many times people compare one art against another, arguing about which is better, when in fact, the biggest factor in making the determination is the person who practices the art.

Anyway, back to the term “effective”.  In self-defense, an art is effective if it does the job it was intended to do–help someone who would otherwise be at a disadvantage defend against an unexpected, bigger attacker (or attackers).  The art becomes effective if the practitioner is able to use what they’ve learned to escape harm from their assailant.  Notice that I said escape from and not beat their assailant.  I remind my students that all they need to do is escape; don’t stick around fighting like in the movies–just escape.

Taekwondo, like other martial arts, gives the practitioner a fighting chance to escape; and if left with no choice, a chance to defeat their assailants. Because of this, Taekwondo is an effective martial art.

What does Taekwondo teach to make it an effective martial art?  Here are just a few obvious ones:

• Agility and coordination
• Strength and flexibility
• Striking and blocking techniques
• Combination self-defense techniques to some of the most common attacks
• Knowledge of the most vulnerable targets on the human physiology
• Constant practice to ingrain self-defense techniques into physical reactions
• The moral knowledge and strength to do the right thing (one of the most crucial aspects we teach in Taekwondo since we are giving practitioners tools that can potentially be dangerous in the wrong hands)

 Agility and Coordination

Every workout and drills we do in Taekwondo is designed to help the student become more agile and coordinated.  Most students who have not had any martial arts training find it difficult to do certain drills, but by the time they reach the next belt, they find a significant improvement in both their agility and motor skills.

Strength and Flexibility

The various workouts we do at the beginning, class drills, and cool down workouts all help build our students strength and flexibility.  Just the warm up workout alone is enough to help in that area as the basic class warm up drills are designed to help loosen up, warm up, and stretch the major muscles of the body.  Many of the workouts we do in class include exercises designed to strengthen the abs, the arms, and the legs.  Because of the techniques we practice (especially the kicks), a lot of leg and some shoulder stretches are done to minimize injuries.  If a student is consistent and constant with their workouts, they are able to develop strength and flexibility.

Striking and Blocking Techniques

The foundation of Taekwondo is its repertoire of striking and blocking techniques.  Striking in the context used here includes kicking, kneeing, or any offensive techniques.  Blocking refers to any defensive covering techniques.  Much like karate, Taekwondo is a “hard style”.  This means that any techniques, whether it be a kick, punch, block, or chop is executed quickly and with extreme force–so much force that it can have the potential to break the bones of the target it is hitting.  The blocking techniques alone are designed to destroy the limb that it is blocking!

Combination Self-defense Techniques

The basic techniques taught in our Taekwondo classes are the foundation of our self-defense.  Our students learn some initial self-defense techniques through drills called “step sparring”. These drills help the students get started with self-defense in a safe way.  The attack and defense are all pre-arranged, but  allow the student to learn the techniques while in motion.  By being attacked while in motion, they learn and understand that distance and timing are crucial to effective self-defense execution.

As the student advance in belt, we teach a more street-style self-defense, where the techniques employed are many and the completion of the defensive techniques leads to the defeat of a single opponent.

Knowledge of Human Body Vulnerabilities

When we punch, elbow, chop, or kick, we remind each student to think about what they are attacking.  If they are supposed to do a high punch, we remind them that they ought to aim at the filtrum.  If they are delivering a midsection elbow strike, we tell them to aim at the solar plexus.

All strikes are aimed at something to remind the student that targeting is as important as the technique being executed.

Constant Practice to Ingrain Techniques Into Reaction

All self-defense techniques taught at our school are checked through out the school life of our student.  This means that at promotion testing, students are expected to remember all earlier techniques.  This requirement helps the students ingrain what they’ve learned into their reaction.  As I’ve often mentioned to students, when you are defending yourself against an attack, there is no time to think, only react.  Thinking about what technique to do causes hesitation, and can be dangerous to the student under the most common attack scenarios.

Moral Knowledge and Strength

Everything we teach at our school would be of no value if we didn’t teach moral knowledge and strength.    As a matter of fact, it would be extremely dangerous as we could be teaching a new breed of bullies.  This is why we temper what we teach with a strong dose of moral knowledge and strength.

We teach our students to live by a certain martial arts code which we call the tenets of Taekwondo.  The tenets include:

• Courtesy – be nice and respectful to others
• Integrity – be someone who is true and honest to others, as well as themselves
• Perseverance – don’t give up; try and try until you succeed
• Self-control – don’t let temptation or anger control you; you control yourself
• Indomitable spirit – set high goals and go for them
• Victory – always keep a positive attitude

Conclusion

Yes, Taekwondo is an effective martial art; and so are other arts when properly used as a self-defense tool to protect oneself and others.

Our school teaches the following to make sure Taekwondo continues to be an effective martial art:

• Agility and coordination – improve motor skills and coordination
• Strength and flexibility – become stronger and more flexible
• Striking and blocking techniques – learn powerful techniques
• Combination self-defense techniques – learn effective self-defense
• Knowledge of vulnerable targets – learn the human body’s weak spots
• Constant practice in self-defense – self-defense works only through constant repetitive practice
• The moral knowledge and strength to do the right thing – the most important thing we teach our students; without this we aren’t teaching Taekwondo.

Taekwondo is well-known for its high fancy kicks.  Yet, when it all comes down to it, the most effective kick for self-defense is the most basic of all kicks–the front kick (AKA front snap kick).  Why?  I will explain.

First and foremost, the front kick is the simplest and easiest kick to learn.  It doesn’t take years to perfect it.  For some, one lesson will do.  For others, a little longer.  Nevertheless, people can quickly learn it.

Second, it is one of the hardest to see, if you are on the receiving end.  Yes, you can see it if you are expecting it, but if you are some bad guy who is accosting someone who looks like a victim, you aren’t expecting and will have difficulty seeing something coming from below.  The kick can be delivered quickly before anyone can react to it.

Last and most important, the kick doesn’t have to be exact in terms of distance and target to be effective.  Remember, if you are applying the front kick in a self-defense situation, it is because you are creating the necessary distraction for escape, and not initiating a toe-to-toe fight.  If the kick is applied closer than expected, the shin or the knee could end up hitting your opponents groin; this is good enough for the purpose intended.  If the kick fails to line up with the opponent’s center line, it could hit the shin or the knee; both of these are good enough targets for distraction purposes.

Because it is easy to learn, hard to see, and doesn’t need much accuracy, it is one of the most effective self-defense kicks in Taekwondo’s arsenal of kicks.

Taekwondo is great for health and fitness

Is it true that Taekwondo is good for health?

The answer to this is yes.  Like any physical activity, having exercise in one’s life is good for the heart, muscles, bones, and to some degree spiritual and mental fitness.

Unlike other physical activity, Taekwondo as a martial arts also provides one with core values to strengthen one’s character.  No other physical activity builds one’s core like Taekwondo.

When you practice Taekwondo, you exercise your mind, body, and spirit.

The mind is kept active through the knowledge one gains about martial arts and how one is taught to have “victory”–a code of conduct which reflects positive mental attitude.

The spirit, which is ones inner motivator, is strengthened through the reinforcement or teachings on core values–the six tenets of Taekwondo (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, and victory).  When one has strong spirit, one is able to motivate himself or herself to achieve goals and objectives.

Last but not least, the body is regularly exercised through calisthenics, aerobic, strengthening, and stretching exercises.  The exercises are done in such a way where all parts of the body work in an integrated fashion to give it natural strength.

No other fitness activity can deliver like Taekwondo!

The origin of Tae Kwon Do dates as far back as the existence of man himself on earth.  With the passage of time, it had been streamlined and gradually formalized, then developed into a positive and perfect level due to the necessity for social life as simple human life became more complex and diversified.
Although Tae Kwon Do had survived through the long and adverse periods of Korean history as a component part of traditional culture, only a few murals in the underground chambers of Tumuli depicting Tae Kwon Do were found.

There are evidence of Tae Kwon Do in the murals of the Kakjeochong, Mooyongchong and Samsilchong Tombs of the Kogooryo era.  The tumuli of this era located at the former capital of the kingdom, present murals that are undeniable evidence of the existence of Tae Kwon Do in that period.  The murals show the original features of Tae Kwon Do.

Twenty years after the Kogooryo era, the Silla Dynasty was founded.  The warriors of Silva enjoyed various sports including archery, hunting, and Tae Kwon Do.

Other historic documents prove that there were also martial arts called by different names in the territories of Silla, Kogooryo, and Baekjae.

The entire nation of Baekjae enjoyed the sports of horse riding, archery, and Tae Kwon Do.  In fact, the whole populace were warriors well trained in martial arts.

The Baekjae nation was eventually conquered by Koryo where Tae Kwon Do was widely propagated as a national sport.

As far as Tae Kwon Do is concerned, Korea is the master country.  Historically, authentic records of Tae Kwon Do illustrate a large part of the Korean nation.  Handed through the Kogooryo, Silla, Baekjae, and Koryo, it was deeply rooted in the Joseon Dynasty era and scientifically systematized.

After the decline of the Joseon Dynasty, the Japanese invaded Korea and the Tae Kwon Do devotees often the the struggle against the invaders.

Today, modern Tae Kwon Do stresses on the scientific mobilization of human force and its application; the most important factors of which are stability, support, balance, elasticity, agility, and flexibility as well as mental and nervous concentration.

These are specific rules you should follow to help you become a better martial artist and person.

1. Loyalty to your country
2. Respect your parents and elders
3. Faithfulness to your spouse
4. Respect your brothers and sisters
5. Loyalty to your friends
6. Loyalty to your Do-jang
7. Respect and trust your Instructor
8. Behave correctly, in all means
9. Stand for what is right
10. Always finish what you start

Use these tenets to help provide you with a general guideline of how you ought to conduct your life as a martial artist.

1. Courtesy
2. Integrity
3. Perseverance
4. Self Control
5. Indomitable Spirit
6. victory

Courtesy (Yae Yi)

Be polite and nice to others; example:  say “please” or “thank you” as appropriate.

Integrity (Sung Sil)

Having strong ethical values; example:  you return a wallet that was dropped by a stranger.

Perseverance (In Nae)

On the road to success, you will find challenges and experience failures; to persevere you must try and try, never letting setbacks keep you down; example:  you are learning to ride a bike and you keep falling down, but you keep trying and eventually learn to ride without falling.

Self Control (Ja Jae)

Ability to control one’s mind and body; example:  anger can sometimes result in unintended actions; therefore, never act when angry.

Indomitable Spirit (Bool Gul Ye Jung Sin)

Never let overwhelming odds keep deter you; continue to face the challenge with inner strength; example:  the soldiers who landed on the beach of Normandy in WWII had this because knowing that their chance of surviving the landing was low under heavy enemy fire, they eventually took control of that beach.

Another aspect of this is in risk taking.  Take risks and set goals; no one has ever achieved some level of success without taking risks.

Victory (Sung Ri)

Think positively; by thinking positively you can solve problems or win over situations placed before you; example:  Your boss gives you a project that must be done in one week, but you know you don’t have enough resources to complete the project in one week.  A person that doesn’t use “victory” as a guide for their general behavior will probably tell their boss that it can’t be done.  On the other hand a victory-minded person will say “yes, it can be done under the following conditions…”

Koryo Family Taekwondo Center is a black belt school dedicated to tradition, discipline, respect, and excellence.

Our goal is to help our students become better people through martial arts. For children, this means becoming a better student, son, or daughter by learning courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, and winning positive attitude. Through routine exercises students are able improve their motor skills and flexibility.

Our classes are for teens and adults too. Our curriculum and workouts help teens and adults get in shape, gain flexibility, and learn self-defense.