Taekwon-Do means “foot hand art.” In Korean “Tae” means foot, “Kwon” means hand, and “Do” means art or way. Taekwon Do is a blend of Taek kyonn (Korean Foot Fighting) and Karate (Empty Hand) combined with Malaysian Silat it is a complete art..
Taekwon-Do is more than a self-defense, it is also meant to be a creative art form. The prescribed movements exercise every part of the body and promote a high degree of physical fitness.
About 1,600 years ago, an Indian Monk named Dalma founded a primitive form of self-defense in Korea. Koreans developed this art into a unique style of foot fighting called Taek kyon. From this, various families had their own schools (i.e. Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Yun Moo Kwan, then Chi Do Kwan followed by Ji Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan. and Oh Do Kwan.)
These Kwans all came together in the 1950’s under one name of Taekwon-do as General Choi named it and continued to develope this art. This is the International Taekwon-do Federation the Martial Art we participate in.
The Blue Dragon School of Taekwon-Do is based on the Chang Hun forms developed by General Choi Hong Hi.
Taekwon-Do is spelled different ways. For example, you will find it as Tae Kwon Do, Taekwondo, and Taekwon-do. They are not the same Taekwon-do is the art founded by General Choi and the art taught at Blue Dragon Taekwon-do.
Students Oath
I shall observe the tenets of Taekwon-Do.
I shall respect the instructor and senior members.
I shall never misuse Taekwon-Do.
I shall be a champion of Freedom and Justice.
I shall strive to build a more peaceful world.
Taekwon-Do’s Five Tenets
The Five Tenets of Taekwon-Do is the “credo”, or the doctrines and principles from which Taekwon-Do is based.
These set of beliefs are used as a guide for actions and behaviors in all aspects of life.
They are to be respected and used to enhance your experience not only with Taekwon-Do but as a guide through every-day living.
All martial arts are formulated with specific goals or beliefs so the practitioner will gain the highest level of skill, satisfaction, and ability to achieve goals that are set.
INTEGRITY
Yom Chi
honorable, honest, purity, moral, upright
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT
Baekjul-Bool Go
unbreakable, invisible, unyielding
SELF-CONTROL
Guk-Gi
control of emotions & reactions
PERSEVERANCE
In-Nae
determined, persistent, loyal, steadfast
COURTESY
Ye-Ui
Six Theories of Power – Physical Conditioning
The physical conditioning is evident in the Six Theories of Power that are emphasized:
- Equilibrium – Another word is balance. The better our balance and leverage the better our techniques.
- Breath Control – Learning to breath properly allows us to maintain conditioning and apply techniques properly.
- Reactionary Force – For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- Speed – If you can increase your speed with proper tech-nique, you will develop more power.
- Concentration – Another word for focus. Pay attention to what we are doing.
- Mass – Size times density. Refers to how big something is.