About Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a martial art and sport that teaches the practitioner techniques for defence and offense without the use of weapons. Regardless of age or sex, Taekwondo teaches the practitioner to use his/her hands and feet in any defensive situation. The martial art like any other styles it has fundamental disciplines like sparring, self defence, poomse and breaking. These are techniques that are learnt as the student reaches their next belt/ grade. The student also learns the 5 tenets of TKD, perseverance, indomitable spirit, courtesy, integrity and self control.
Sparring is progressive as the student belt colour/ grade, it is practiced during lessons. The student can also enter competitions; this is done under WTF regulations for scoring purposes. A well accomplished student could even represent their country at international level or Olympic level being the highest achievement.
Self defence is practiced so the student can defend themselves or another against single or multiple attackers; this again is progressive on the student’s belt/ grade.
Breaking techniques are for demonstration purposes and show the students power and flexibility, the difficulty progress’s as the student does these are very exciting to watch as they are mostly aerial techniques involving multiple targets.
Poomse is a form that shows the students progression with varying techniques as they learn them. There are poomse for every level of belt of witch has to be demonstrated at grading, they show defence against multiple attackers and that the student has honed these techniques and is ready to progress to the next level.
| 5 Tenets: | |
Perseverance – In Nae |
-To never give up in the pursuit of one's goals. Students should welcome challenges, because challenges cause us to grow and improve. |
| Courtesy – Ye ui | - be polite to your fellow student and respectful to your seniors. |
| Integrity – Yom Chi | -To be honest and good. Taekwondo practitioners should live by a code of moral values and principles. |
| Self control – Jah Jeh | -To have control of your body and mind. A Taekwondo student should practice controlling his actions and reactions. |
| Indomitable Spirit – Baekjool | -To have courage in the face of adversity. A Taekwondo student should never be dominated by, or have his spirit broken by another. |