Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific traditional Korean martial arts, which teaches not only physical fighting skills, it is a discipline that shows ways to enhance our spirit and our life through the training of our body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport, which has gained an international reputation and is among the official sports of the Olympic Games.
Let's take a closer look at the meaning of the word "Tae" "Kwon" "Do". It is composed of three parts as you can see in its spelling in Spanish, although it is a single word in Korean. "Tae" 태 (跆) means "foot", "leg" or "stand on"; "Kwon" 권 (拳) means "fist", or "fight" and "Do" 도 (道) means "form" or "discipline." If we put these three parts together, we can see two important concepts behind "Taekwondo". First, Taekwondo is the correct way to use Tae and Kwon “Fists and Feet or all parts of the body that are represented by the fists and feet. Second, it is a way to control or calm fights and keep the peace. This concept is derived from the Tae Kwon meaning "to put fists and feet under control" or "to stand on the fists". Thus Taekwondo means "the correct way to use all parts of the body to stop fights and help build a better and more peaceful world."
Taekwondo has been developing along with the 5000 years of Korean history, being called by various names during this time. In Korea, Taekwondo started as a defense martial art called "Soobahk" or "Taekkyeon" and developed as a way to train the body and mind in the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo, under the name "Seonbae". In the Shilla period, it became the backbone of Hwarangdo, which aimed to produce the country's leaders.
Taekwondo can be characterized by unity: the unity of body, mind, and life, and the unity of the "Poomsae" pose and confrontation, and cracking. When you practice Taekwondo, you must have your mind at peace, synchronize your mind with your movements and extend this harmony to your life and your society. This is how in Taekwondo the principle of physical movements, the principle of training the mind and the principle of life become one and the same. On the other hand, a correct poomsae leads to a correct confrontation. How can we achieve such unity in Taekwondo? Taekwondo is a way of life, like having a job, starting a family, fighting for a cause, or any other reason.
What makes Taekwondo different from these is that it is an activity for survival in the face of extremely antagonistic situations. One must always overcome the enemy who is trying to cause damage, but winning a fight is not enough to guarantee personal safety, because the enemy can recover and attack again. What's more, there may be many other enemies besides the one that has just been defeated. You cannot feel safe unless you have permanent peace. To achieve this permanent or lasting peace, unity is needed. This is the aim of Taekwondo, otherwise Taekwondo would be nothing different from street fighting.
Taekwondo pursues harmonious growth and perfection of life with its unique activities. This is the reason why it can be said that Taekwondo is a way of life. To finally allow ourselves to lead more valuable lives, we would do well to discover the guiding principles that are deeply hidden in Taekwondo.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TAEKWONDO
TAEKWONDO AS A PHYSICAL EXERCISE: Taekwondo is an excellent physical exercise for both growing children and adults who want to improve their physical endurance. Taekwondo requires movements of the body's joints to keep it more agile. Taekwondo kicking, punching and yelling will be a great stress relief aid.
TAEKWONDO AS A MARTIAL ART WITHOUT WEAPONS: Taekwondo does not use any type of weapons. What differs Taekwondo from other martial arts is that it uses different movements of the legs, this allowed it to become a very popular martial art worldwide. His attacks are aggressive, but at the same time, he focuses more on the defensive aspect. This is one of the positive aspects that modern people who want to learn Taekwondo as a self defense technique have found.
TAEKWONDO AS A SPORT: Taekwondo is located in the official competition category of the main international sporting events such as the Olympic Games. In Taekwondo competitions, safety equipment and competition rules are used to minimize possible damage, in this way, competitors of this martial art can enjoy the charm of competitions with less risk.
TAEKWONDO AS A METHOD OF EDUCATION: Taekwondo exercises the body, but it is also very effective in developing the mind. The goal of learning this martial art is to foster physical and spiritual development for the formation of a more mature human being. The discipline of Taekwondo includes ethics lessons along with defense and attack techniques to form a dignified personality.