Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do is the name of the Korean Martial Art of unarmed defending system. The roots of this Korean Martial art have been traced back over 2,000 years to 50 B.C. when artists of the time period would incorporate images of fighters using classic martial arts techniques in their works. The most famous works are the Stone Reliefs, dating from the Shil-La dynasty, in the sixth century A.D. They are located in the cave of Suck-Kool-Am in southern Korea. The carvings represent the famous warrior Kim Kang Yuksa executing early Tae Kwon Do blocking techniques.

Tae Kwon Do literally means “the way of (do) kicking (tae) and punching (kwon). This definition is the most basic and commonly known by the world. However, this definition touches only the barest view of this intricate and complex art. Certainly, Tae Kwon Do is a system of unarmed self-defense, in which the practitioner uses parts of his or her body as weapons. Advanced level practitioners have the ability to shatter bone with a single kick or hand strike. But self-defense is only one aspect of this art. During the Silla dynasty in Korea (688-935 A.D.), a group of traveling warriors known as the Hwarang was responsible for the spread of this system throughout the country. These nomadic warriors were not mere soldiers. They were well known educated nobles dedicated to the highest of moral ideals. While Taek Kyon (Tae Kwon Do in its earliest form) was incorporated into their basic education, the core of their learning was centered on Confucian philosophy and Buddhist morality. In all things, their actions were guided by a set of principles known as the Five Codes of Human Conduct that stressed loyalty and justice as the central tenets of a moral life. The Five Codes include:

Be loyal to your country

Be obedient to your parents

Be trustworthy to your friends

Never retreat in battle

Never make an unjust kill

To break any of these codes was considered unthinkable, as they defined the essence of who and what the Hwarang-do were. Due to these strong philosophic principles, Taek Kyon remained an effective fighting system, helping to perfect the characters of its practitioners. Although the physical techniques, and even the name of the art, have changed, its core purpose has remained the same.

Today, modern Tae Kwon Do has expanded the original Five Codes into what is now known as the Eleven Commandments of Tae Kwon Do:

Loyalty to your country

Respect for your parents

Faithfulness to your spouse

Respect your brothers and sisters

Loyalty to your friends

Respect your elders

Respect your teachers

Never take life unjustly

Indomitable spirit

Loyalty to your school

Finish what you begin

These Commandments provide students with clearly defined, specific behaviors that every practitioner is expected to follow. In the real world, however, we understand that ever possible situation cannot be anticipated and planned for with a list of set rules. Therefore, in addition to the 11 Commandments, Tae Kwon Do includes in its teachings a set of behavior goals known as the Five Aims of Tae Kwon Do:

Respect of oneself and others

Humility

Perseverance

Self-control

Honesty

Unlike the Commandments, the Five Aims are purposefully general because they are intended as idealized behavior traits. Practitioners who take these guidelines to heart and earnestly practice them in their everyday lives cannot help but follow the 11 Commandments as well because the Commandments were devised as specific expressions of these general principles. Thus, to follow the Five Aims is to exude the original philosophy and beliefs of the Hwarang-Do.