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MARTIAL ARTS
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HISTORY
Tae Kwon-Do is the Korean name for foot and hand fighting and is perhaps
one of the newest forms of martial arts in Asia today and is supposedly
the fastest growing martial art in Europe.
Korean martial arts began more than 2000 years ago under a name called
hawing do (way of the flowering manhood) but between 1910-1945 during
the Japanese occupation of Korea the Japanese were influencing the Koreans
with many things and Karate was being introduced into their martial art.
It was in 1955 that Major General Choi Hong Hi gave Tae kwon-do its name
during a special board meeting made up of martial arts masters, historians
and politicians to discuss how to control the art and recognize it so
as to teach it to the people of Korea and the military.
The tenets of Tae-Kwon-Do are the beliefs and principles of the art.
The five tenets are:
COURTESY (Ye-Ui) in a broader sense is kindness, humility, good manners, politeness, and respect.
INTEGRITY (Yom-Chi) generally speaking, is honesty, straight dealing,
purity, moral soundness, and uprightness. To have integrity means to be
honest with everyone and with yourself at all times.
PERSEVERANCE (In-Nae) is persistence, a steadfast pursuit of and an understanding
of the aim, continuation in the practice of Tae Kwon Do regardless of
the amount of obstacles, hindering circumstances, difficulties, or occasional
"let downs" which are only temporary situations. The strong
will to hold on, regardless of obstacles. Loyalty.
SELF-CONTROL (Guk-Gi) is a double edged sword: on the one hand, it is
the physical control with regard to motions, precision of execution, prevention
of unnecessary injuries (as opposed to acting wildly) or killing, due
to lack of control. Experience is the best teacher, but all the physical
reactions are based on the psychological makeup, maturity, and moral,
ethical, and religious codes. Emotions are usually involved, to a certain
degree, in the majority of situations, hence the need for emotional self
control. The degree of controlling the particularly strong emotions such
as love, hate, anger, surprise, joy,sadness, etc., show the level of achievement
of each practitioner of Tae Kwon Do.
Emotions should be governed by a strong and conscious reason and aided
by experience in principles. The success of application of this tenet
in practical everyday life should result in creating the indomitable spirit.
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (Baekjul-Bool Gool) Indomitable means unconquerable,
unbreakable, unquenchable. To put it simply, it means that one has such
strong unshakeable beliefs and principles that even sacrificing the most
precious possession one has, one's own life, is not too high a price to
pay in defending them.
BELT COLOURS AND THEIR MEANING
WHITE
White Belt signifies innocence, as that of a beginning student who has no Knowledge of Tae Kwon Do.
WHITE WITH YELLOW STRIPE
Yellow Belt signifies earth, from which a plant sprouts and takes root as Tae Kwon Do foundation is being laid.
YELLOW WITH GREEN STRIPE
GREEN
Green Belt signifies the plants growth as the Tae Kwon Do skill begins to develop.
GREEN WITH BLUE STRIPE
BLUE
Blue Belt signifies the heaven towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training in Tae Kwon Do progresses.
BLUE WITH RED STRIPE
RED
Red Belt represents potential danger, caution the student to exercise control and warning the opponent to be aware!
RED WITH BLACK STRIPE
BLACK
Black is the opposite of white, signifying both maturity and proficiency. It also symbolises the wearer's imperviousness to darkness and fear.
There are two federations of Tae- kwon-Do ITF (International Taekwondo Federation) and the WTF (World Taekwondo Federation). Basicaly ITF is a semi contact style and WTF is a full contact style, this is the style that is practiced as a Olympic sport.The rules and protective gear are different for competition, but both are strict and controlled by qualified referees.
Competition fighting requires much practice and dedication to be good. In both semi contact and full contact each contest is usually three 3-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest, there is usually four corner judges who keep the score and a referee.
Head protection must be worn in all competitions and in semi contact, hand mits and foot pads are worn, in full contact the hands and feet are bare. Competitors also wear body guards to help protect the ribs and vital organs, shin guards, forearm protectors and groin guards/chest protectors are also worn for added protection.
WTF
In full contact competition a kick or a punch that makes contact with the head , front or side of the upper body (above the belt) but not the arms as this is effectively a block is awarded one point. A point is also awarded if the opponent is knocked down or is stopped. Each time a point is scored the referee stops the fight while the corner judges log the score. A penalty point could be awarded for a illegal strike, such as kneeing, using the elbow or even grabbing or holding the opponent. If the contest is a draw the person who got the most points with kicking will be awarded the winner.
ITF
In semi contact competition the rules are different. The contestants must score points while showing control. There are still four corner judges and a referee and protective equipment must still be worn although in semi contact it is still easy to get injured. One point is awarded for a punch to the head or body, two points are awarded for a kick to the midsection of the front or side of the body, and three points are awarded for a kick to the head, as kicking is promoted in Taekwondo, and kicking to the head is considered most difficult.
The contestants are not interrupted when a point is scored as they are counted up by the corner judges with two hand held clickers(one for each contestant), and at the end of the two or three rounds the judges let the referee know who has the most points.
SOME SAFTY EQUIPTMENT
USED IN I.T.F .AND W.T.F .
USEFUL ADDRESSES also check the LINKS PAGE
The Taekwondo Association of Great Britain
6 Avon Rd
Whitnash
Leamington Spa
CV31 2NJ
England
Tel:- 0926 336322
TAGB,
Redfield Leisure Centre,
163A Church Rd.
Redfeild,
Bristol,
BS5 9LA.
England
Tel:-0117 955 1046
The British Taekwondo Council
58 Wiltshire Lane
Eastcote
Middlesex
HA5 2LU
England
Tel:- 081 4290878
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