A REAL MARTIAL ARTIST PURSUES THE BETTERMENT OF HIS CHARACTER AND PHYSICAL BODY BY BEING MINDFUL OF THE WAYS OF MARTIAL ARTISTS. OUR STYLE OF TAEKWONDO IS CALLED "MOODUKWAN" WHICH MEANS, "MIND WAY FAMILY" OF TAEKWONDO. PLEASE READ AND THINK ABOUT THE INFORMATION AND INCORPORATE THESE MANNNERISMS AND IDEALS INTO YOUR LIFE.
AS WAYNE GRETZKY SAID "PERFECT PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT".
INSIDE THE DO-JANG:
- When entering or leaving the do-jang, all students must salute the National Flag and the Association Flag.
- When entering the do-jang, bow to the Master, bow to any Instructor, then bow to the Black Belts according to rank.
- Students will maintain a serious attitude at all times.
- No profanity or loud talking.
- Students must address the Master, Instructor and Black Belts as Sir or Madame.
- Alcohol, smoking, gum or any candy is forbidden inside the do-jang.
- Personal hygiene is essential, fingernails and toenails must be kept trimmed.
- feet and body must be clean prior to training. Student with adhensions or bacterial mastifications must cover feet with approved Taekwondo footwear or socks.
- All higher belts are expected to help lower belts and answer any questions.
- Permission must be given by the Instructor before sparring.
- Members are expected to keep their attendance regular.
- When bowing to Black Belts, you must always stand, never from a sitting position.
- No jewelry will be worn during class.
- Uniforms and belts must be kept clean and club crest worn.
- During class, you must turn around to adjust your uniform.
- Members should offer to clean the do-jang.
OUTSIDE THE DO-JANG:
- When members are attending demonstrations or club activities, they must act in a well behaved and disciplined manner.
- If you see Masters or Instructors or Black Belts from other schools, you must bow to them no matter where you are - tournaments, on the street, etc.
- All children must respect their parents and be obedient to them.
- You must help anyone you see in distress.
- You must be patriotic to your country.
- When at tournaments, you must conduct yourself in a sportsman like manner.
- If you are moving to another city or country, ask your Master's advice and he will advise you where to continue training and he will give you a letter of introduction.
- When visiting other schools, you must find the Head Instructor and tell him what school you belong to, your name, rank and why you are visiting
The Marital Way & Codes of Honor
Martial Arts date back to when Bodhidharma brought Buddhism from India to China in the 6th century A.D. Martial Arts spread throughout Asia during that period and each Asian country designed their own combative systems. Samurai in Japan, Hwarang in Korea and Shaolin in China. Martial Arts continued to evolve into Do's, e.g. Karate-Do, Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, etc. The primary difference from these systems and the ancient systems, is the Do's were civil arts as opposed to martial arts, were military systems. There is no significant difference in the systems, only that civil arts were practiced for self defense or sport and military arts for war.
Today, some Martial Art systems have continued to evolve where the intent is moving to more sport orientation. This poses a significant shift from warrior-ship to sportsmanship. If you consider the implications, you begin to realize that there is a high potential of losing martial arts codes of honor This is not all said to discount the effectiveness of utilizing sport as an element of the practice, but to inform you that the attitude and the codes of honor a Martial Artist follows and an athlete follow may be very different.
The information you are going to read will provide you with some information on how you can aspire to be a Martial Artist, however; you must continue to study the ways of the warrior to become one. Remember, practicing Tae Kwon Do does not end with a Black Belt, it is a way of life...
Tae Kwon Do - Spirit
The essence of Martial Arts is to practice with a proper "mind set" or "attitude". Martial Arts were founded based on the necessity to preserve ones life in the face of death. Ancient warriors therefore practiced, faced with that potential and as a result, a serious training attitude was necessary. Even today people are subjected to to circumstances where their lives are in danger. That is why, Martial Arts today should practice with the same traditional spirit of the past.
Honor:
Honor is the term that is rarely used today and is usually misunderstood. There can be many interpretations of honor, however, we will focus on what honor means to Martial Arts.
Honor consists of 3 basic tenets:
- OBLIGATION
- JUSTICE
- COURAGE
Obligation:
Warriors were taught that no man was an island unto himself and that we all rely on each other. A word used by the Japanese was giri, meaning duty.
Giri was used in society to indicate a duty or obligation to repay someone for what they have done for you. In martial arts, your instructors train, support and look after their students. Students are therefore expected to repay instructors with loyalty, respect and devotion to study.
Justice:
Justice is at the heart of honor and can simply be described as knowing the difference between right and wrong and doing what's right. Having a good sense of what is right and wrong is usually learned by experience, examples of others and guidance by teachers and parents. A Martial Artist will always consider the right course of action and have the courage to do it.
Courage:
Courage is a vital part of warrior ship. Displaying courage in battle was an absolute necessity. If mistakes were hidden during military tactics, detrimental effects would usually result. Warriors today must also exhibit the courage to admit their mistakes. When one tries to cover up mistakes, dishonor is the result.
To apply honor in your life as a Martial Artist, you must endeavor to understand the following additional elements of honor.
These, I will leave with you to study and apply in your life.
- TRUTHFULNESS
- COURTESY
- RESTRAINT
- LOYALTY
- SERVICE
Respect:
Showing respect is an act of recognizing and appreciating something of value and showing consideration to others. Warriors display respect to everyone and everything.
Ways of Showing Respect:
- bowing when entering and leaving do-jang/gym.
- bowing before starting an activity or discussion with fellow students or Instructors.
- keep uniform and body clean.
- cleaning the do-jang/gym floor before or after class.
- assisting teaching of lower belts.
- always being polite to others.
- Martial Art attitude is carried with you wherever you go.
- being helpful to others.
- expressing gratitude
Modesty:
The attitude of restrained elegance. Meaning, that a higher ranked student does not flaunt his/her skills or abilities but is more concerned with sharing knowledge with others. When one is modest, persons of higher knowledge wish to impart their knowledge onto them.
Mindfulness:
When engaged in an activity, you will receive all the benefits if the mind is completely focused on that activity. To get the best out of training, it is very important to be in the "MOMENT". One must be aware of the mind, body and spirit while practicing. This can be accomplished by using your senses: VISION, HEARING, FEELING and THINKING.
Perseverance:
Persevere means to try hard and continuously in spite of the fact of obstacles and difficulties.
Martial Art training is geared towards sharpening one's mind, body and spirit to become capable of supernatural abilities. This requires tolerance of rigorous training regimes. The KTA structures it's programs to provide the appropriate level of training to students, in that, beginner programs are designed to prepare students for advanced level of training.
At the advanced level, students can expect training to periodically exceed their perceived level of tolerance or capability. It is only through pushing oneself beyond their perceived limits that one understands their capabilities and thus, trains to exceed them. This required perseverance and is one of the few admirable characteristics of a Martial Artist.
Attendance:
Regular attendance in class is required to make progress. Students are expected to inform their instructor when they expect to miss classes.
Tae Kwon Do is for Self-Defense Only
Law indicates you may use reasonable amount of force to defend yourself. If you exceed this, you may be charged with assault and battery. The main rule of thumb to remember is - use your skills with a reasonable amount of force when you feel threatened.
Commitment:
Students must be loyal to their country, parents, Dojang, instructors, and fellow students. This can be accomplished by, being truthful, and devoted to practicing and studying all aspects of Tae Kwon Do.
Law indicates you may use reasonable amount of force to defend yourself. If you exceed this, you may be charged with assault and battery.
The main rule of thumb to remember is - use your skills with a reasonable amount of force when you feel threatened.
Self-Control:
Our school employs five types of sparring where a measured level of control/force is applied. Controlling yourself is NOT only limited to when you are sparring. One must also control his or her behavior in terms of language and actions.
Promise Sparring: - means NO CONTACT is allowed.
Controlled Sparring: - means a very limited amount of contact is permitted. NO FACE CONTACT is allowed, however, contact below the face with exception to private parts is allowed with a light touch
Free Sparring: - students green belt and above may engage in a fighting where use of combative techniques are used with a limited amount of force. Multiple attackers may also be employed
Olympic Sparring: - contact to the body and head is allowed. However; one must be aware of their power and only administer the required amount to receive a legal point. In other words, intentional attempting to injure someone is strictly prohibited
Step Sparring: - a preset series of blocks and strikes used for practicing typical self-defense tactics. Usually consists of 3 step and 1 step sparring. This is the most controlled type of sparring
Point of Advise: - It is important to recognize when sparring with higher or lower belts to respect the skill level of the other person. Higher belts must NOT overpower lower belts and lower belts must not deliver cheap shots.
Unacceptable Behavior
- swearing
- criticizing others
- arguing
- stealing
- interrupting Instructors
- losing your temper or control
11 Commandments of Tae Kwon Do
Loyalty to your country.
Be a good son or daughter to your parents.
Faithfulness to your spouse.
Be on good terms with your brothers and sisters.
Loyalty to your friends.
Be respectful to your elders.
Respect and trust your teachers.
Use good judgment before killing or harming a living being.
Never retreat in battle - Indomitable Spirit!
Loyalty to your Dojang.
Finish what you being.
The Student Creed
I will develop myself in a positive manner and avoid anything that could reduce my mental growth or physical health.
I will develop self-discipline in order to bring out the best in myself and others.
I will use common sense before defense, never be abusive or offensive.
Code of Ethics
1. Students must attend 2 or 3 classes per week.
2. Arrive 10 minutes before class.
3. Put shoes on racks and personal items in change rooms.
4. Have clean and unwrinkled uniform.
5. No jewelry in class.
6. No chewing gum in class.
7. No profanity or loud talking in class.
8. Bring all necessary equipment to each class.
9. Personal hygiene is essential! Body must be clean and finger nails and toe nails must be kept trimmed at ALL times.
10. Students must "bow" when entering or leaving the dojang.
11. All students must show respect to each other at ALL times.
12. All students must address all Instructors and Black Belts as "Sir/Madame" and respect in the form of a "bow".
13. All students must respect all training equipment as they are an important part of your Martial Arts training.
14. All students must attempt to give 100% effort during class with high spirit.
Closing Comments From your Instructors:
The goal of our school is to provide quality Martial Arts training for the purpose of contributing to the development of students and to contribute to our community. This can only be accomplished by setting high standards for ourselves and our students.
Putting these codes into practice is the next step, e.g. "Walking the Talk". Students which study, practice and follow these codes will become respected members of the school. Students which consistently do not make an effort to observe and practice these codes may be temporarily or permanently expelled from our Dojang.
Becoming a Martial Artist can be a very interesting & fulfilling experience, when one constantly improves mentally, physically and emotionally, high level of skills always results.
You must continue to focus on the meaning of the Martial Art Way and Codes of Honor and strive to be the best you can be!! Anyone can do it with consistent and never ending improvement.
Remember; studding Marital Arts is a journey and a way of life....
Have a great one!