"Educate the young to create heroic
leaders" -General Choi, Hong Hi, Founder of TKD |
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TENETS |
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“The
foundation of Taekwon Do is laid with the bricks of Courtesy, Integrity,
Perseverance, Self Control, and Indomitable Spirit.” |
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Tenets of TaeKwon-Do (Taekwon-Do Jungshin) Taekwon-Do
aims to achieve: Courtesy (Ye
Ui) Integrity
(Yom Chi) Perseverance
(In Nae) Self-Control
(Guk Gi) Indomitable
Spirit (Baekjul Boolgool) EXPLANATION
OF TENETS Needless to
say, the success or failure of Taekwon-Do training depends largely on how one
observes and implements the tenets of Taekwon-Do which should serve as a
guide for all serious students of the art. COURTESY (Ye
Ui) It can be
said that courtesy is an unwritten regulation prescribed by ancient teachers
of philosophy as a means to enlighten human beings while maintaining a
harmonious society. It can be further defined as an ultimate criterion
required of a mortal. Taekwon-Do
students should attempt to practice the following elements of courtesy to
build up their noble character and to conduct the training in an orderly
manner as well. 1) To promote
the spirit of mutual concessions 2) To be
ashamed of one's vices, contempting those of others 3) To be
polite to one another 4) To
encourage the sense of justice and humanity 5) To
distinguish instructor from student, senior from junior, and elder from
younger 6) To behave
oneself according to etiquette 7) To respect
others' possessions 8) To handle
matters with fairness and sincerity 9) To refrain
from giving or accepting a gift when in doubt INTEGRITY
(Yom Chi) In
Taekwon-Do, the word integrity assumes a looser definition than the one
usually presented in Webster's dictionary. One must be able to define right
and wrong and have a conscience, if wrong, to feel guilt. Listed are some
examples where integrity is lacking: 1) The
instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by presenting improper
techniques to his students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy. 2) The
student who misrepresents himself by "fixing" breaking materials
before demonstrations. 3) The
instructor who camouflages bad technique with luxurious training halls and
false flattery to his students. 4) The
student who requests ranks from an instructor, or attempts to purchase it. 5) The
student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power. 6) The
instructor who teaches and promotes his art for materialistic gains. 7) The
students whose actions do not live up to his words. 8) The
student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from his juniors. PERSEVERANCE
(In Nae) There is an
old Oriental saying, "Patience leads to virtue or merit, One can make a
peaceful home by being patient for 100 times." Certainly happiness and
prosperity are most likely brought to the patient person. To achieve
something, whether it is a higher degree or the perfection or a technique,
one must set his goal, then constantly persevere. Robert Bruce learned his
lesson of perseverance from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this
perseverance and tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the
fourteenth century. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader of
Taekwon-Do is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance. Confucius
said, "one who is impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve
success in matters of great importance." SELF CONTROL
(Guk Gi) This tenet is
extremely important inside and outside the dojang, whether conducting oneself
in free sparring or in one's personal affairs. A loss of self-control in free
sparring can prove disastrous to both student and opponent. An inability to
live and work within one's capability or sphere is also a lack of
self-control. According to
Lao-Tzu "the term of stronger is the person who wins over oneself rather
than someone else." INDOMITABLE
SPIRIT (Baekjool Boolgool) "Here
lie 300, who did their duty," a simple epitaph for one of the greatest
acts of courage known to mankind. Although facing the superior forces of
Xerxes, Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermoplylae showed the world the
meaning of indomitable spirit. It is shown when a courageous person and his
principles are pitted against overwhelming odds. A serious
student of Taekwon-Do will at all times be modest and honest. If confronted
with injustice, he will deal with the belligerent without any fear or
hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of whosoever and
however many the number may be. |
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30 Willand Drive | Somersworth, NH 03878 Phone: (603) 534-3868 | [email protected] |
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