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"I have seen a lot of controversial issues about sparring, and actual real life circumstances. As an Olympic style sparrer, and A black belt in Taekwondo, here is my opinion: Sparring is a great tool to test out your abilities, and find out some of your strengths and weaknesses. I do not believe that sparring is the "end all, and be all" of taekwondo. Whatever Martial art you practice, and whoever you may be (regarding skill level) you will only be as good as what you put into the art. Tae Kwon Do, to some extent is a sport, but if that's all you train for, then that's all Tae Kwon Do will ever be. A lot of questions have been asked regarding, what is the best martial art ? Well, if you think there is only "one" martial art, that is "the art". I think you would be selling yourself short. Any Martial artist should respect all other martial arts, due to the simple fact that we all share a common goal.Sparring may not be the most practical training method to real life circumstances, but it is a great tool you can use, to maybe, one day save your life. How you train, and what you put into the martial art will one day dictate whether you win an Olympic gold metal, or if you save you life one day. Now which one is more important, well, that's up to you . . ."
The End
Taekwondo is not just a physical practice or sport. Taekwondo is a martial art - a whole system of physical exercises, spiritual development and philosophic principles. So it is closely related to the philosophy of the East, and mainly to the dualistic ideal of harmony (Yin and Yang). Nevertheless many people do not or can not understand the martial arts ideal and consider their philosophy as a type of religious principles. That is not right, of course. The martial arts, including Taekwondo, have not been formed as a religion for itself. The right understanding of a martial art could be the way of the practitioner to see his own self and/or the rest world, but no more.
The basis in Taekwondo practising is the technique. The training system is an endless repetition and perfectioning of the studied techniques. We mean not only the working out of separate hits, blocks, but sparring and forms as well. That striving to skill perfection, body fitness respectfully and the satisfaction which follows is the first component of Taekwondo. That is the so called technical ideal. It is the first step of each beginner.
As it was mentioned, Taekwondo is not just physical exercises but an art as well. The concept of Taekwondo art is the union of mind and spirit aiming at self-perfection. When a man is heartly involved in his self-development, thinks over and analyses his acts, then it comes the real human mature - not only physical, but spiritual and moral one.
That desire for self-perfection is natural. But man lives in the surrounding environment, not out of it. That is the reason for the philosophical ideal of Taekwondo as a wish for uniting man and nature through practising Taekwondo. It is a way of living based on the harmony between man and manhood. So if someone works on hit techniques only he will never realize the concept of Taekwondo.
In the modern world Taekwondo develops as a sport and a system of physical education with great success. That is possible only through the union of the three ideals of Taekwondo - the ideal of technical perfection, the ideal of combining mind and spirit in order to help the process of self-perfection and the extrovert ideal - the harmony between man and nature which is the basic one in many Eastern philosophical doctrines. All that could be reached by the constant physical trainings - a main part of Taekwondo practising. The sport aspect of Taekwondo is in the natural human striving to act, contest and conquer. The practitioner aims at developing strength, speed and precision. Those strivings are expressed in sparring competitions.
Taekwondo spirit is in the desire to realize the values of its practising. Because the technique is the basic part of the trainings, the spiritual development is in connection with the technical one. Taekwondo realization is a personal affair. Often the practitioner creates an image of the ideal Taekwondo man who becomes his own ideal. Of course, that is an individual image, formed on the basis of the long training way and is not a real person, because the process of self-perfection is endless and therefore, nobody could be perfect.
As it was mentioned, many Eastern philosophic doctrines are the basis of Taekwondo. In their concepts the harmony in human life is very important. Not many people know that the principle is followed even in the construction of the training uniform (tobok). It is considered that tobok originates from the national Korean costume. The three geometrical shapes are combined in it: square (in the sleeves and trousers), circle (the belt around the waist) and triangle (the V-neck and tights). According to the Yin and Yang theory the three main components of the universe and the geometrical shapes of tobok have their meaning - the trousers symbolize the Earth, the belt stands for man and the upper garment - heaven. So the endless form of the belt - a circle - symbolizes the circuit of human life among heaven and earth. The white colour is the purity of consiousness and peace.
The belt is a nonseparable part of Taekwondo equipment. It shows the rank of degree of the practitioner. In Taekwondo WTF there are 5 colours of belts - white, yellow, blue, red and black one. The white symbolizes the beginning, the arising. At the other end is the black one - the conclusion (here is the dualistic ideal of Yin and Yang again). The yellow is the Sun, the new energy which rises, the blue - the sky, striving to knowledge, the red - danger but passion, too. There are 9 ranks of degree for students (gup) from white belt to the red one, and 9 masters (dan) - all of them black belts. The ultimate number in the decimal system is 9. So the initial degree is the 9th gup and the highest one is the 9th dan.
In Taekwondo there is a specific etiquette. It teaches in discipline and respect to the others. The etiquette is based on some main philosophic concepts:- the bow shows respect. It is performed on entering and leaving the training hall (dojang), when asking for permission to turn to someone of superior rank and at the beginning of each exercise performance;
- silence should be kept in the training hall;- the practitioner trains barefooted and without watches, jewellery and others;- no clothes are worn under tobok (with some exceptions for lady's underwear);- the master's (sabumnim) instructions or those of the person who is the trainer at the moment should be followed strictly.
There are more regulations, of course, but we consider that these are the basic rules which are valid in each Taekwondo centre.
Taekwondo moral principles are non-violence, humanity, respect to the others, using Taekwondo for self-defence only. There are Taekwondo oaths in many schools. There is one variant for example:
- I will follow Taekwondo principles- I will respect the instructors and the seniors- I will never trespass Taekwondo rules- I will protect liberty an justice- I will create a world of peace
We think that the conclusion is clear - the spiritual aspect of Taekwondo is not less important than the physical one. Only through their union one would be able to perceive the essence of Taekwondo.
"He who chases around after many rabbits ends up hungry."~ Okinawan Proverb
The basis in Taekwondo practising is the technique. The training system is an endless repetition and perfectioning of the studied techniques. We mean not only the working out of separate hits, blocks, but sparring and forms as well. That striving to skill perfection, body fitness respectfully and the satisfaction which follows is the first component of Taekwondo. That is the so called technical ideal. It is the first step of each beginner.
As it was mentioned, Taekwondo is not just physical exercises but an art as well. The concept of Taekwondo art is the union of mind and spirit aiming at self-perfection. When a man is heartly involved in his self-development, thinks over and analyses his acts, then it comes the real human mature - not only physical, but spiritual and moral one.
That desire for self-perfection is natural. But man lives in the surrounding environment, not out of it. That is the reason for the philosophical ideal of Taekwondo as a wish for uniting man and nature through practising Taekwondo. It is a way of living based on the harmony between man and manhood. So if someone works on hit techniques only he will never realize the concept of Taekwondo.
In the modern world Taekwondo develops as a sport and a system of physical education with great success. That is possible only through the union of the three ideals of Taekwondo - the ideal of technical perfection, the ideal of combining mind and spirit in order to help the process of self-perfection and the extrovert ideal - the harmony between man and nature which is the basic one in many Eastern philosophical doctrines. All that could be reached by the constant physical trainings - a main part of Taekwondo practising. The sport aspect of Taekwondo is in the natural human striving to act, contest and conquer. The practitioner aims at developing strength, speed and precision. Those strivings are expressed in sparring competitions.
Taekwondo spirit is in the desire to realize the values of its practising. Because the technique is the basic part of the trainings, the spiritual development is in connection with the technical one. Taekwondo realization is a personal affair. Often the practitioner creates an image of the ideal Taekwondo man who becomes his own ideal. Of course, that is an individual image, formed on the basis of the long training way and is not a real person, because the process of self-perfection is endless and therefore, nobody could be perfect.
As it was mentioned, many Eastern philosophic doctrines are the basis of Taekwondo. In their concepts the harmony in human life is very important. Not many people know that the principle is followed even in the construction of the training uniform (tobok). It is considered that tobok originates from the national Korean costume. The three geometrical shapes are combined in it: square (in the sleeves and trousers), circle (the belt around the waist) and triangle (the V-neck and tights). According to the Yin and Yang theory the three main components of the universe and the geometrical shapes of tobok have their meaning - the trousers symbolize the Earth, the belt stands for man and the upper garment - heaven. So the endless form of the belt - a circle - symbolizes the circuit of human life among heaven and earth. The white colour is the purity of consiousness and peace.
The belt is a nonseparable part of Taekwondo equipment. It shows the rank of degree of the practitioner. In Taekwondo WTF there are 5 colours of belts - white, yellow, blue, red and black one. The white symbolizes the beginning, the arising. At the other end is the black one - the conclusion (here is the dualistic ideal of Yin and Yang again). The yellow is the Sun, the new energy which rises, the blue - the sky, striving to knowledge, the red - danger but passion, too. There are 9 ranks of degree for students (gup) from white belt to the red one, and 9 masters (dan) - all of them black belts. The ultimate number in the decimal system is 9. So the initial degree is the 9th gup and the highest one is the 9th dan.
In Taekwondo there is a specific etiquette. It teaches in discipline and respect to the others. The etiquette is based on some main philosophic concepts:- the bow shows respect. It is performed on entering and leaving the training hall (dojang), when asking for permission to turn to someone of superior rank and at the beginning of each exercise performance;
- silence should be kept in the training hall;- the practitioner trains barefooted and without watches, jewellery and others;- no clothes are worn under tobok (with some exceptions for lady's underwear);- the master's (sabumnim) instructions or those of the person who is the trainer at the moment should be followed strictly.
There are more regulations, of course, but we consider that these are the basic rules which are valid in each Taekwondo centre.
Taekwondo moral principles are non-violence, humanity, respect to the others, using Taekwondo for self-defence only. There are Taekwondo oaths in many schools. There is one variant for example:
- I will follow Taekwondo principles- I will respect the instructors and the seniors- I will never trespass Taekwondo rules- I will protect liberty an justice- I will create a world of peace
We think that the conclusion is clear - the spiritual aspect of Taekwondo is not less important than the physical one. Only through their union one would be able to perceive the essence of Taekwondo.
"He who chases around after many rabbits ends up hungry."~ Okinawan Proverb
The End
The 3rd Moi's Novice Taekwondo Championship has been postponed to 13th of March 2005 due to unavoidable problems... same place same time ..
The End
-A theater manager in Seoul, Korea felt that The Sound of Music was too long, so he shortened it by cutting out all the songs.
-Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
-Bulgaria was the only soccer team in the 1994 World Cup in which all 11 players' last names ended with the letters "OV."
-Since 1896, the beginning of the modern Olympics, only Greece and Australia have participated in every Games
-A ball of glass will bounce higher than a ball of rubber. A ball of solid steel will bounce higher than one made entirely of glass.
-Most toilets flush in E flat.
-Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song "Happy Birthday".
-The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
-The parachute was invented by Leonardo da Vinci in 1515
-The only nation whose name begins with an "A", but doesn't end in an "A" is Afghanistan.
-Mount St. Helens dropped 1,313 feet in 1980
-The fortune cookie was invented in 1916 by George Jung, a Los Angeles noodlemaker.
-In Bavaria, beer isn't considered an alcoholic drink but rather a staple food.
-James Buchanon is said to have had the neatest handwriting of all the Presidents.
-The only insect that can turn its head 360 degrees is the praying mantis.
-Sharks and rays are the only animals known to man that don't get cancer. Scientists believe this has something to do with the fact that they don't have bones, but cartilage.
-When reflected from bright lights (head lights) deer's eyes are orange, whereas cats and dogs are green. Rabbits eyes remain black.
-Under the law of Mississippi, there’s no such thing as a female Peeping Tom
-In New York State, it is still illegal to shoot a rabbit from a moving trolley car.
-In Riverside, California, there is an old law on the city's books which makes it illegal to kiss unless both people wipe their lips with rose water.
-In Somalia, Africa, it's been decreed illegal to carry old chewing gum stuck on the tip of your nose.
-In Michigan it's illegal to place a skunk inside your bosses desk.
-In Kentucky it is illegal to carry ice cream in your back pocket.
-Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
-Bulgaria was the only soccer team in the 1994 World Cup in which all 11 players' last names ended with the letters "OV."
-Since 1896, the beginning of the modern Olympics, only Greece and Australia have participated in every Games
-A ball of glass will bounce higher than a ball of rubber. A ball of solid steel will bounce higher than one made entirely of glass.
-Most toilets flush in E flat.
-Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song "Happy Birthday".
-The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
-The parachute was invented by Leonardo da Vinci in 1515
-The only nation whose name begins with an "A", but doesn't end in an "A" is Afghanistan.
-Mount St. Helens dropped 1,313 feet in 1980
-The fortune cookie was invented in 1916 by George Jung, a Los Angeles noodlemaker.
-In Bavaria, beer isn't considered an alcoholic drink but rather a staple food.
-James Buchanon is said to have had the neatest handwriting of all the Presidents.
-The only insect that can turn its head 360 degrees is the praying mantis.
-Sharks and rays are the only animals known to man that don't get cancer. Scientists believe this has something to do with the fact that they don't have bones, but cartilage.
-When reflected from bright lights (head lights) deer's eyes are orange, whereas cats and dogs are green. Rabbits eyes remain black.
-Under the law of Mississippi, there’s no such thing as a female Peeping Tom
-In New York State, it is still illegal to shoot a rabbit from a moving trolley car.
-In Riverside, California, there is an old law on the city's books which makes it illegal to kiss unless both people wipe their lips with rose water.
-In Somalia, Africa, it's been decreed illegal to carry old chewing gum stuck on the tip of your nose.
-In Michigan it's illegal to place a skunk inside your bosses desk.
-In Kentucky it is illegal to carry ice cream in your back pocket.
The End
Went to wilson's house on saturday morning for CNY open house... reached his place at bout 9.30.. was the first guest there :) ... not bad lah my memory can still remember the way to his house although i only sent him back home once before....the other guest were teck keng, hen, sze looi, pei hwa, li hooi and kuan ming.... had a few drinks and some snacks then we played blackjack.. i LOST bout 8 or 10 bucks i think...wilson also lost ...the rest all won :P
left bout 12.. hen, wilson and teck keng went to pei hwa house... couldnt go cus had to go to school to finish the banners for next weeks tournament.. came back home from school at bout 6 o'clock... slept at almost 4 after sorting out some paperwork.
Sunday went to school at 8.00 to continue the banner...had training and then more banner work.. we finished the banners around 3.... later at night went to looi's house with wilson, teck keng and yap.... chit chat for a while ... the started blackjack... lost more money ..LOL... but more fun this time cus got more ppl ... i think i lost 20 bucks nett before i stopped... at bout 11.30 we went for dinner at a mamak shop near selayang mall... reached back home at 12.30...
now waiting for the next open house invitation so i can get back some of the money i lost..hopefully....
"Combine the body, mind and soul and it will be stronger than any man's fist."- The Fighter
left bout 12.. hen, wilson and teck keng went to pei hwa house... couldnt go cus had to go to school to finish the banners for next weeks tournament.. came back home from school at bout 6 o'clock... slept at almost 4 after sorting out some paperwork.
Sunday went to school at 8.00 to continue the banner...had training and then more banner work.. we finished the banners around 3.... later at night went to looi's house with wilson, teck keng and yap.... chit chat for a while ... the started blackjack... lost more money ..LOL... but more fun this time cus got more ppl ... i think i lost 20 bucks nett before i stopped... at bout 11.30 we went for dinner at a mamak shop near selayang mall... reached back home at 12.30...
now waiting for the next open house invitation so i can get back some of the money i lost..hopefully....
"Combine the body, mind and soul and it will be stronger than any man's fist."- The Fighter
The End
been a few weeks since my last post ... well on the employment side i did a short stint at the Bank of Tokyo... helping out with their monthly statements by sorting, folding, shoving into envelopes and arranging them in alphabetical order.... there were 3 of us and we finished all the work in 3 days ... our supervisor there said it normally took 5 days, i guess we did it sooo fast because we didn't want to come back for another 2 days.. man that was a really tiring job ... my neck, shoulders and hands were very very very sore by the third day.... on the last day the HR manager was telling us how they do this on the beginning of every month and if we're free next month to give him a call... yeah fat chance of that happening....
next job may be at a martial art shop at Grand Olympic Hotel next to Wisma OCM.... will get paid the same amount as the bank of tokyo job but with far less work involved... i think this type of job is more suited to me then working in a bank...hmmm some one told me that but i cant remember who !!!
anyway will be busy the next 2 weeks.... our tournament is coming up soon and there is sooo much more work to be done... lets see i've got to get the certificates ready, the food, the drinks, the paperwork, the banners, the..... oh the list goes on and on... oh well i'll let u know if the competition turns out to be a success or not.... oh if any one is free feel free to drop by the tournament..details as follows :
3rd Moi's Novice Taekwondo Championship
Date : 20th February 2005 (Sunday)
Time: 9.00am-6.00pm
Venue: Saint John's Institution, Jalan Bukit Nanas.
Admission Fee: FREEEE ( to watch not to compete of course :P )
will be changing my blog skin as soon as i'm free...
"Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result." --Tien T'ai
next job may be at a martial art shop at Grand Olympic Hotel next to Wisma OCM.... will get paid the same amount as the bank of tokyo job but with far less work involved... i think this type of job is more suited to me then working in a bank...hmmm some one told me that but i cant remember who !!!
anyway will be busy the next 2 weeks.... our tournament is coming up soon and there is sooo much more work to be done... lets see i've got to get the certificates ready, the food, the drinks, the paperwork, the banners, the..... oh the list goes on and on... oh well i'll let u know if the competition turns out to be a success or not.... oh if any one is free feel free to drop by the tournament..details as follows :
3rd Moi's Novice Taekwondo Championship
Date : 20th February 2005 (Sunday)
Time: 9.00am-6.00pm
Venue: Saint John's Institution, Jalan Bukit Nanas.
Admission Fee: FREEEE ( to watch not to compete of course :P )
will be changing my blog skin as soon as i'm free...
"Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result." --Tien T'ai
The End
