Being an Indian and having grown up in a religiously inclined family, matters of religion, respect, humility and all these important oriental values were always spoken of by my elders. It was however in a vague way abstract to me until I joined Tae Kwan Do. Here, I was taught the discipline of unfailing respect for my elders and teachers. Learning Tae Kwan Do has opened doors to a rich heritage of ethical principal, and training that are sharpening my abilities to defend myself, or whenever possible, succeed in competitions. More importantly, I am learning a martial way of living, a holistic discipline aimed at the pursuit of excellence in life. Essentially, I am learning a new way of life and am developing deep respect for knowledge that I possess.
The many anecdotes and expressions that we learn in Tae Kwan Do are ingrained in a systematic and step by step manner which I will eventually use in daily life. Lately, as I prepare for my ‘brown belt,’ Sahbumnim (master) and my parents have been working hard to teach me to focus and concentrate on my tasks at hand. I try to have my opponents present in my mind whether I sit or stand. When I put on my Dobok and other protective gear and go to the floor to spar, I try to fight and defeat my opponents. Life can just as easily imitate the same scenario as our Tae Kwan Do School. Defeat can easily be a mean death at the hands of some unscrupulous person on the streets. Since I have been learning and practicing Tae Kwan Do for the past three years, this is about the time one is required to put in his/her best to receive under-graduate degrees. Only when I have succeeded in practical sparing, and board breaking will I be promoted and to join an elite group of Black Belt cadets, a class that knows no culture boundaries and is just as professional in a life saving art.
In the past a warrior or soldier would constantly be tested during performance of his duty against his enemies. Luckily, we do not have to deal with such situations. We are offered the option of testing our skills in a much less life-threatening atmosphere, either against my colleagues or even students from other schools. This has helped very intensely in my training. One thing I can definitely say about myself is that I am not learning to fight and kill, but to walk with peace and confidence.
The very much talked about forces of yin-yang were taught to me in a tactical sense. Yin, the soft dark yielding female character and Yang the hard strong male personality. When I am exhaling I am in Yang capable of bringing down my unprepared opponent’s Yin or inhaling moments. Lifting my foot puts me in Yin, putting the two feet down firmly planted puts me in Yang. I am also being taught to use rhythm and timings as we do when practicing to fight with exodus music. Here emotions that one would have thought were either totally opposite or at least in different spheres of sentiments are all joined and brought to work in harmony to achieve a singular objective of bringing victory of good over evil. Bursts of strength, ferocity, and velocity are used to quietly but energetically stop the perpetrator of evil. How strong and forceful movements can smoothly turn into total silence is not only amazing but spiritually serene as well. What further amazes me is how western music can be so sweetly used to choreograph and display the eastern outbursts of strength, rage and turn this evolution into a melodically spiritual art called Tae Kwan Do.
When we start our training, we are asked to sit on our knees. This is to learn to control my breath and focus on my spiritual strength and concentration. It teaches me that no ruffian can dare distance my peace as I sit quietly. We are then taught to attack, to defend or depending on circumstances, 'to will,' but constantly we are taught to practice physical and spiritual restraint. We are taught to treat people unprepared to fight with the same courtesy as one equal to us. This teaches us to recognize our obligation and then having courage and strength to do it. The same values of honor stop us from injuring those who are much weaker.
Although the moral values are compatible with most religions, codes of conduct sprang essentially from necessity and not from any religious doctrine. Following a brief meditation we are also trained for physical fitness. Here emotions that one would have thought were either totally opposite or at least in different spheres of sentiments are all joined and brought to work in harmony to achieve a singular objective of bringing victory of good over evil. Weapons such as bursts of strength, ferocity, and velocity are used to quietly but energetically stop the perpetrator of evil. How strong and forceful movements can smoothly turn into total silence is practically amazing and spiritually serene. What further amazes me is how western music can be so sweetly used to tame the eastern outbursts of strength and rage and turn this evolution into a melodically spiritual art called Tae Kwan Do. We are being taught awesome powers which cannot be taken lightly. Values of honor stop us from injuring or terrorizing others for any sort of personal gains.
After a brief meditation we are also trained for physical fitness. This is an essential ingredient in any form of combat. We are constantly taught an extremely small fighter can hit just as hard as a slow moving giant. Our physical training builds up our stamina through aerobics and muscular conditioning. Although most fights should not last more than a few seconds, we are prepared for prolonged combat. Thus we are taught to be strong, flexible and relaxed to achieve coordination and fitness. In this practice we are being taught to move beyond technical mastery to touch the soul of our art. We are asked to step beyond mere technical mastery of artificial systems of learning and touch the soul of the Tae Kwan Do way of life.
I strongly recommend all parents to consider enrolling their children into some sort of martial arts school. My brother is three years old and has already started his classes. So too can yours! |
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