Love Taekwondo? 36 Facts NYC' Martial Arts Aficionados Should Know, PART 4

This four-part article series presents 36 different facts people who are interested in Taekwondo should know about this Korean martial art system.

Welcome to the final installment of this four-part article series, which presents 36 interesting and important facts about the martial art system taking NYC by storm: Taekwondo! From Part 1 through to Part 3, we have explored the combat techniques employed by Taekwondo; we have taken a brief look at its history and popularization in the West and we've found Taekwondo to be both a self-defense system and a competitive combat sport.

We have only 9 interesting facts left to explore, so let's get started!

Fact # 28: Interested in putting your skills to the test? Whether you want to put your skills to the test in a formal environment, you'll be happy to hear that there are many regional, national and international Taekwondo tournaments to participate in and NYC is home to many! If you've got your eyes on the prize, there are always the Olympic Games to prepare for.

Fact # 29: The divisions organized for NYC Martial Arts competition are based upon skill level and age, so no matter how young or old or experienced or inexperienced you are, you should have the opportunity to compete.

Fact # 30: If you sign up for Taekwondo classes in NYC, you can expect to learn quite a bit of the Korean language! This is because commands and prompts are given in Korean. The same commands are used in competition, which is why all martial arts studios will expect you to learn them.

Fact # 31: Skill and achievement in Taekwondo are reflected by the color of your belt. From the lowest level to the highest: white, yellow, green, blue, red and black. It will take you many, many years of dedication and practice to achieve black belt. If any NYC dojo, gym or studio offers you a "fast track" to the top, they are not to be trusted. There is only one way to become a skilled Taekwondo fighter and that's through hard work.

Fact # 32: Taekwondo competitions may look fierce and the moves difficult to pull off, but the risk of serious injury is actually very low! Most of the time, competitors walk away from sparring with little more than a few bruises and perhaps some stiff muscles. The rules governing Taekwondo are strict and are in place to protect competitors from harm.

Fact # 33: One of the first and most important lessons all NYC residents will learn is the five Tenets of Taekwondo. These tenets are intended to guide students through their lives and to gently influence absolutely everything they do, from their actions and choices to the very foundations of their decision-making.

They are:

• Courtesy (Ye-Ui)
• Perseverance (In-Nae)
• Integrity (Yom-Chi)
• Invincibility (Beakjul-Bool-Gul)
• Self-discipline (Guk-Gi)

Fact # 34: Taekwondo students in NYC are required to take an oath, which essentially teaches them to be respectful, honorable and responsible:

I undertake to comply with the principles of Taekwondo.

I undertake to respect my coaches and all superiors.

I undertake to abuse Taekwondo never.

I pledge to stand up for freedom and justice.

I undertake to cooperate in the creation of a more peaceful world.

------------- Choi Hong Hi

Fact # 35: The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is the biggest tournament organization and its rules and regulations are applied to competitions held by the Olympic Games.

Fact # 36: Taekwondo isn't just a fantastic fitness and self-defense system; it's also a platform upon which students can develop their whole character, from their mind and heart to their body and soul.

Love Taekwondo? 36 Facts Los Angeles's Martial Arts Aficionados Should Know, PART 3

This four-part article series presents 36 different facts people who are interested in Taekwondo should know about this Korean martial art system.

Welcome to the third installment of this four-part article series, which presents 36 interesting and important facts about the martial art system taking Los Angeles by storm: Taekwondo! In Part 2, we delved a little deeper into Taekwondo training: learning that it is about more than just mastering combat technique, but that it places equal emphasis on breathing, control, discipline, morality and an understanding of philosophy.

We also discovered that Taekwondo is one of only two martial arts forms that are included in the Olympic games, so Los Angeles residents can look forward to some pretty incredible competition should they take their training to professional heights.

We're halfway through our facts, so let's continue!

Fact # 19: Taekwondo is regarded as a universal art, with people of all ages, genders and from countries all over the world learning this martial art for a great variety of reasons, whether it's for general fitness, cultural identity or self-defense.

Fact # 20: Taekwondo has full medal status in the Olympic Games, so if you dream of taking your involvement in this martial art to professional levels, there is a lot of opportunity for competition and glory.

Fact # 21: Taekwondo specializes in unarmed combat, which enables students to defend themselves using a suite of defensive and offensive (counterattack) moves. Your weapons? Your hands and feet, of course! If this concerns you, don't worry, because with practice and the perfection of technique, you'll be able to chop a solid block of wood or concrete in half using only the straight edge of your hand.

Fact # 22: Taekwondo schools in Los Angeles will train students to develop their strength, dexterity, flexibility and speed through a variety of drills, cardiovascular and resistance exercises. Remember, though: if you want to progress fast, it's essential that you practice at home and work on your fitness in and out of the studio.

Fact # 23: Taekwondo, as a martial art form, was developed over a thousand years ago as a way to enable Korean militia in the army to defend themselves in times of war. It was also intended to keep them physically fit when off the battlefield.

Fact # 24: "USA Taekwondo" is the name of the governing body of this martial art system in America.

Fact # 25: Being the national sport of South Korea, this country has a very large and extremely skilled pool of Taekwondo fighters, which compete in any available national and international tournament, including the Olympic Games. Be prepared to meet them when you step onto the mat!

Fact # 26: If you want to see Taekwondo in action, simply keep an eye out for popular public demonstrations! Many Taekwondo schools, clubs and studios in Los Angeles stage these events so that prospective students can get a better idea of what this martial arts system looks like. It also generates greater public awareness of Taekwondo, which is one of the oldest and most revered combat systems.

Fact # 27: Taekwondo is one of the first martial arts systems to include women. Progressive? We think so!

Stay Tuned for Part 4

Stay tuned for the final installment of this four-part article series to find out more interesting facts about Taekwondo, which is one of the most popular martial art systems in Los Angeles.

Love Taekwondo? 36 Facts New York's Martial Arts Aficionados Should Know, PART 2

This four-part article series presents 36 different facts people who are interested in Taekwondo should know about this Korean martial art system.

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series, which presents 36 interesting and important facts about the martial art system taking New York by storm: Taekwondo! In Part 1, we familiarized ourselves with this combat sport and discovered that it is of Korean origin, is more than a thousand years old and is primarily focused on teaching students how to kick their opponents into submission (although it does provide training in a variety of striking, grappling and self-defense techniques).

We have a great many more facts to explore, so let's continue right away!

Fact # 10: Taekwondo is one of New York's most popular combat sports and martial arts styles with equal participation and interest from both men and women.

Fact # 11: Additionally, there are classes available for people of all ages, from children as young as 5 and 6 to active people who are well into their 70's and 80's.

Fact # 12: Think you're yet to see Taekwondo in action? Simply tune in to a Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tony Jaa or Chuck Norris martial arts film. The plot might not serve well as brain fodder, but the action sequences will leave you on the edge of your seat… and they are almost always Taekwondo in technique and style.

Fact # 13: The mastery of Taekwondo in New York emphasizes the importance of correct breathing, even mid-fight. Through these carefully controlled breathing exercises, which are carried out while training in the various combat techniques, New York students can learn to discipline their bodies and remain calm, focused and energized while fighting.

Fact # 14: Taekwondo may be a martial arts tradition with many thousands of years of history, diversification and philosophy behind it, but modern day influences have lead to the development of a distinct sports component to it. Several Taekwondo tournaments are held in New York and nationally and internationally every year.

Fact # 15: "Tae" in South Korean means to strike and break with the foot; "Kwon" means to strike and break with the hand and "do" is the way of life. So, together, Taekwondo is roughly translated as the way of striking and breaking with the hand and foot.

Fact # 16: Taekwondo has gained immense popularity in New York over the last 60 years. This can probably be attributed to the injection of martial arts films into western media. Now everyone wants to be able to execute a spinning kick and look awesome while doing it.

Fact # 17: Taekwondo requires students to become masters of concentration and to understand this martial art form's combat philosophy.

Fact # 18: Taekwondo was entered into the Olympic games on April 9th 1976 by the International Military Sports Council. Today it is one of only two martial arts systems (Judo being the other) that enjoy participation at this prestigious level.

Stay Tuned for Part 3

Stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series to find out more interesting facts about one of the most popular New York martial arts systems: Taekwondo!

Love Taekwondo? 36 Facts San Francisco’s Martial Arts Aficionados Should Know, PART 1

This four-part article series presents 36 different facts people who are interested in Taekwondo should know about this Korean martial art system.

If you, like so many other San Francisco residents, absolutely love Taekwondo and/or are interesting in starting classes, there are a number of things you should know in order to become better acquainted with this ancient combat sport. To help you make a solid start, in this four-part article series, we shall be exploring the most important and interesting facts about Taekwondo...

Let's begin!

Fact # 1: Taekwondo originated in South Korea over a thousand years ago and is, today, that country's national sport.

Fact # 2: Militia in the South Korean army are required to be fully skilled in Taekwondo as a part of their combat training. This enables them to fight enemy at close range without the use of weaponry.

Fact # 3: Taekwondo is a martial arts system that includes a variety of kicking and striking techniques. In fact, most of the emphasis in Taekwondo training in San Francisco is focused around kicks, blocks, punches and open-handed strikes. Students can also expect to master a suite of sweeps, chokeholds, joint locks, takedowns and throws. In this respect, Taekwondo offers students a very diverse physical education in both offensive and defensive combat techniques.

Fact # 4: The ranking in Taekwondo is easily remembered and completely without pretense. You're either an instructor or a student, and you're either a junior or a senior.

Fact # 5: Taekwondo doesn't typically involve the use of weaponry, which means that San Francisco residents can use this martial art system to become trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat. There is a keen focus on develop self-defense skills and on maintaining an exceptional standard of whole body strength, dexterity, alacrity and flexibility.

Fact # 6: Taekwondo is one of only two martial art styles that have been accepted by the Olympic Games. The other is Judo.

Fact # 7: Taekwondo's underlying philosophies, codes of conduct and moral teachings very much reflect Korea's tempestuous history and colorful national character.

Fact # 8: Although students of any San Francisco Taekwondo studio can expect to learn a great variety of combat techniques, this form of martial arts is perhaps best known for it's kicking techniques. To the educated eye, it's the specific techniques used that differentiate Taekwondo from "similar" forms of martial arts that stem from Korea's neighboring countries, such as southern Kung Fu (China) and karate (Japan).

Fact # 9: Taekwondo also requires students to become skilled in a number of takedown and grappling moves, many of which are quite similar in technique to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Think of it this way: it's not enough to kick and strike your opponent into submission; you're also going to need the full-contact skills necessary to neutralize an attacker should they happen to get close to you. Being able to throw, trip, wrestle and choke or joint hold an opponent is what could win you the round and – in extreme cases – allow you to escape with your life!

Stay Tuned for Part 2

Stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series to find out more interesting facts about one of the most popular martial art forms in San Francisco: Taekwondo!