COURTESY:
The purpose of Taekwon-Do is to provide a means by which
any person may effectively defend one’s self from any adversary. To defend does not always mean a physical
confrontation. In fact a physical
confrontation can often be avoided by being courteous, not only to people whom
you get along with, but also to your most vindictive enemies. Keep in mind that Taekwon-Do is only to be
used as a last resort… and under no circumstances to be used as a first and
foremost solution to any conflict.
INTEGRITY:
As a practitioner of Taekwon-Do you study to ensure your
physical integrity however, that is not the only integrity you should strive to
maintain. The integrity of your
instructor and the art of Taekwon-Do should be jealously defended. As a student your actions outside the
Do-Jang reflect upon the teachings of your instructor. As a student of Taekwon-Do it is your duty
to uphold the high values and attention to detail that have become staple
traits of this Korean art of self-defense.
PERSERVEANCE:
A wise man
once said, “Don’t be afraid of
pressure… After all pressure is what
turns coal into a diamond.”
Taekwon-Do is a very precise art where a technique executed just an inch
off the prescribed target can result in a fatal error. At times you will feel that an instructor is
nit picking, pointing out the littlest of flaws in your technique. It is times like this that you will be faced
with the choice: to quit or to persevere.
Times like this will determine the Black Belt from the color belts, and
the warriors from the hobbyists. Those
who succeed will become sharper and harder with their techniques, much like the
diamond.
SELF-CONTROL:
Self-control is vital in Taekwon-Do. Self-control can distinguish the difference
between self-defense and battery.
Without self-control the Taekwon-Do practitioner becomes a menace to
society in essence becoming that which we are training to defend against.
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT:
Indomitable spirit means that no matter who your
adversary, no matter what your situation, you will not be defeated. No matter how out
numbered or how out powered you are – you will triumph and live to see another
day. Indomitable spirit boils down to our basic human instinct: to survive; after all
Taekwon-Do was invented with but one element in mind: SURVIVAL!!!