TAEKWONDO

For some fifteen years, I was fortunate to study traditional taekwondo (TTKD) in the system created by Grand Master Kwon Jae Hwa. While we spar, in traditional taekwondo, we do not hit our partners, so there are no pads or helmets, just loose fitting gi or dobok. While we are taught control so we don’t hit or kick our sparring partners, we do break boards to demonstrate power. For example, a 12″x12″x1″ board is roughly equivalent to the bone behind a human temple.

TKD was developed in Korea by one General Choi. Master Kwon was sent overseas to spread and teach the TTKD principles, tenets, and techniques–which he did with remarkable success. Master Kwon built schools in Europe and the United States. TTKD is wonderful exercise in that we do a lot of stretching, aerobics, mentally challenging sequences, spinning punches and kicks. TTKD is the “way of hand and foot.” All sides and forms of the hand and all sides of the foot become weapons capable of inflicting serious harm.

Which is why the five core tenets of TTKD are a part of every hour-long session. These tenets are Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Will. Courtesy is taught bowing respectfully to the national flag or a picture of Master Kwon and to our sparring partners every time. Integrity is expected as one learns new forms and techniques–no shortcuts are allowed. This becomes a challenge as one is asked to perform faster and faster. Perseverance is manifest in classes attended; we say “A Black Belt is just a White Belt who never gave up.” Self-Control is critical in TTKD. One must execute a move or technique but never actually hit or kick a partner. (We save that for the boards and bricks.) I was once asked by a Master to demonstrate a move he was teaching this gathering of 100 black belts. Basically it was push left, push right, punch right and backfist left. I did the sequence as fast as I could and realized as I was doing the left backfist that I was about to hit the ribs of our instructor. Big No-No. Self-Control. So, I put on the brakes and touched his uniform but not his body. And my distal bicep tendon popped off the bone. So, I’m standing there my left arm hanging down and a Grand Master from Germany asked me, “How old are you?” I bowed and said “65.” He kindly said “You can train in my school anytime.” Kind but hollow praise as I couldn’t use my arm thereafter. We teach Indomitable Will by challenging students to break boards. I was asked to break a board (a simple move) in my first ever TTKD class. In my first dan test, that had advanced to three boards at once. Master Kwon would often break river rocks plucked from the local streams.

I loved my fifteen years of TTKD. I gained confidence, strength, conditioning, flexibility, and mental toughness. I loved teaching TTKD, creating sessions, sequences, and forms watching students grow. Eventually, I learned 19 forms, 264 moves. I loved going to a gym and going through them all–no better exercise! I loved meeting people all over in different schools, making new friends, basking in their classes. From my 50 years of playing basketball however, my knees wore out. (The bicep tendon eventually healed.) The surgeons said “No jumping, jogging or twisting on these implants!” My days of TTKD were over. I still miss it ten years later.