Mechanics in Sports
Taekwondo is the art of kicking and punching. It can be broken up into three different words which help to fully define the art form.
"Tae" means to kick with the foot
"kwon" means to punch or strike with the hand
"do" means art or way
The History of Taekwondo
Taekwondo is one of many forms of martial arts. It was developed in the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists. Taekwondo first came to be recognized as a system of self-defense in the 1950's when a group of leading Korean martial artists came together and unified their various art forms under a single style of hand and feet fighting. They named their style Taekwondo.
Basis of Taekwondo
Similar to other forms of martial arts, in Taekwondo, the lowest rank of a student is a white belt and the highest rank is a black belt, specifically a ninth (9th) degree black belt. In order for a person to rank up in their belts, they must learn and understand taekwondo general knowledge and perform sparring techniques and patterns. Each belt has specific sparring techniques which include self defense techniques and patterns which showcase various techniques taught for that belt.
My Journey with Taekwondo
I started taekwondo in grade 3 at the age of 8 years old. It was a new sport that had come to my school and as a lover of sports, I thought that it would have been cool to try. Instantly, I fell in love with it, training 3 to 4 days a week and having fun learning all sorts of new techniques. I still remember how anxious I felt at my first tournament and at my first grading. Before I knew it, taekwondo meant so much more to me than a sport that I joined because it was "cool". Taekwondo has taught me how to protect myself, how to be confident in my skills and how hard work and determination pays off and I wish to continue to teach this to others interested in the martial art. To this day I try and follow the core values: Courtesy, Integrity, Determination, Self Control and Indomitable Spirit.
