Why Do We Practice and Teach ITF Taekwon-Do?

* source of reference

I would like to begin this message by telling you a story: the king and his master:

This is a story I was told soon after I started studying Taekwon-Do when I was a young person in Vietnam. I have always remembered the story and the criteria the young king used to make a wise decision.

I have been telling this story to my students for more than thirty years, and it was included in a French publication titled L’Avis philosophique (prepared in collaboration with Ms Micheline Lefrançois and Dr. Jean Brunelle of Laval University and published in 1987).

I have applied the same criteria when making decisions about the people in my personal and business life, realizing how important it is to surround myself with people who share my values and will help me achieve my goals. The people we spend time with can have a negative or positive effect on our lives, so we need to choose our friends and business partners carefully.

Why am I telling you this story?

In my previous message I talked about Taekwon-Do as a martial art and explained that unfortunately there are still many who have not understood the essentials of Taekwon-Do as a true martial art. I am telling you this story now is because I want to remind everyone – but especially our ITF teachers – of the importance of focusing on the basic objectives of practicing Taekwon-Do.

In the story, the wise old teacher did not tell the young king what to do. Instead, he helped him to understand how to make good decisions based on principles and basic values. You will recall that the king realized that the person he chose as his counselor must be reliable, competent to run the country and lead the army, and share his belief in good values.

These criteria correspond to the three basic objectives of practicing Taekwon-Do that will help us to become better people:

1. to improve our physical conditioning,
2. to achieve competence in Taekwon-Do techniques and self-defense skills,
3. to work to improve our personality by applying the ITF human values ( the Do).

Examining the Three Objectives

Let’s look at each of these objectives more closely:

1. to improve our physical conditioning
   
   Stretching exercise

   ITF Taekwon-Do is a form of physical conditioning that respects the nature of the human body, involves the whole body, and is appropriate for all ages. It is a complete exercise, particularly with the SINE wave. Over the years, Taekwon-Do training has evolved and improved. It creates a feeling of physical wellbeing that enables us to be successful and build a better life.

   With good teaching and serious training, anyone can improve their physical condition by practicing Taekwon-Do, mastering the techniques and learning self-defense skills, but to reap the full benefits of Taekwon-Do, students must be diligent and train regularly. Even those who have been practitioners for many years understand the necessity of regular training to maintain their physical condition and enjoy all the benefits of Taekwon-Do.

2. to achieve competence in techniques and self-defense skills
   
   Dynamic training with equipment

   Mastering Taekwon-Do techniques should certainly be a goal for Taekwon-Do students, but the ability to defend effectively yourself is also very important.

   In fact, General Choi Hong Hi wrote that earning a Black Belt in Taekwon-Do indicates that the student is capable of defending himself. We should certainly not neglect self-defense skills. The techniques are practical and can be adapted to the student’s age and physical condition.

   Training in ITF Taekwon-Do should be according to the Circle of Training introduced by the Encyclopedia written by our Founder, General Choi. This will ensure the student achieves the proper balance of the various aspects of Taekwon-Do.

3. to work to improve our personality by application of ITF human values
   
   Theory class

   ITF Taekwon-Do is an excellent product that we are proud to promote because it responds to the basic need of humans for healthy physical activity but also because it teaches the Do, the philosophy that is based on universally-recognized values. The first two objectives correspond to the physical side – the Tae and Kwon – while this third objective corresponds to the Do. As Taekwon-Do practitioners we have the advantage of studying the Taekwon-Do philosophy developed by our Founder and learning how to apply it in our daily life. This helps us to achieve balance in our life.

   Here is an example to illustrate this point: A competitor can prepare for a Taekwon-Do competition by training regularly, mastering the techniques, practicing patterns, free sparring and/or breaking techniques and getting mentally ready to face opponents. After working so hard, he would no doubt believe he is completely ready to compete. However, if he is not guided by the principles of the Do and his only goal is to win medals, he could react like the Cuban competitor at the recent Olympic Games who brought disgrace on himself and on his sport by his unethical behavior.

   In recent years the ITF has encouraged its teachers to put more emphasis on the Do, teaching their students the Taekwon-Do way of life. We have introduced a program for teaching the Do. This program is based on the tenets of Taekwon-Do: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and indomitable spirit. Students learn how they can work to build a better world with peace, justice, and freedom – fulfilling the promise we make each time we repeat the ITF Taekwon-Do Student’s Oath. The Do is not a theory that we learn just to pass an exam. It is a source of guidance that will help us make wise decisions. Indeed, what we learn in Taekwon-Do can help us to improve every aspect of our life.

   Living the Taekwon-Do way of life will make us aware of the need for balance and give us the ability to make wise decisions based on our principles. By teaching all four aspects of Taekwon-Do – not teaching it only as a sport or as a method of physical conditioning – our teachers are helping their students to benefit fully from practicing Taekwon-Do.

Courtesy Expressed as Respect for Protocol

You may have noticed that in the story about the young king he and his former teacher greeted each other with appropriate protocol. Only when that was completed did the wise old man ask the king the purpose of his visit. By complying with protocol, each of them was expressing his respect. The young king was expressing his respect for the knowledge and wisdom of his former teacher, while the sage was expressing his recognition of the fact that his former student was now the king.

The first tenet in ITF Taekwon-Do is “courtesy” which is often expressed as “respect”. One way we show respect in Taekwon-Do is by complying with protocol. Protocol is a way of showing our respect for everyone: our fellow students, our competitors and the umpires at tournaments, and especially for our teachers.

Why did the king’s mother suggest that he consult his former teacher? Why did the king make a long, arduous journey to seek his advice? No doubt they both knew from previous experience that the former teacher was a wise man who could be depended on to offer good advice. He had earned their respect by his actions.

Like the wise old man in the story, our teachers are passing on their knowledge to their students. Teachers set a good example by showing respect for others. But, like the wise old man, they need to earn the respect of their students. By sharing their superior knowledge and demonstrating their competence, they will earn that respect.

Conclusion:

Taekwon-Do, the physical aspects and the philosophy, is a complex subject, and it continues to evolve. I am happy to say that after more than forty years as a student of ITF Taekwon-Do, I am still learning about the various aspects of Taekwon-Do.

I decided to write about this important subject now because many of our ITF schools around the world will be starting a new session in September and I wanted to remind our ITF Taekwon-Do teachers of the importance of concentrating on the three basic objectives allowing us to become better people:

1. to improve our physical conditioning,
2. to achieve competence in Taekwon-Do techniques and self-defense skills,
3. to work to improve our personality by applying the basic human values prized in the ITF philosophy and our tenets.

Our ITF teachers have many responsibilities. They need to attract new students, keep up to date on techniques and teaching methods, adapt their teaching to the needs of their students, make their classes interesting, provide motivation when students get discouraged, and set a good example for their students.

By emphasizing these basic objectives our teachers will ensure that their students benefit fully from living the Taekwon-Do way of life.

Sincerely yours,

Master Trân, Triêu Quân
ITF President
Québec, Canada - September 9th 2008

* illustration taken from the tale: Dorani Book: Mythes et légendes du monde Atlas junior. Éditions Atlas, 2005