About Taekwondo
The martial art of Taekwondo, literally meaning "Art of Hand and Foot Fighting" was uniquely developed in Korea. The roots of Korean martial arts date back over 2000 years to the time of the three kingdoms. The first kingdom Silla, was established in 57 B.C. Twenty years later the kingdom of Koguryo was founded and the last kingdom Paekche was established in 18 B.C.
Silla was built on the Hwarang system. The Hwarang warriors cultivated and upheld codes of morale excellence. The very spirit displayed by the warriors and their rigorous training became the source of power that allowed Silla to eventually unite the three kingdoms. It is this spirit of the Hwarangs which is the primary ingredient of the spirit of modern Taekwondo.
In it's competitive form, Taekwondo was introduced to the Olympics in 1988 at the summer games held in Seoul, South Korea. It's spectacular kicking techniques and the dynamics of the contest made it an instant success around the globe. Today, Taekwondo is an integral part of the summer Olympic program. This success has promoted Taekwondo to become the most popular practised martial art for adults and children.
In it's modern form, the physical and spiritual content of Taekwondo has never been so vigorously sought after and practised as it is today. Whether past or present time, Taekwondo has proven to respond to survival needs in a powerful and rational manner.
To the practitioner, Taekwondo is an integral part of life with an enriching reward of benefits and challenges. On the physical side, Taekwondo provides a good and healthy workout, improving your condition as well as flexibility and agility. On the spiritual side, Taekwondo builds your self-esteem, improves your focus and helps with stress management.
Children benefit from physical fitness and the obvious enjoyments of the group activity. They also benefit from an increased sense of responsibility. Higher self-esteem makes it less likely for your child to surrender to peer-pressure, or to take foolish risks. Taekwondo teaches good rules of appropriate and respectful behaviour to be applied during class and encourages your child to apply these rules in daily life, at home and school. At the same time, children learn never to take the achieved martial art techniques outside of training, or to try them on family or friends.
Whether you are looking to improve your general fitness and would like to try a new experience. Whether you are already advanced in martial arts, or you are looking for a quality structured activity for your child. Taekwondo has something for everyone.
Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control, Indomitable Spirit.
Warrior Keumgang (7th century)
