WHEN AND WHERE DID TAEKWON-DO BEGIN?

A combination of circumstances made it possible for me to originate and develop Taekwon-Do. In addition to my prior knowledge of Taek Kyon, I had an opportunity to learn Karate in Japan during the unhappy thirty- six years when my native land was occupied by the Japanese. Soon after Korea was liberated in 1945, I was placed in a privileged position as a founding member of the newly formed South Korean Armed Forces.

The former provided me with a definite sense of creation, and the latter gave me the power to disseminate Taekwon-Do throughout the entire armed forces, despite furious opposition.

The emergence of Taekwon-Do as an international martial art in a relatively short period of time was due to a variety of factors. The evils of contemporary society (moral corruption, materialism, selfishness, etc.) had created a spiritual vacuum. Taekwon-Do was able to compensate for the prevailing sense of emptiness, distrust, decadence and lack of confidence.

In addition, these were violent times, when people felt the need for a means of protecting themselves, and the superiority of Taekwon-Do technique came to be widely recognized. My social stature, the advantage of being Taekwon-Do's founder and my God-given health also contributed to the rapid growth of Taekwon-Do all over the world.

My involvement with the martial arts did much to supplement the health that God gave me. I had been born frail and weak and was encouraged to learn Taek Kyon at the age of fifteen by my teacher of calligraphy. In 1938, a few days before I was due to leave Korea to study in Japan I was involved in an unexpected incident that would have made it difficult to return home without risk of reprisals.

I resolved to become a black belt holder in Karate while I was in Japan. The skills I required were, I felt, sufficient protection against those who might seek to do me harm. Not only was I able to return to Korea, but I subsequently initiated the national liberation movement known as the Pyongyang Student Soldier's Incident. Like so many patriots in the long course of human history, my actions aroused the wrath of those in positions of power. I was imprisoned for a time in a Japanese army jail. In January of 1946, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the fledgling Republic of Korea army and posted to the 4th infantry regiment in Kwangju, Cholla Namdo Province as a company commander.

I began to teach Karate to my soldiers as a means of physical and mental training. It was then that I realized that we needed to develop our own national martial art, superior in both spirit and technique to Japanese Karate. I strongly believed that teaching it throughout the country would enable me to fulfill the pledge I had made to three of my comrades, who had shared my imprisonment by the Japanese.

"The reason that our people suffer in this way at the hands of the Japanese," I had said, "is that our ancestors failed to rule wisely. They exploited the people and, in the end, lost the country to foreign domination. If we ever regain our freedom and independence, let us not become the rulers of the people. Instead, let us dedicate ourselves to advising those who rule."

1947 was a year of fast promotion. Choi was promoted to captain and then major. In 1948, he was posted to Seoul as the head of logistics and became Taekwon-Do instructor for the American Military Police School there. In late 1948, Choi became a lieutenant colonel.

It was with this ambition in mind that I began to develop new techniques, systematically, from March of that same year. By the end of 1954 I had nearly completed the foundation of a new martial art for Korea, and on April 11, 1955, it was given the name "Taekwon-Do".

On the spiritual level, Taekwon-Do is derived from the traditional, ethical and moral principles of the orient and, of course, from my personal philosophy. Even though I am only five feet tall, I pride myself on having lived in strict accordance with my moral convictions. I have tried to fight on the side of justice without fear of any kind. I believe that this was possible for me only because of the formidable power and indomitable spirit instilled by Taekwon-Do.

I wish to make it clear that although Karate and Taek Kyon were used as references in the course of my study, the fundamental theories and principles of Taekwon-Do are totally different from those of any other martial art in the world.

In March of 1959, I led the military Taekwon-Do demonstration team on a tour abroad. We visited South Vietnam and Taiwan. It was the first such visit in the history of Korea. On this occasion, I renewed my resolution to leave my personal legacy to the world, in the form of Taekwon-Do, and I formulated the following basic ideals for the Taekwon-Do practitioners:

1. By developing an upright mind and a strong body, we will acquire the self-confidence to stand on the side of justice at all times;

2. We shall unite with all men in a common brotherhood, without regard to religion, race, national or ideological boundaries;

3. We shall dedicate ourselves to building a peaceful human society in which justice, morality, trust and humanism prevail. I also resolved to dedicate myself to the world-wide propagation of Taekwon-Do, in the sincere hope that it would provide the means by which the unification of the divided halves of my fatherland would become possible.

   My study of Taekwon-Do proceeded in two parts, spiritual discipline and technical perfection. Because the human spirit belongs to the realm of metaphysics, what I mean by spiritual discipline is not easy to describe. One cannot touch, see or hear the spirit of man, It is wider and deeper than anything we can perceive. In this respect, I, myself, am only another student participating in a continuing and never-ending learning process.

   I have come to define the spiritual dimensions of Taekwon-Do as fusing oneself with the ideals of Taekwon-Do and attaining and understanding the full meaning of each of the Taekwon-Do patterns. If we consider ourselves as one with Taekwon-Do, we will respect it as we respect our own bodies and Taekwon-Do will never be used in a dishonorable way.p>

   The names of the patterns are derived from the most illustrious people to have been produced by nearly five thousand years of Korean history. A proper understanding of the patterns leads, inevitably to the realization that Taekwon-Do is a martial art to be used only for self-defence and only in the cause of justice.

   The history of Korea contains not a single sample of its military forces being employed for the invasion of its neighbors or for any other purpose except national defence.

   In the technical area, I created a wide variety of techniques that can be used in almost any situation. They are based on the following principles:

   1. All movement should be designed to produce maximum power in accordance with scientific formulas and the principle of kinetic energy;
   2. The principles behind the techniques should be so clear that even those ignorant to Taekwon-Do will be able to distinguish correct from incorrect movement;
   3. The distance and angle of each movement should be exactly defined in order to achieve more efficient attack and defence;
   4. The purpose and method of each movement should be clear and simple, in order to facilitate the teaching and learning process;
   5. Rational teaching methods should be developed so that the benefits of Taekwon-Do can be enjoyed by everyone, young and old, men and women;
   6. Correct breathing methods should be devised, enhancing the speed of each movement and reducing fatigue;
   7. Attack should be possible against any vital spot on the body and it should be possible to defend against all varieties of attack;
   8. Each attacking tool should be clearly defined and soundly based on the structure of the human body;
   9. Each movement should be easy to execute, enabling the student to enjoy Taekwon-Do as a sport and recreation;
   10. Special consideration should be paid to promoting good health and preventing injuries;
   11. Each movement should be harmonious and rhythmical so that Taekwon-Do is aesthetically pleasing;
   12. Each movement in a pattern must express the personality and spiritual character of the person it is named after. Adherence to these basic principles is what makes Taekwon-Do a martial art, an aesthetic art, a science and sport.

TAEKWON-DO AND PHYSICAL FITNESS

The study of Taekwon-Do offers several unique advantages to the physical fitness of the student. No doubt one of life's most treasured assets is good health. Therefore, one of the great cardinal sins of mankind is his abuse of this asset. Incidentally, he who does not abuse or hurt his own body, including the hair, is defined as obedient to his parents; so described in Oriental philosophy.

Wealth, power, fame and the blessing of physical beauty are all relatively unimportant if one does not possess good health. An individual owes it to himself and his family to constantly maintain and improve his health. Confucius said "Being in good health is a way of showing great devotion to the parents, as child's heath is their utmost concern."

The students will realize how important Taekwon-Do is to human health through the following article written by Dr. Robert S. Arner, a black belt holder of Taekwon-Do. "Taekwon-Do may be practiced individually or in groups without the use of weights or special equipment. It is, in most cases, practiced alone except the sparring. Since the body sets its own limits, injuries or strains are rare and the physical condition of the student paces him automatically. The entire muscle system of the body, from the fingers to the toes, is brought into play.

The training does not produce large knotty muscles; it tends to exchange flabby fat tissue for lean tissue. The thick muscles developed through weight training tend to push the blood vessels apart without adding new ones to fill the gap. Such tissue has difficulty in receiving oxygen and disposing of waste through the blood stream and thus tires more easily.

Taekwon-Do's high repetition, low resistance movements develop a longer, leaner and more flexible musculature. Such muscles have more of their areas close to blood supply routes, thus producing maximum endurance and well-being" (Brown and Kenyon, "Classical Studies on Physical Activity" p231.)

The emphasis in twisting the trunk in executing the kicking movements and in counterbalancing the hand movements builds a fim, well-muscled abdomen. The high leg raise preceeding most of the kicks in Taekwon-Do also develops the side of the trunk and inner thigh muscles. The study of Taekwon-Do is particularly recommended for women because of its development of the lower abdomen, hips and inner thighs; areas which produce a youthful feminine figure for women of all ages.

After childbirth in particular, these areas are stretched and weakened; Taekwon-Do training is ideal to restore muscle tone for healh as well as appearance.

The typical training regimen, involving extensive movements of the entire body, raises the pulse rate and oxygen characteristics of the hearth and lungs over an extended period. This increased ventilation is termed an aerobic effect (Cooper, Kenneth H. "Aerobics" p108) and provides the following benefits:

1. Helps the lungs operate more efficiently.
2. Enlarges the blood vessels, making them more pliable and reducing the resistance to blood flow, thus lowering the blood pressure.
3. Increases the blood supply, especially red blood cells and hemoglobin.
4. It makes the body tissue healthier in supplying it with more oxygen.
5. It conditions the heart, providing more reserve for emergencies.
6. It promotes better sleep and waste elimination.

   The training tends to be a normalizer of body weight in that it results in a gain of solid tissue for the underweight and a loss of body fat for the obese. The estimated calorie-consumption for a vigorous Taekwon-Do workout is about six hundred calories per hour, one of the highest for any sports activity.

   Since the expenditure of about 3,500 calories results in a weight loss of one pound, it will be seen that a weekly training schedule of only six hours will result in weight loss of one pound per week.