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Taekwondo has
been developing with the 5000-year long history
of Korea, being called by several different
names in the course. In Korea, Taekwondo began
as a defense martial art called "Subak" or "Taekkyon,"
and developed as a way of training body and mind
in the ancient kingdom of Koguryo, under the
name of "Sunbae." In the Shilla period, it had
become the backbone of Hwarangdo that aimed at
producing leaders of the country.
Taekwondo
today is similar to the martial arts in other
Oriental countries and shares some features with
them, because in the course of its evolution it
has gained many different styles that existed in
the martial arts of the countries surrounding
Korea, like Japan and China.
But Taekwondo
is very different from many such oriental
martial arts. First, physically it is very
dynamic with active movements that include a
mirage of foot skills. Second, the principle
physical movements are in simpatico with that of
the mind and life as a whole. Third, it
possesses dynamic poses from another
perspective.
Taekwondo can
be characterized by unity: the unity of body,
mind, and life, and the unity of the pose ["poomsae"]
and confrontation, and cracking down. When you
do Taekwondo, you should make your mind peaceful
and synchronize your mind with your movements,
and extend this harmony to your life and
society. This is how in Taekwondo the principle
of physical movements, the principle of mind
training, and the principle of life become one
and the same. On the other hand, the right
poomsae lead to the right confrontation, which
will eventually produce great destructive power.
How come we
reach such a unity in Taekwondo? Taekwondo is a
way of life, much like having a job, raising a
family, fighting for a cause, or any one of
numerous raison d'etre. What makes Taekwondo
different from these is that it is an activity
for survival in extremely antagonistic
situations. One must always overcome the enemy
that is trying to cause harm. But simply winning
a fight is not enough to guarantee one's safety,
because the enemy may recuperate and attack
again. Moreover, there may be many other enemies
than the one that was just defeated. One cannot
ever feel safe unless one gains permanent peace.
To attain this permanent or lasting peace, one
needs unity. This is what Taekwondo aim for.
Otherwise Taekwondo would be no different from
any other street-fighting skills.
Taekwondo
pursues harmonious growth and improvements of
life through its unique activities. This is why
one could say Taekwondo is a way of life. To
ultimately enable ourselves to lead more
valuable lives, we would do well by finding the
guiding principles deeply hidden in Taekwondo.
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A Sample Itinerary for Taekwondo Tour