|
 |
TAE KWON DO ARTICLE
By Christy L. Riley
2nd Degree Dan Black Belt
TAE KWON DO & PARENTS/
FAMILY
For some students in the Darke County YMCA Tae Kwon Do Club, being a
Martial Artist is a family affair. When asked what the greatest
benefit(s) have been for their child/children in Tae Kwon Do, parents
said:
It helps me, as a parent, to pay more
attention to my preteen son’s activities.
It increased my teen daughter’s confidence in
herself and improved her discipline.
It increased respect, discipline, and
self-confidence.
It helped with balance, improved ability to
concentrate, and gave his 7 year-son something to look forward to.
It has helped to build strength, balance, and
ability to concentrate.
It has not only helped to improve her 10
year’s son ability to defend himself but also taught him respect;
It has also helped her 9-year-old son
understand control, alternative to fighting, and not to be a bully.
Those parents polled unanimously agreed they would recommend Tae Kwon
Do to anyone.
Besides helping children to be better-rounded individuals, Tae Kwon Do
has also helped to give provide a better understanding on life. For
anyone who wants to have fun, work out, be a better person, learn how
to defend oneself, and develop a stronger self-esteem/ confidence in
oneself; Tae Kwon Do is for you.
How to be a student
Tae Kwon Do at the Greenville YMCA is available for anyone; and parents
are encouraged to take the class with their children. Many families are
already in Tae Kwon Do; in fact, some have even become black belts!
Anyone who is interested in being a student, getting more information,
or just wants to watch a class may contact the Greenville YMCA at
937-548-3777. Also, you can check out the Facebook page for this class.
Classes are on Tuesday and Thursday nights 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in
the Youth Gym at the Greenville YMCA. Cost of classes is $30 for
members and $62 for nonmembers.
TAE KWON DO CLASS
The purpose of warm-ups is to warm up one’s muscles and to prepare
oneself for the kicking, punching, blocking, and other aerobics of the
class. Some of the warm-ups are 30 sit-ups and push-ups; and 25-50
jumping jacks. Usually a student with a “color” on their belt leads
warm-ups; yet at times, a black belt will lead warm-ups. Afterwards,
the entire class is dismissed for a 3 to 5 break to get water and go to
the bathroom if need be.
After warm-ups, basic techniques taught to beginners occur. During this
time, intermediate students review previous test requirements. It is to
review the basics, so that students are able to do techniques in
accordance with their belt rank. Also, as an intermediate student, one
is required to know all previous test requirements (know all techniques
required for belt ranks below your own present rank). These techniques
are as follows:
Front, Side, Roundhouse, and Turning Back
Kicks from a front stance,
Single, Double, and Triple Punch from a
horseback stance, and
Lower and Upper Block from a front stance
(this is done only if there is extra time).
For the kicks and blocks, sometimes the students are required to
advance with them yet most of the time the techniques done stationery.
Then after Review Techniques are completed, the entire class is
dismissed for a 3 to 5 break to get water and go to the bathroom if
necessary. For the rest of class, students are separated according to
belt ranks into groups to be taught by black belts.
ALL ABOUT TAE KWON DO
Something you may not know is that the Tae Kwon Do means “the way of
the hand and foot”. Tae, means, “to kick or smash with the feet”, Kwon
means, “to punch or destroy with the hand or fist”, and Do means “way
or method.” In 1955, Korea declared Tae Kwon Do to be its national
Martial Arts. Before that, there were various names for Martial Arts
practiced in Korea. Tae Kwon Do, like any Martial Arts, developed as a
means to protect and defend oneself. Now that you know the history,
learn about why Martial Artists wear colorful belts.
Belt Ranking System
A Kup (pronounced “Gup”) states a student’s rank number and belt color.
The highest rank, of course, is black belt. Yet the highest rank before
black belt would be red belt black tip.
BELT RANKS
BELT
KUP NUMBER
White
10th
White Belt Yellow Tip 9th
Yellow
8th
Yellow Belt Green Tips 7th
Green
6th
Green Belt Brown Tips 5th
Brown
4th
Brown Belt Red Tips 3rd
Red
2nd
Red Belt Black Tips 1st
Black Belt
Now that you have learned about Tae Kwon Do and learned about class,
find out if you have what it takes to be a black belt.
BECOMING A BLACK BELT
To be a black belt, you do not have to be like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris,
Jackie Chan, or any other famous martial artist. So you want to be a
Martial Artist, which is great. You can do anything that you set your
mind to doing. Just know that that the road ahead is not an easy one,
yet if you work hard, persevere, and do not give up, you too can be a
black belt. To be a black belt, you have to want it. One does not
become a black belt just by having only a class or two. What it takes
is years of dedication, commitment, sweat, tears, and determination.
Any black belt you ask will tell you it is worth all the hardships. You
can ask any student, black belt, or parent in class; and all would
recommend to anyone Tae Kwon Do Class at the Y. However, Tae Kwon Do is
not for everyone.
You yourself have to decide if this class is a right fit or not. For
anyone considering Tae Kwon Do, realize it is worth all the sweat,
tears shed, and hardships to have your self-confidence boosted, learn
respect and endurance, a sense of belonging, and improve your balance
(Black Belt Poll). For those who do decide this is for them, the
rewards go beyond being able to defend yourself. In this class you will
be pushed both physically and mentally (Black Belt Poll). The greatest
reward about being a black belt is seeing those students you taught
promoted to the next belt rank. Yet another black belt said for him it
was “Knowing I became strong enough to overcome such a task that I set
forth for myself.” If you want to be good at anything in life you have
to stick to it; also you have to practice, practice, and practice some
more. Do not give up when it gets hard because you will not become a
black belt that way.
One black belt who has been in Tae Kwon Do for 2 ½ decades said,
“Becoming a black belt [helped me to be able] to think and react in a
way that is appropriate to [almost] all aspects of my life. I use my
knowledge… for living in a manner which makes me proud of who I am and
how I handle life’s stresses that come before me.” All the black belts
polled said that being a martial artist is not just a twice a week
thing set aside for an hour and a half; it is a way of life. It is
also, a life-long commitment to bettering oneself by never being afraid
to learn something new. A good martial artist knows that learning never
ends, even after you receive your black belt. So for anyone wanting to
be a martial artist, just know that the benefits go beyond the
physical, it becomes a way of life and a chance to make the world
better one-person-at-a-time.
|
|
|
|
