Mixing them up

Colors, I mean.

It's been two months since my yellow belt. I tested on June 8 for my next belt- orange. It was an accelerated schedule (it takes 4 months to move belts) but was able to swing advanced testing. Below are two videos from the test and another required essay.

Ah, orange - how sweet it is!

What is the Definition of Taekwondo

The literal "the way of the foot and hand" simply did not cut it. True computer geek that I am, I turned to the internet for a definition:

"Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind." - World Taekwondo Federation Website (http://wtf.org/site/about_taekwondo/intro_taekwondo.htm)

I found this particular definition interesting because it deviated from the other definitions presented in other sites largely evolved around "kicking", "combat sports", and “martial arts”, In particular, the word 'systematic' used in this definition resonates with me. It’s been my experience at the Cincinnati Taekwondo Center that forms start from the very basic to the fancy/complex. Starting off with mooshim which involves basic stretching movements, forms like danggun start to get into foot patterns and more involved hand movements (diamond block, anyone?). Still, as one progresses, he keeps coming back to basic elements taught in the earlier forms that reinforce the notion that there progression is based on a foundation and a system is at work here.

The phrase "body and mind" also stands out. In the flurry of arms and legs that comes from practicing taekwondo, it is easy to forget that Taekwondo also promotes tranquility. I initially found it interesting that there is a requirement for upper belts to meditate and that most classes start with a few minutes of just 'clearing the mind'. I have come to understand that one finds harmony in motion. The discipline of standardized forms lends itself to stillness in thought. The mind focuses of each small movement and this engenders a comfort in the familiar.

For one who wishes he never has occasion to use the physical fighting skills component of Taekwondo, there is a lot of comfort to be taken in going beyond viewing Taekwondo as simply being ‘the way of the foot and hand’.