SMA (Shim's Martial Arts) Philosophy of Taekwondo

The purpose of Tae Kwon Do is not to learn how to hurt people. Some people look at martial arts and say "I wish I knew martial arts. Then I could beat everyone in a fight." This is not the true meaning of martial arts, however. Once someone begins their study of martial arts, they start to understand and learn the true philosophy and ethics of martial arts.

At Shim's Tae Kwon Do, there are five principles practitioners need to focus on.

1. COURTESY(ETIQUETTE)

2. INTEGRITY

3. PERSEVERANCE

4. SELF-CONTROL

5. INDOMITABLE SPIRIT

This week the first principle we will be focusing on is COURTESY. Korean translation is Yeh Euh.

Tae Kwon Do originated in Korea with a strong military background. If you read the history of Tae Kwon Do, you learned the "Hwarang" were noblemen who used martial arts to defend themselves against the opposition. They had a code of honor.

1. Serve your lord
2. Serve your parents
3. Trust your friends
4. Never withdraw from battle
5. When taking a life, be selective

The modern commandments of Tae Kwon Do stem from these.  You might recognize some similarities.

1. Respect oneself

1.  Respect your parents/Teachers/Elders

2. Be loyal to your friends
3. Have a strong and invincible spirit
4. Be loyal to your school
5. Always finish what you start

As you can see, loyalty and respect play a big role in martial arts. Lets try to focus on being courteous towards one another as a martial arts family!