Taekwondo Philosophy – Overview

The philosophy of Taekwondo does not only dealing with punching, training in kicking and self-defense but far more than training in physical and mental matching. The main feature of the art is the improvement of a certain spirit which carries over into all parts of life. One could secure a stable and peaceful life by basing upon a harmony between oneself and the nature. The word Do in Korean means the art, path or way of life. This is the way in the world. This philosophy of Taekwondo has its roots held by religious leaders and the heartfelt laymen throughout the history. The philosophical qualities can be drawn back to the impact of Buddhism and their purpose of the Mastery of Life.

Taekwondo Philosophy

This philosophy can be learned from other actions and our day to day activities. Taekwondo philosophy represents the principles of movement and changes in the life of human beings. This also represents the principles of ones lives due to that life consist of ones movements therefore we can conclude that Taekwondo is a philosophy in itself.

The emphasis of Taekwondo philosophy is to offer a way by which the students can rid themselves of the ego or what the Buddhists refers to discriminating mind in order to get alive in harmony with the rest of the world. The core of this philosophy is the idea of duality in nature. Duality is the interaction of conflicting forces.

Harmony in Taekwondo Philosophy

Harmony is attained when opposite forces are dispersed equally therefore resulting in balance. If one force dominates hence discorded is the result. For instance when an adversary uses positive energy or initiates an attack therefore the defender should use negative energy to answer back by stepping aside to permit the energy of that attack to flow past inoffensively. However, in this way what was once hard becomes soft and vice versa hence the balancing to return.

Eventually, this philosophy seeks to bring students to a level of mindfulness refer to as the Present Time. This happens when an individual is totally in tune with nature and oneself to the point that one’s reactions and actions are always perfectly organized with the forces in life whether that be in sparring ring or in a social setting or even when alone. Such a person cannot be made upset by anything it meets in life. The real masters of Taekwondo are well-known for their serene characters which reflect to their way of life in the Present Time.

Everyone is able of coordinating him/herself with the forces in life more flawlessly this is done by positioning oneself and matching the dual forces through living in Present Time, hence students can begin to touch the true objective of all human life which is the aim to and application of excellence.