Taekwondo

Taekwondo Korean pronunciation: is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching."

Ranks, belts, and promotion

Ranks, belts, and promotion

Taekwondo ranks are typically separated into "junior" and "senior," or "student" and "instructor," sections. The junior section typically consists of ten ranks indicated by the Korean word geup (also Romanized as gup or kup). The junior ranks are usually identified by belts of various colors, depending on the school, so these ranks are sometimes called "color belts". Geup rank may be indicated by stripes on belts rather than by colored belts. Students begin at tenth geup (often indicated by a white belt) and advance toward first geup (often indicated by a red belt with a black stripe).

The senior section is typically made up of nine ranks. These ranks are called dan , also referred to as "black belts" or "degrees" (as in "third dan" or "third-degree black belt"). Black belts begin at first degree and advance to second, third, and so on. The degree is often indicated on the belt itself with stripes, Roman numerals, or other methods; but sometimes black belts are plain and unadorned regardless of rank.

Kicks (Chagi)

All kicks can be executed as jump kicks, spin kicks, jump spin kicks or multi-rotational spin kicks. Also, all can be performed by the front or rear leg in a given stance.

Some of the best-known Taekwondo kicks include:

Front Snap Kick : This is a very linear kick. The practitioner raises the knee to the waist, pulls the toes back and quickly extends the foot at the target. It is also known as the snap kick. The front kick is one of the first kicks learned in TKD; if mastered it can become one of the most powerful. This technique is more meant to be used to push the attacker away, but can injure.
Side Kick : A very powerful kick, first the practitioner simultaneously raises the knee and rotates the body 90 degrees, and then quickly extends the leg, striking with the heel or the side of the foot.
Roundhouse Kick Turning Kick or Round Kick: The practitioner raises the knee, turns the hips, pivots on the non-kicking foot, and snaps the kick horizontally into the target at a 80 to 90-degree angle, either with the instep or with the ball of the foot (in the latter case, with the toes pulled back out of the way as in a front kick). The latter technique requires a great deal of flexibility in the heel.
Reverse turning kick bandae dollyeo chagi): Here the practitioner turns the body away from the target and pushes the back leg straight toward the target, hitting it with the heel while watching over the shoulder. The turning motion helps to give this kick a lot of power. Without proper care, you can "spin out" and lose your balance from using this attack.

Kasumi Ninja

Kasumi Ninja
Kasumi Ninja is a 1994 one-on-one fighting game developed by Hand Made Software and published by Atari Corporation for the Atari Jaguar. It is an original fighting game that was released for the Jaguar home console system, with other games being Ultra Vortek, Primal Rage, and Fight for Life, and sought to capitalize on the success of ultra violent fighting games started by Midway's Mortal Kombat. The game features a large number of dynamic, three-dimensional battlegrounds using parallax scrolling technology.

Mawashi geri

Mawashi-geri may be executed from a variety of stances, and there are several methods of proper execution. The portion of its execution that is always consistent is that the kick is executed inward and at an angle that is anywhere from parallel to the floor to 45 degrees upward. In general, it is a lateral kick that strikes with the foot. Ideally, the foot that is on the ground during the kick points directly away from the opponent, but 90 to 45 degrees away from the opponent may also be acceptable.
Korean commands-
In taekwondo, Korean language commands are often used. For words used in counting, see Korean numerals. Often, students count in Korean during their class, and during tests they are usually asked what certain Korean words (used in class) mean.
Romanization Hangul Meaning
Charyeot - Attention
Gyeong rye Bow
Baro Return
Swieo At ease (relax)
Kihap Yell (shout)
Junbi Ready
Sijak Begin (start)
Gallyeo Break (separate)
Gyesok Continue
Guman Finish (stop)
Dwiro dora Turn around (about turn)
Haesan Dismiss


Ethics

As in all Martial Arts, ethics are of great importance. One can look at individual ethics, treat a fellow-man right, or one can look at social ethics, as part of a whole.

Ethics basically all comes down to one point, the difference between 'good' and 'evil'. We practise taekwondo, often seen as an aggresive sport, but does this mean that we can be aggresive? Do we want to be aggresive? The answer is NO!

We wear protection, because we don't want someoneelse to be injured, nor do we want to get hurt ourselves. Taekwondo is not a destructive and aggressive sport, but a sportive one. As I see it, taking part in a competition is not to hurt your opponent, but to test your strength, in both physical and mental ways.

Taekwondo students can improve themselves physically, and mentally by training. The final goal is to achieve harmony with nature and oneself. Balance is gained by controlling both evil and good forces (Yin vs. Yang): A true Taekwondo student knows how to behave in all situations.

In my opinion, Taekwondo (and I guess this goes for every Martial Art) is not only a way to improve skills of self defence, but it's a way of life. Practicing Taekwondo gives the student more self-confidence, but this should not result in a false sense of superiority.
HwaRang code of honor

Because of the military background, there is a general code. These codes are reflected in the so-called 'Commandments of modern Taekwondo' and is strongly influenced by the Buddhism. These commandments are influenced by the HwaRang Do code of honor:

1. Serve your lord with loyalty
2. Serve your parents with filial piety
3. Trust your friends
4. Never retreat from a battle
5. When taking life, be selective

The commandments of Taekwondo are used as a guide for the moral development of students and art. No student who does not fully understand these tenets can ever hope to master the true essence of the art.
Commandments of modern Taekwondo:

1. Loyalty to your country
2. Respect your parents
3. Faithfulness to your spouse
4. Respect your brothers and sisters
5. Loyalty to your friends
6. Respect your elders
7. Respect your teacher
8. Never take life unjustly
9. Indomitable spirit
10. Loyalty to your school
11. Finish what you begin

RULES
There are a few general rules.

* Always wear a clean Dobok.
* Clean hands, feet, short nails.
* Don't wear sharp things (if you do not have a Dobok, do not wear pants with zippers etc.)
* No jewelry allowed
* Don't drink, smoke or eat in the dojang (no chewing gum!)
* Be on time.
* When entering and leaving the dojang, make a proper bow
* Don't talk, unless it is necessary

Korea