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| Koryo Taekwondo Academy Bay 4-501 Pakwa Place Saskatoon Sk S7L 6A3 Ph (306) 652-7150 larry@saskatoondragons.com |
| Why Practice the Martial Arts? The reasons for practicing Taekwondo are as vast and varied as the tens of millions of people who train in this art. The most commonly cited reasons are; stress relief, physical fitness, self confidence building, to instill or develop discipline, self defense and personal protection, to compete in the sport, as a method of cross training, and finally because a parent or friend insisted. What we find is that an individual's initial reason for starting in the martial arts is rarely the same reason for which they remain dedicated to their training. Most often stuends quickly realize that the benefits that they can access through their training are vast, and the avenues that they can explore are endless. The many varied reasons for starting and sticking with the study of the martial arts can be distilled to a single motivating goal: Personal improvement. Martial Arts training is, and has always been, a tool to aid practitioners develop themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Which Martial Art to Choose? Though many Martial Arts Instructors will claim that their style is superior to all others, the truth is that there is no one ultimate style. The only 'right' style is the one that feels right for you. you need to assess what it is that you want form your matial arts training, and then what appeals to you (hard style/soft style, striking/grappling, internal/external, etc), and finally how formal or informal you want your training to be. The glossary below provides a brief explanation of the categories into which martial arts are divided, followed by a simple synopsis of the more common martial arts styles. Glossary Hard Style: -Meeting energy with energy, and directing energy outward. These arts tend to strike more, and deliver maximum force with each strike. Hard stylists will often damgae with their blocks, turning them into attacks. Because movements are delivered with absolute power they are harder to turn aside, however they also require complete commitment so small mistakes are amplified and more difficult to recover from. Soft Style: -Channeling and diverting momentum to unbalance an opponent, or to move them into striking range. These arts tend to focus on the redirection of energy. The movements require lower commitment and use less force, thus practitioners are less likely to be unbalanced and can recover from redirection more easily. Striking Arts: -Striking arts are characterized by a general focus on kicking, punching, and other high impact attacks with the various natural weapons of the body. Grappling Arts: -Grappling arts are characterized by a general focus on joint locks, sweeps, holds, throws, and pain compliance techniques. Internal Arts: -These styles emphasize the more non-tangible elements of the arts. They utilize chi energy, rooting, and those elements which some people consider "mystical". They tend to emphasize meditation, body control, perception, mind control (of self, not others!), and pressure points. Typically internal styles are soft, however not all soft styles are internal. External Arts: -External styles tend to emphasize body mechanics, leverage, and applied force. They tend to use weight, strength, positioning, and anatomy to optimal advantage. Typically most hard styles are external. Linear vs. Circular: -This distinction refers to lines of movement, attack and defense. 'Circular' Styles use indirect movements to block, attack, or move. "Around and aside". 'Linear' styles use direct, straight-on movements, attacks, or head-on blocks. "In and out". Styles can, sometimes do, mix circular blocks with linear attacks. This is a subtle distinction and not absolute. Weapon Arts: -Some styles have incorporated weapons training into their curriculum, while there are other arts dedicated solely to the development of certain weapon skills. ex/ Kendo, Iaido. Synopsis of the Martial Arts It is important to remember that any martial arts classification system is flawed. For many of the arts their nature is to be fluid and dynamic, always changing and evolving. In addition, many instructors now believe in cross training and as such incorporate the techniques of a soft style into their hard style, grappling techniques into a striking art and vice versa. The link below will take you to a generalized description of the more common martial arts styles available. Synopsis of the Martial Arts |