Imagine giving your teens the opportunity to learn skills such as goal-setting, self-control, and perseverance while learning flying sidekicks and breaking boards! That’s exactly what happens when they are involved in Taekwondo.
Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art founded over two thousand years ago as a form of unarmed combat rooted in the guiding principles of loyalty, parental duty, trustworthiness, valor and justice. Modern Taekwondo has fused its rich traditions with influences from China and Japan into a physical system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes while retaining its philosophical grounding. Students of Taekwondo often find they gain far more than simply learning how to break a board or self-defense.
Exercise
As you would expect of a martial art, exercise is one of the most obvious benefits. Practice and drills of form (poomsae), self-defense, kicks, and breaks build aerobic capacity, develop speed, strength, and balance, and encourage coordination and flexibility. Taekwondo offers the opportunity to improve overall fitness in an exciting sport where students find success at their own pace.
Self-Discipline and Goal Setting
A good Taekwondo curriculum helps students focus on mastering each new skill as the next step in achieving a larger goal. Each smaller goal takes focus both mentally and physically while encouraging commitment and determination to get to the next level. These are skills that not only help students find success in Taekwondo but in everyday life, school, and social situations.
Self-Defense
In Taekwondo, patterns in form and self-defense are memorized and executed over time to the point of muscle memory where the body responds automatically to an event. It’s this mental and physical focus that helps a student respond to an attack quickly in way that can buy those few moments which may mean the difference between escaping and being overcome.
Leadership
The mental and physical skills encouraged in Taekwondo help students grow in confidence and respect for themselves and others – key ingredients of leadership. Through assisting with the younger members, helping with classes or just another fellow student, Taekwondo students gain experience in time management, collaboration, communication, and developing a ‘Black Belt’ attitude – giving it your very best….always.
Taekwondo offers its practitioners the opportunity for both individual success at a sport as well as developing the collaborative skills that will help them find success in all aspects of life.
