Taekwondo is a systematic approach to the martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. Taekwondo, is and art that shows ways of increasing our spirit and life through physcial training our mind and body. Taekwondo has become a worldwide sport that's gained an international following, and is among one of the Olympic games.

What is meant by the word Tae Kwon Do?
It is comprised of three distinct parts "Tae-Kwon-Do", though it is one word in Korean. "Tae" means "foot," "leg," or "to step on"; "Kwon" means "fist," or "fight"; and "Do" means the "way" or "discipline." If we put these three parts together, we can see a couple of critical concepts within TaeKwonDo.

1. The First part of Taekwondo is the right way of utilizing "Tae" and "Kwon" which are comprised of your "fists" and "feet", or all of your body parts that can be used like fists and feet.

2. Second, it is a path to control a fighting situation so the outcome of the situation is peace. This idea comes from the definition of Tae Kwon "to put fists under control".

Thus Taekwondo means "the right way of using all parts of the body to stop fights and help to work torwards a life of peace."

Taekwondo has been developing along side the history of Korea and also, been represented by a few different names in throughout the course of it's history. In Korea, Taekwondo started out as a martial art for defense called "Subak" or "Taekkyon," and developed as a way of challenging body and mind in the ancient kingdom of Koguryo, under the title of "Sunbae." In the Shilla period, it had become the backbone of Hwarangdo and at that time was responsible for creating the countries leaders.

Taekwondo similar in many respects to the martial arts in other Asian countries and shares some apects with them, because throughout its history it has incororated many varying styles that were in the countries that surrounded them, like Japan and China.

But, Taekwondo is very different from it's Asian counterparts in a 3 respects.

1. Physically it is very dynamic with active movements that include an assortment of foot skills.

2. The physical movements are in line with that of the mind and life as a whole.

3. It gives birth to a dynamic poomsae (see poomsae in the martial arts) from another perspective.

Taekwondo is thought of as unifying the body, mind and life, and the unity of the poomsae and confrontation. When you participate in Taekwondo, you should make your mind peaceful and synchronize your mind with your moves, and spread this harmony to your life and society as a whole. This is how the principle of the physical moves, the principle of training ones mind, and the principle of life become whole.

Taekwondo becomes a way of life for many students, just like any other apect of ones life like haveing a job, raising a family, or fighting for something in which you believe in. What makes Taekwondo different from these is that it is an activity for survival in extremely important situations. One must always overcome your opponent that is trying to hurt you. But simply winning a fight is not enough to ensure one's own safety, because your opponent may regain their senses and attack again. In addition, there can be many other enemies than the one that was just overcome. One can't ever feel safe unless that person gains unwavering sense of peace. To obtain this persistent or long-lived peace, one must obtain unity. This is what Taekwondo aims for. Otherwise Taekwondo would be no different from any other street-fighting skills.

Taekwondo pursues harmonious growth and improvements in ones life through its unique activities. This is why one could say Taekwondo is a way of life. To ultimately enable ourselves to lead more valuable lives, we would do well by finding the guiding principles deeply hidden within Taekwondo.

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