Henry’s Corner September 2011 (2)  

THE MYSTICISM OF MARTIAL ARTS?

Dear Friends , 

As practitioners of Taekwon-Do, especially those who are black belts, have you ever stopped and given thought to the reaction you often get when you reveal that you are an exponent of this art? Besides the interest and admiration you might engender, the uninitiated implicitly senses that you are engaged in something more than a physical discipline. Many people harbour inklings that there is a mystical element to martial arts including Taekwon-Do. What are we to make of this?

I presume a lot of you would have seen martial arts films, popularly known as Kung Fu flicks, where the actors perform fantastic feats that defy the laws of physics and the boundaries of human endurance and strength. People receiving countless blows to their heads and body but continuing to fight like they have been merely bashed with a pillow, actors moving as if there was an absence of gravity and eliminating scores of opponents as if they were swatting flies are some of the familiar scenes.  

Not only are these films poor entertainment but they do a disservice and trivialise what is meant to be a serious discipline. To be fair there have been some productions which have aspired to impart higher morals to the audience but most of them have had wanton violence as their main ingredient when gratuitous violence is the very antithesis of the spirit of martial arts. Look at our third, fourth and fifth Student Oath. “I shall never misuse Taekwon-Do.” “I shall be a champion of freedom and justice.” “I shall build a more peaceful world.” However, it is not the mindless violence which violates these principles that I wish to focus on here but the general public’s perception that martial arts is more than a systematized form of self-defence.

Throughout history there has been a myth perpetuated about martial arts being disciplines that possess some formula that allow their practitioners to transcend the limits of normal human ability. Like any other form of systematized physical activity, in martial arts output is a function of input, that is, the level and quality of performance depends on the level of effort and methodology. Speed, power and agility of a martial artist are dependent on the same physiology as any other physical movement. The mental and emotional aspects of martial arts are important factors determining the efficiency and effectiveness of the techniques but this also holds true in any sport.

I had the opportunity to watch a demonstration by the Kung Fu monks from the world famous Shaolin Temple some years ago. They were magnificent athletes with extraordinary skills but nothing they did could be labelled supernatural. They were highly trained, disciplined and skilful but so are other elite athletes.

Then what is it about martial arts and more specifically Taekwon-Do that is qualitatively different to mere sports? In other words, what makes our art transcend the psychology and mechanics of a sport? It is our higher purpose. It is not mysticism, it is our higher values.

I mentioned in one of my previous contributions that there are two objectives to boxing. Firstly, it is to knock out your opponent and secondly, to make money in the process. Acquiring a sound body and a sound mind is an objective of any sport but that is where it ends apart from the potential financial benefits of being a professional. However, Taekwon-Do is supposed to be a way of life with a nobler purpose.

There is a recurring theme which underlies the tenets and oath of Taekwon-Do. I suggest it is humanity. This is a quality, whose absence would forbid us from pursuing the higher goals of Taekwon-Do. Even the tenets of perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit which ostensibly concern the self, in fact, ultimately allow us to serve others better. Hence the accomplished Taekwon-Do practitioner is one who shows humility. He or she is not ego-centric and is humbled by the realization that the more knowledge we acquire the greater our understanding of how little we actually know.

Taekwon-Do is not a mystical art per se. It transcends the realm of sport through its core values which ultimately aim to create a better world.

Noble in motive and fluid in motion!

Henry’s Corner September 2011 (1)

THE UNIFYING FORCE OF TAE KWON DO

Dear Friends

In my last contribution, I mentioned the unifying force of Taekwon-Do and the need to dwell a little further on this subject matter. What sets a discipline like Taekwon-Do apart from other systematized physical pursuits is the higher values which this art embraces that transcend all races and nationalities and has broad appeal.

Even in a country like Australia where people may appear rather expansive and tolerant with a laissez faire approach to life the cohesive power of Taekwon-Do offers our society a way of life which represents a struggle against its parochialism. Very often the persona disguises the bigotry lurking within us all. We need to accept the imperfections of our nature and recognize that the task is to constantly chip away at our flaws and imbed in our consciousness the need to strive against the inequities that exist within us. Taekwon-Do offers us a framework for action in this regards.

Master Daher’s success in Taekwon-Do is testimony not only to his indomitable spirit and the opportunities this wonderful nation offers but what this art offers to the dedicated.

The first tenet of Taekwon-Do, courtesy, recognizes the equal value of all human beings. We may not be created equal in terms of physical or mental attributes but we are created equal in the most important sense, in our value as a human being. This is why Taekwon-Do prescribes respect for all other human beings regardless of their race, gender, age or station in life. How wonderful it always is to watch people from various backgrounds and walks of life in a dojang training in harmony towards a common purpose.

The survival and longevity of a system of belief is dependent upon what I would like to call its absolute value and its relevance to society. By absolute value, I am referring to its goodness which transcends all other culture specific values and has universal appeal. It may sound redundant to speak of an absolute value and relevance in the same context but absolute value gives a discipline universal appeal whereas relevance to prevailing social climates gives immediacy.

Ultimately, Taekwon-Do is about moral and physical enrichment. This is what we as practitioners and instructors offer to the rest of the world. This is the relevance we have in this chaotic world. We seek to introduce more people to our art so, as it is mentioned in the Student Oath, we can become champions of freedom and justice and build a more peaceful world.

My friends, let us spread the word!

{mp4}MDSelfDefenceAug2011a{/mp4}

The state of Umpiring in IL Shim Australia

 

A report by Gerard Kelly IV Dan Umpiring Director IL Shim 

            As the day had finished in the Hunter Valley I pondered, as usual what we could do to improve and perfect our tournaments. What is it that makes a great tournament? Is it the participants? Without them there is no tournament. Is it the organisers? Again no tournament without them either! Maybe I am biased but I feel that the umpires and corner judges are one of the most pivotal areas in any tournament and yet we ALWAYS seem to be running around begging Black Belts to corner judge, and having centre refs be in the ring for the entire tournament with NO break! This simply has to stop as of right now!

            We as senior members of IL Shim no longer ask or request you as black belts or black stripes to do these jobs! We are now going to force you to do them! I have personally been running Umpire seminars around the country and will continue to do so! “I don’t know what to do!” is no longer an excuse! You will all at some stage be thrown in the centre ring for umpiring duties; generally I will start you on the kids and work you up to higher levels as your confidence increases!!

            “Oh but I am competing!!” again is not good enough! I have personally competed AND refereed at nearly every tournament I have been to so again not an excuse! Guys we need everyone to step up in this area so you can expect me to be very harsh on any Black Belt who does not turn up to an IL Shim run tournament with both their dobok ( if they are competing ) and their Umpire uniform

Consider this your first and only warning! I am on your case! We need every Black Belt to get cracking and show the country what a fantastic organisation we are!!!

If you require my presentation regarding umpiring it is up on the website, Click HERE , with monthly hints and tips regarding these very important jobs to follow!!!!

Taekwon

Gerard Kelly IV Dan

Il Shim Umpiring Director

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ITF Hunter Valley Championships

(Report By Rick Scholes)

The ITF Hunter Valley Championships hosted by IL Shim Aberdeen was to be the first tournament held in Muswellbrook for many years, and in my 5 years of practicing Taekwon-Do it was to be my first home ground tournament.

DSC09453I have never experienced a tournament in my home town before so I was excited that all my family and friends could be there to watch.

On the morning of the competition I arrived to see competitors that had come from as far as Queensland and Victoria gathering at the stadium. There were about 80 students from all over with roughly 15 of those coming from the local Aberdeen class. Students were able to compete in such disciplines as sparring, power breaking, special technique, patterns and pre-arranged sparring. I myself competed in all events except for power breaking.

The atmosphere in the hall felt great and watching all the students compete fiercely but fairly was very rewarding, and with the large crowd gathered around cheering everyone on this only made the experience even better. Everyone seemed to be having a great day. The level of competition was tough and I can see that our juniors coming up through the ranks are showing true spirit.

This was to be the first tournament where I would step inside the ring as a centre referee and I was nervous. But thanks to the seminars and master classes I have attended in the past, which are run by some very experienced and helpful instructors from within our organisation, I had the basic skills and knowledge to referee the juniors through some intense and exhilarating sparring bouts. This was a new experience for me and one that I enjoyed and would recommend to all students to get in and have a go.

I have competed in over 20 tournaments in my Taekwon-Do career, with some of them being on an international level. Seeing how other clubs and countries have run tournaments and competing at this one, I can say that it was a credit to the hard work put in by everyone involved with organising it. It all ran very smoothly and on time without any major hiccups.

This was also to be the very first tournament for quite a lot of the competitors, so it was great that they could experience such a well organised event.

With the ITF Hunter Valley Championships now being an annual event, I would gladly encourage more clubs and lots more students to come and enjoy the fun next year. View the Photos here