Help us stay free, Link back to us! General Information - Bookmark this page

Tae Kwon Do As A Means To Stay In Shape

Becoming a martial artist is a fanatastic method of fitness. While there are many martial art forms to choose from, taekwondo is clearly the most beneficial, and the most practical. And while many realize the benefits of such exercise, the simple fact is most have no idea how to begin.

Getting in shape is a committment to essentially change the way life is lived for the better. But knowing this does not make the first step any easier to take, so many just give up.

Beginning a martial arts program obviously starts with choosing either a school or at the very least, an instructor. Both should be done carefully, but simply getting into a program is a must.

Taekwondo is more of a sport than a martial art, but this distinction makes the art form more readily transferrable to the general public. In short, nearly anyone can practice taekwondo, and with dedication, nearly anyone can become a formidable martial artist.

Taekwondo teaches the equal use of hands and feet, with the emphasis on becoming adept at using both the right and left sides of the body for defense and for attack. Perhaps more importantly than anything else, taekwondo stresses stamina and mental toughness, along with using sound techniques and being in control.

Most people have little or no time to spend getting and staying in shape, but with most taekwondo programs, any time during the day, there are classes to attend. This tends to solve the problem of finding the time to invest in something that is endlessly beneficial, and is yet another reason to choose taekwondo as the martial art to study.

But one of the aspects of taekwondo is how quickly one sees results. Indeed, this is a tremendous motivator to continue practicing taekwondo, and before one knows it, they have altered their life to find a way to fit taekwondo into it.

With all the hand and foot techniques that are taught and practiced in taekwondo, one can easily begin to excel at even the most basic techniques, thereby motivating the student even MORE to stay with it.

Clearly, there are countless health benefits to this particular martial art, but there is a confidence and mental toughness that easily comes with taekwondo in that what is being learned and practiced is practical. Blocks are aggressive, kicks and punches are accurate, and the abilty to perfect both forms and board-breaking only adds to the overall enjoyment of taekwondo.

Increased heart rate and increased muscle tone and muscle mass, as well as the aforementioned increase in confidence and stamina is more than enough to begin, practice, and perfect the martial art of taekwondo.

I am a black belt in taekwondo, but only after sampling many other martial arts forms, finally settling on taekwondo...

In The News:


Real-life karate kid climbs martial arts ranks
BlueRidgeNow.com, NC - 58 minutes ago
By LEE GRAY Ray Taylor has a room full of shiny martial-arts trophies, all of them won with one goal in mind - earning his black belt. ...

Martial Arts Instructor Arrested for Attempted Sex Assault
KLAS-TV, NV - 18 hours ago
The owner of a local Tae Kwon Do school is under arrest and charged with attempted sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. ...

YMCA Karate Program Going Strong
Rosyln News, NY - 6 hours ago
The YMCA of Glen Cove has been offering a martial arts program for nearly a decade with great success in a safe environment for adults and children to learn ...

12 Months FREE Martial Arts Lessons
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI - 6 hours ago
Korean Martial Arts (KMA) Hap Ki Do, 1600 W Goguac, Battle Creek MI is offering full, 12-month scholarships for up to 12 students, ages 4-6, ...

Boston Globe

'Samurai Girl' fights with might
Boston Globe, United States - 15 hours ago
You know the idea: a martial-arts love story where the fights are set to rock music and interspersed with wisecracks, and no major life trauma can get in ...
Young and Good-Looking, Spying on Her Yakuza Dad New York Times
Jamie Chung fought hard for ‘Samurai Girl’ role Boston Herald
THE TV COLUMN : Samurai Girl entertains without usual bloodbaths Arkansas Democrat Gazette
AfterEllen.com - Cinema Blendall 16 news articles

Sherdog To Stream Strikeforce Playboy Mansion Event Live
Sherdog.com - 3 hours ago
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. ...
Sherdog.com to stream Strikeforce Playboy Mansion event live Fight Ticker
all 3 news articles

'Tobans hit karate big time
Winnipeg Sun, Canada - Sep 3, 2008
Chris Stienke, a 25-year-old car salesman, is well aware of the UFC world, considering he spent the last few years competing in mixed martial arts. ...

Biz briefs: Martial arts school; Deed warning; KikoFest
Jackson Sun, TN - 12 hours ago
The West Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Association is hosting a grand opening of its martial arts school at 159 Carriage House Drive at 9:30 am Saturday. ...

ABS CBN News

Mixed martial arts: The Philippine setting
ABS CBN News, Philippines - Sep 3, 2008
This is the local mixed martial arts scene. To local fight fans, this is MMA. MMA is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of a wide variety of ...

A martial arts teacher who had sex with a 14-year-old pupil has ...
Cambridge Evening News, UK - 16 hours ago
Neil Levesley was asked to take the girl for private Tae Kwon Do lessons and the pair had sex twice at his home after they became close, Cambridge Crown ...
martial arts - Google News

Break the Bones

"HONE O ORERU" is a Japanese term that translates literally as "BREAK THE BONES". It is an essential concept of true SHUGYO and a central theme of a true Budo Dojo. What this... Read More

COMBATIVES A Rose by Any Other Name?....Part 2

The advent of World War One (the war to END all wars) brought warfare into a new and foreboding era of man to man killing and slaughter. Air power, mechanized warfare, chemical warfare... Read More

Martial Arts and The Bible

As a Christian and a martial arts student, I have often wrestled with the idea of self-defense. Does God expect me to defend my family and myself when physically attacked or am I... Read More

How To Defend Against A Knife - Dont Use The Stuff Taught In The Dojo!

Defences against Knife attacks, Firstly if at all possible get yourself and anyone else out of the potential danger area.....RUN AWAY.Yes you heard right, run away. This is not a cowards way out,... Read More

Its Not a Matter of Who is Right

"People here may belittle sports arts...."Who?Almost EVERY "combatives" man of any note CAME from a combative sports background. Boxing, wrestling, judo. WEF and O'Neill (SIXTH DAN-Kodokan Judo-personal student of Uchijima Sensei, a NEWAZA... Read More

The Rebels Guide to Cultivating Vitality

Many Taoists recluses and Buddhists monks dwelled in mountains and forests to observe, listen, and meditate in order to gather deeper understanding and greater knowledge of nature than is possible when living in... Read More

Tai-Chi for the Masses--and Others

Kuang Ping was the T'ai-chi set favored by Yang Lu-Chan, the man who brought forward the "Yang" style in the mid-1800's, now so popular throughout the world. Kuang Ping is what the man... Read More

Tae Kwon Do As A Means To Stay In Shape

Becoming a martial artist is a fanatastic method of fitness. While there are many martial art forms to choose from, taekwondo is clearly the most beneficial, and the most practical. And while many... Read More

Makiwara Training

Shigeru Kimura Sensei 9th Dan Tani-Ha Shitoryu Shukokai had a punch that was like getting hit with a cannonball.Kimura Sensei had won the All Japan Karate Championship two years in a row. His... Read More

Fairbairn on the Fairbairn Method

Something for our shooting "enthusiasts" -PRELIMINARY STATEMENTBackground:"Prior to my association with the armed forces of Great Britain and the United States I served as Assistant Commissioner in Command of the Riot Squads of... Read More

A Beginning History of Old School Jujutsu - Part 1

Over the next couple of day's I will writing an article of the history of Pre-WWII Japanese Jujitsu/Judo. I wasn't sure where to start, but here I am so let's get started.I'm going... Read More

Martial Arts: Mind, Body and Spirit Presented Online

This Martial Arts website uses body, spirit and mind to construct an excellent example of the quality and amount of information you can put on your website.http://www.taichiacademy.com.au/default.htmI am very interested in Martial Arts,... Read More

Are You Still Standing Toe to Toe?

How many times do you practice techniques with your training partner and you stay in the same spot? Next time you are training, see how much you and your partner move. You will... Read More

Sensing Intention

One of the 'mystical' aspects of the martial arts has always been the ability to feel another persons intention.Sensing intention gives a person the ability to be in instant control of a potentially... Read More

A Samurais Power Is In His Little Finger, Not His Samurai Sword

In the 12th Century the Shogunate was formed. The head of this regime was the Shogun, the supreme ruler. Under him where his regional 'daimyo' or 'dukes'. Under each 'daimyo' served the Japanese... Read More

I Know Karate and Kung Fu and Lots of Other Foreign Words!

Martial arts have become incredibly popular in the US. Drive through any little strip shopping center in nearly any city and you're likely to see a martial arts studio. There are dozens of... Read More

Fronting

"Fronting": The dodge to get in close to you. The frontal assault, as opposed to the ambush.Fronting can be either a direct confrontation (intimidation) or it can make use of "artifice", i.e. "got... Read More

The Acronym That Saved My Life

Frequently, I get asked about certifications, systems or methods. We made a decision a long time ago of purposely staying away from things like this.Obviously, it's a no-brainer, money maker and it's not... Read More

Combatives

This is our last installment on "defining" the parameters of COMBATIVES.The point, I am sure, will be missed by some but it must be emphasized that this material is historical fact and is... Read More

Interesting Facts on Samurai Sword Manufacture

A samurai's sword is his most sacred and prized possession. Not only did the samurai rely on his sword to defend him, but spiritually the sword held greater significance as the samurai actually... Read More

Dermot Michael (Pat) ONeill

Dermot O'Neill was born in 1905 in County Cork, Ireland. As a teenager he traveled to China, and settled in Shanghai. In 1925, at the age of twenty he joined the Shanghai Municipal... Read More

Bogu Training

About four years ago Carl recommended we start using the Bogu during our kumite (sparring practice). This method was developed in Okinawa and then found its way into mainland Japan and eventually to... Read More

Learning the Modern Dynamics of Judo

You may have the erroneous idea that force is not necessary in judo, especially when you see a sixty-year-old instructor throwing many young- and strong men seemingly without effort. Dynamics, however, denies this... Read More

The Dojo

Just as an aside. For those who would "box" us in to specific "category".........We don't just write articles. There is a place we actually train in these methods every day. This is where... Read More

Are You Frustrated Yet?

I was talking to a parent recently and they told me that their son was not going to compete in wrestling because they were afraid they would get frustrated when he lost. The... Read More

Aikido Philosophy: An Oriental Concept of Energy, Self, and Mind

PrefaceThere are many different ways to understand Aikido philosophy and perceive, utilize, and benefit from energy. What I offer here is one of many ways. Indeed when I do other kinds of activities... Read More

The Plight of Industrialized Man

Living in the Pacific Northwest is a challenge for any body: the poor excuse for weather west of the Cascades is one of the worst on earth for human health. Luckily our Ch'uan... Read More

Applying Law of Gravity to Judo

In judo it is important to throw your opponent by making use of his loss of balance, the law at work here is the law of gravity. We know that Sir Isaac Newton... Read More

Grown Man Quits After 3 Mat Pulls!

A matt pull is the simple act of lying on flat on your stomach, reaching in front of you and pulling your self across the mat. This is one exercise that helps develop... Read More

GOOGLE AD