in.dom.i.ta.ble adj: having an unyielding spirit, stubbornly persistent when faced with difficulty or opposition. – Oxford American Dictionary Many female martial artists show indomitable spirit just by walking in the door of their school for the first time. It can be daunting to face the reactions of friends and family who start firing questions at [...]
self-con.trol n: control over one’s own impulses, emotions, or actions. –Webster’s Dictionary Okay, I admit it. Self-control is one of the main reasons I enrolled Dynamo in taekwondo. He’s struggled with self-control … well, basically since he’s been born. He tends to lash out in anger over the smallest things. I’ve talked to several men [...]
per.se.ver.ance n: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. – Dictionary.com Training for any martial art requires perseverance. There’s usually a rush of enthusiasm at the beginning: it’s all exciting and new. Your body can do things you never knew it could. [...]
in.teg.ri.ty n 1. honesty, incorruptibility. 2. wholeness, entirety. –Oxford American Dictionary Every martial art I’ve encountered promotes integrity. Honesty is one of the main cornerstones of the martial arts. While I don’t know any adult who entered the martial arts to learn or improve their integrity, many of us — including me — have enrolled [...]
cour.te.sy n: the quality or state of being courteous. cour.te.ous adj: showing respect and consideration for others. –Webster’s Dictionary Every taekwondo book I’ve ever read has a section devoted to the five tenets of taekwondo. In them, courtesy is usually described in terms of respect for instructors and those of senior rank, as well as [...]
Taekwondo has five tenets – principles – for each student to follow in all aspects of life, both inside the dojang and in the larger world. These are: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. Over the next five posts, I’m going to take each tenet (one post per tenet) and explore what it means [...]
