The Five Tenets of Taekwondo: A Breakdown
Taekwondo is about physical ability… but mostly, it’s about character.
Here at the Michigan Academy of Taekwondo, we teach our students about the Five Tenets of Taekwondo.
The Five Tenets are guiding principles every Taekwondo player ought to abide by.
In today’s blog post, we’re going to break down the Five Tenets of Taekwondo.
Courtesy
Courtesy means always being on the lookout for ways to make things easier for other people.
Whenever we notice someone could use a helping hand, we, as martial artists, are quick to offer one.
“Courtesy costs nothing, but it can mean everything to someone else.”
Holding doors, saying please and thank you, making eye contact with other people…
These are just a few of the things we can do on a daily basis to demonstrate the value we see in other people… to extend common courtesy.
Integrity
Integrity means doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.
It may be tempting to skip out on a couple reps when you’re doing an intense workout — after all, nobody’s counting except you…
But when we cut corners in life, it sits on or subconscious…
It stresses us out, causes our confidence to plummet, and in the end, it’s just the wrong thing to do!
When we’re people of integrity, our mighty actions are evidence of our high character.
Perseverance
It takes four years to earn a Black Belt at the Michigan Academy of Taekwondo, and we’re very candid with our students…
At some point in those four years, it’s going to get difficult.
And many students will want to quit at some point in their journey.
Like almost anything worthwhile in life, there will be times when it becomes difficult to keep going.
School, extracurricular activities, and even in friendships…
One of our favorite quotes is, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
The ability to persevere through hardship is proof of someone with strong character.
Self-Control
Human beings experience a range of emotions, including anger.
One of our favorite quotes about anger is: “In the heat of anger, pause.”
Here at MAT, we encourage our students to, when they’re angry, STOP and take several deep breaths.
We teach them not to speak or act out of anger…
Because when we’re angry, we’re not in our right mind.
And when we’re not in our right mind, we say and do things that we’ll regret later on.
Indomitable Spirit
Sometimes life can get overwhelming. In moments of overwhelm, we experience a feeling of defeat.
But in our mindsets and attitudes, we can choose not to let the pressures, stresses, and struggles overcome us…
Instead, we can see them as challenges… mere hurdles we need to find our way around.
“Indomitable” simply means that which cannot be defeated. And our spirit is the energy inside us that keeps us moving forward and becoming a better person each day.
With an indomitable spirit, even the most undesirable circumstances can be seen as an opportunity to tap into our innermost strength.
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