Your legs are usually longer and stronger then an opponents arms. Tae Kwon Do is a dynamic system of kicking to disable an opponent from a safe distance.
■Boxing - Once an opponent is inside your kicking range, then a knowledge of how to use your hands is imperative.
■Hap Ki Do - If the person grabs on to you, Hap Ki Do utilizes a system of joint manipulation and escape moves.
■Judo - If in clo
se enough, basic judo techniques are used to take the opponent to the ground. How the martial arts can help you:
■Self Defense - While teaching a person to defend oneself in an efficient and effective manner, we emphasize the control and restraint necessary in the use of potentially dangerous force.
■Physical Prowess - Gradual and progressive exercise soon brings the student to expand present limitations in an intelligent and safe manner. Students begin to have new vitality and energy. Improved strength, flexibility, endurance, and coordination are only a few of the physical benefits.
■Mental Skills - The mind needs discipline as well as the body. Most students respond well to goal-setting, positive mental attitude, and positive self-image. Improvements show up in the form of better listening skills, longer attention span, better thinking skills, and increased awareness.
■Social Skills - One's self-image determines how we feel about ourselves and how we relate to others. When we feel good about ourselves, we fell good about others. We expect good manners and maintain traditional standers of respect.
■Emotional Control - Only when we can control ourselves can we control those around us. The martial arts provide a great outlet for the stress of everyday life. We learn to channel potentially negative energy into positive energy. The Warm-Up:
Many schools say that a warm-up should not be done because you do not have the chance to warm-up in a street fight. We take exception to that for a number of reasons:
■Any athletic endeavor should be preceded by a warm-up to prevent pulled muscles or damage to ligaments and tendons
■Stretching and other elements of the warm-up helps to reduce stress and strengthen the body. Daily stretching produces a retained stretch.
■Many people take the martial arts for recreation and general health, not just to street fight. Rank:
Many schools give out unearned rank to build the student's self-esteem. We feel that this gives the student a false sense of security. Rank is only an outward sign of the ability within. A belt will not save a person on the street. Conditioned reflexes and proper training will. Rank has to be earned in this school.
