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Although the literal translation of Taekwondo is the art of kicking and punching, it is only a superficial translation. "Do" in Korean implies a philosophical approach to life, a pathway to achieve enlightenment. Taekwondo is not only a method of self-defense, it is also a way of life. Students of Taekwondo, through rigorous physical training, try to improve themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. True Taekwondo practitioners extend the art to all aspects of their lives to achieve harmony with nature and a stable and peaceful existence.

Taekwondo has practical value as a martial art, a self-defense system, and as a competitive sport. It also has ideological value, based upon its technical, artistic, and philosophic ideals. The technical ideal is derived from Taekwondo’s stress on performing techniques with technical perfection. The artistic ideal derives from personal expression while performing Taekwondo techniques. The philosophic ideal is attained when the technical and artistic aspects of Taekwondo bring balance and harmony to ones daily life. The ultimate value of Taekwondo is attained when the practitioner becomes aware of changes or threats in his or her environment and is able to effortlessly and properly react to them. This state of mind becomes possible through the mastery of a broad range of offensive and defensive Taekwondo skills.

Taekwondo as a life leveler

Taekwondo is a life leveler. It evens out attitudes, emotions, and actions. If you are short-tempered, it makes you more tolerant. If you are aggressive, it make you calmer. If you are meek, it makes you more assertive. If you are anti-social, it makes you more friendly. If you are weak, it makes you stronger. If you are impulsive, it makes you more restrained. These changes will occur slowly so you may not notice them, but your friends and family will notice the changes.

Basic Taekwondo training

Taekwondo training begins with basic stances, blocks, kicks, and punches. Beginning students then use these techniques in predetermined block/attack/counterattack movements in response to prearranged attacks (step-sparring). Students learn to perform these techniques deliberately and precisely by practicing patterns. Students then put all these skills together and learn to free-spar against opponents of lesser, equal, or greater skills. Students also learn self-defense techniques to allow them to respond to real life "street" situations.

Modern Taekwondo

Taekwondo has evolved in recent years into three distinct entities: Taekwondo for children, Taekwondo for women, and Taekwondo for adults. 

Taekwondo for children

Taekwondo has no age limits and is a very good sport for children. Taekwondo for children is a watered down version of traditional Taekwondo, that removes the stress on realistic self-defense. Usually no mention is made of the brutal aspects of Taekwondo techniques. Taekwondo for children is a pure sport. The stress is on helping children build themselves physically, and on instilling character, self-esteem, effort, concentration, sincerity, respect, self-control, and etiquette. It is a fun, safe system of self-improvement and personal development that is highly recommended by parents, physicians, and educators. Competition for children is basically the same as it is for adults; both wear protective equipment and use only light contact. Although people of all ages practice Taekwondo, many call it "the children's martial art" because it is so popular with, and beneficial to children. For commercial schools, children are where the money is; they build the base for school income. Without all the children, most schools could not afford to stay open. Like any other sport, children are the future champions and instructors of Taekwondo. 

Taekwondo for women

Taekwondo for women is an extension of the aerobics craze of recent years. Just like the different styles of Karate, there are different styles of aerobic Taekwondo, such as Tae Bo, cardio kickboxing, aerobic kickboxing, Tae Aerobics, etc. Students go through the motions of kicking and punching, but there is no stress on technique or power, only on continuous motion. Aerobic Taekwondo is not just for women, men and children also practice it, but it was designed to attract women. Since it is just the latest exercise fad and does not have the discipline required of Taekwondo, it will gradually lose its appeal, just as the previous fads it replaced. To cash in on the latest craze, most dojangs teach classes in aerobic Taekwondo as a part of their curriculum. One advantage to teaching it in a dojang is that students may develop an interest in Taekwondo and decide to study the art itself.

Taekwondo for adults

Taekwondo for adults is for men and women who want to learn Taekwondo for self-defense, fitness, or weight control. This is the traditional Taekwondo that stresses discipline, speed, power, and combat techniques. It includes free-sparring techniques as well as combat techniques for real-life self-defense situations.

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