Criminal Law

In General

Taekwondo practitioners are especially susceptible to exceeding the bounds of reasonable force in self-defense situations. They diligently train many years to react instinctively to an attack. The problem occurs when the instinctive reaction is excessive under the circumstances. In this respect, Taekwondo training may become a liability during a self-defense situation since the courts may expect a trained Taekwondo practitioner to be in more control of his/her actions than an ordinary citizen. The courts may view a Taekwondo practitioner's excessive force as merely taking advantage a self-defense situation as an excuse to practice techniques learned in class.

If a Taekwondo instructor only teaches techniques for severely injuring or maiming an opponent, the students should question the quality and practicality of the instruction. Mastering Taekwondo means your being able to react to any type of situation with the appropriate level of force. Training that emphasizes only severe injury ignores the law and the ethics of Taekwondo.