Reflections on the Martial Arts

Martial arts are good for fitness and self-defense, but they are better for building character.

By Mark D. Harris

My hands ached and my forearms were a little bloody as I gave the final bow to the master of our dojang in my test for the black belt. An odyssey that began as a second grader in karate class to deal with bullies was complete. My childhood karate ended when the money ran out, so I tried again with tang soo do and kenpo in college and tae kwon do in medical school. In both cases my training was cut short. During my first tour in Germany, I started tae kwon do once more, but stopped after only a few months. I had tried four times to learn an Asian martial art, made it as far as blue belt, quit, and started over again.

During medical school I took up archery, practicing the skills that I had learned in Boy Scouts many years before. Shooting at targets for hours was relaxing, and my future wife and I spent hours talking at the range. When I joined the Army, I gained access to some terrific ranges and began learning to shoot; a modern “martial art.” While firearms are too loud for peaceful conversation with a loved one, shooting is a handy skill for a soldier, especially one headed for Serbia, Kenya, Israel, and Iraq. It was also handy for hunting when I returned to Europe. I even dabbled in fencing, hapkido, and Army combatives.

In August 2012 my youngest child was old enough to begin martial arts and I signed up with four of my five children. We began at white belt, where I had been so many times before. By now the color of the belt had become less important and the other skills more so. Like Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid, the years had reminded me that the belt is insignificant; the years of training, discipline and character were what mattered. Most importantly, tae kwon do was something that I could do with my children.

We learned the forms, the one-step sparring, the Korean terms, and the basic moves one by one. We got stronger, more flexible, and more able to control our bodies. My daughters, both dancers, already had good control and great flexibility, but the boys needed work. None of them were naturally aggressive and sparring came hard, but it came. Struggling with the roundhouse kick became struggling with the jump side kick and breaking a single 3/8” board became breaking a stack of ¾” ones. My children and I progressed through the ranks, but more importantly progressed through the skills. Some moves like roundhouse kicks and single punches are useful in fighting, some like breaking flaming boards are spectacular to watch, and others are best at building skill and endurance. Nonetheless, every move has its place.

Martial arts, from Latin the “Art of Mars”, are traditions of combat training and practice, both armed and unarmed. Asia has produced such famous types as karate, kung fu, judo, and tae kwon do. Brazilian jiu jitsu puts a South American twist on judo. Europe has contributed boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and many schools of swordsmanship. France provided Savate, a type of kickboxing. They were originally developed for self-defense, often by unarmed peasants facing armed attackers, especially in Asia. The history of martial arts is as old as the history of warfare, and the first known depiction of scenes of battle was from 3400 BC. By the Greek era in 500 BC, pankratiasts (fighters using a combination of boxing and wrestling) were fighting in front of judges in the earliest Olympic Games.

In the modern world, tae kwon do and the other martial arts have more to do with fitness and self-control than with defeating an opponent. While some may use the skills of martial arts to gain mastery over others, their real use is to gain mastery over oneself. As it says in Proverbs 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”

For those interested in pursuing Tae Kwon Do, as I have done and continue to practice and recommend, my summaries of the forms are below.

Tae Kwon Do Poomse (Forms)

The best way to learn forms in Tae Kwon Do is in person from a skilled instructor at the do-jang (Tae Kwon Do studio). However, there is never enough time in class to learn and practice enough to master the forms; students must study at home. Like in every other area, practice does not necessarily make perfect, it makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect. There are many videos on the Internet which demonstrate the Tae Kwon Do forms 1-8. View them and practice, practice, practice.

Taegeuk Il Jang – Yellow Stripe

Low block – Middle punch (L)
Low block – Middle punch (R)
Low block – Middle punch (F – NS)
Inside middle block – Middle punch (R)
Inside middle block – Middle punch (L)
Low block – Middle punch (F-NS)
High block – Front kick – Middle punch (L)
High block – Front kick – Middle punch (R)
Low block – Middle punch (B)

Taegeuk Ee Jang – Yellow Belt

Low block – Middle punch (L)
Low block – Middle punch (R)
R inside middle block – L inside middle block (F)
Low block – Front kick – High punch (L)
Low block – Front kick – High punch (R)
L high block – R high block (F)
Inside middle block (R)
Inside middle block (L)
Low block – Front kick – Middle punch (B)
Front kick – Middle punch – Front kick – Middle punch (B)

Taegeuk Sam Jang – Green Stripe

Low block – Front kick – Double punch (L)
Low block – Front kick – Double punch (R)
R neck chop – L neck chop (F)
Single knife hand block – Middle punch (L-NS)
Single knife hand block – Middle punch (R-NS)
R inside middle block – L inside middle block (F)
Low block – Front kick – Double punch (R)
Low block – Front kick – Double punch (L)
Low block – Middle punch (NS) – Low block – Middle punch (NS) (B)
Front kick – Low block – Middle punch (NS) (B)
Front kick – Low block – Middle punch (NS) (B)

Taegeuk Sa Jang – Green Belt

Double knife hand block – Spear finger (L)
Double knife hand block – Spear finger (R)
Bird form neck chop – Front kick – L middle punch (F)
L side kick – R side kick – Double knife hand block (F)
Outside middle block – Front kick (NS) – inside middle block (R)
Outside middle block – Front kick (NS) – inside middle block (L)
Bird form neck chop – Front kick – back fist (B)
Inside middle block – L middle punch (R-NS)
Inside middle block – R middle punch (L-NS)
L inside middle block – Double punch (B-NS)
R inside middle block – Double punch (B-NS)

Taegeuk Oh Jang – Blue Stripe

Low block – Hammer fist (L)
Low block – Hammer fist (R)
Inside middle block – Inside middle block (F-NS)
Front kick – Back fist – Inside middle block (F)
Front kick – Back fist – Inside middle block – Back fist (F)
Single knife hand block – Elbow strike (R)
Single knife hand block – Elbow strike (L)
Low block – Inside middle block – Front kick – Low block – Inside middle block (B)
High block – Side kick/punch – Elbow strike (R)
High block – Side kick/punch – Elbow strike (L)
Low block – Inside middle block – Front kick – skip and Back fist (B)

Taegeuk Yook Jang – Blue Belt

Low block – Front kick (NS) – Outside middle block (L)
Low block – Front kick (NS) – Outside middle block (R)
Twist block (SL/BR) – Roundhouse kick (L)
High outside middle block – Middle punch (NS) – Front kick – Middle punch (L)
High outside middle block – Middle punch (NS) – Front kick – Middle punch (R)
X-uncross – Twist block (SR/BL) (F)
Roundhouse kick (R)
Low block – Front kick (NS) – Outside middle block (L)
Low block – Front kick (NS) – Outside middle block (R)
Double knife hand block – Double knife hand block (F)
Palm/palm down block – Punch – Palm/palm down block – Punch (F)

Taegeuk Chil Jang – Red Stripe

Palm down block/Tiger stance – Front kick (NS) – Inside middle block (L)
Palm down block/Tiger stance – Front kick (NS) – Inside middle block (R)
Double knife hand low block – Double knife hand low block (F)
Inside palm strike/Tiger stance – Back fist (L)
Inside palm strike/Tiger stance – Back fist (R)
Mountain stance – Scissors block (LF) – Scissors block (RF)
Spreading block – Knee strike – Knuckle uppercut – X block (R)
Spreading block – Knee strike – Knuckle uppercut – X block (L)
Back fist – Axe kick – Elbow strike (RFF) – Back fist – Axe kick – Elbow strike (LFF)(B)
Single knife hand block – Side punch (B)

Taegeuk Pal Jang – Red Belt

Double fist block – Middle punch – Jump front kick (F)
Inside middle block – Double punch (NS) – Middle punch (F)
Mountain block – Grab head – Fist uppercut (R)
Front cross step – Mountain block – Grab head – Fist uppercut (L)
Double knife hand block – Middle punch – Front kick (F)
Two steps back – Palm down block/Tiger stance (F)
Double knife hand block – Front kick – Middle punch – Palm down/Tiger (L)
Double knife hand block – Front kick – Middle punch – Palm down/Tiger (R)
Fist low block – Front kick – Jump front kick – Inside middle block – Double punch (B)
Single knife hand block – Elbow strike – Back first – Middle punch (L)
Single knife hand block – Elbow strike – Back first – Middle punch (R)

Koryo – Black Belt 1^st Dan

Koryo choon bi – hands like grasping round object at eye level in front of face
Double knife hand block – low and middle side kick – reverse neck chop – middle punch (NS) – inside middle block (L)
Double knife hand block – low and middle side kick – reverse neck chop – middle punch (NS) – inside middle block (R)
L single knife hand low block – R V hand – R front kick – R single knife hand low block – L V hand – L front kick – L single knife hand low block – R V hand – R front kick – R grab lower leg – L knee break (F)
Double fist outside block – L front kick – L grab lower leg – R knee break (B)
Single knife hand block – R middle punch (into L hand) – R leg cross back – L side kick (L)
L spear hand groin strike – R low block – L palm down block – R elbow strike – R single knife hand block – R middle punch (into L hand) – L leg cross back – R side kick (R)
R spear hand groin strike – L low block – R palm down block – L elbow strike (L)
Sun hand stretch (F)
L reverse neck chop – L single knife hand low block – R neck chop – R single knife hand low block – L neck chop – L single knife hand low block – R V hand

Keumgang – Black Belt 2^nd Dan

Double fist outside block (L walk) – R palm strike (R walk) – L palm strike (L walk) – R palm strike (R walk) (F)
Single knife hand block (R back) – Single knife hand block (L back) – Single knife hand block (R back)
Bird stance (L face) – Diamond (L) – Twist forward diamond (L) – Double mountain block (Left face/front)
Double fist outside block (R face) – Double arm side block (R face) – Double mountain block (Left face/back)
Bird stance (R face) – Diamond (R) – Twist forward diamond (R)
Bird stance (R face) – Diamond (R) – Twist forward diamond (R) – Double mountain block (Right face/front)
Double fist outside block (L face) – Double arm side block (L face) – Double mountain block (Right face/back)
Bird stance (L face) – Diamond (L) – Twist forward diamond (L)

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