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Excellence in Martial Arts
November, 2005
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When Can We Use Taekwondo?
Article by: Tim Miltenberger
This question is inevitably one that comes up. My answer usually is, “All the
time.” Let me take some time to put on paper why I believe this and also how it
works.
Life Skills
One of the greatest things we teach through the Martial arts are life
skills. These skills are those that can be used both inside the club, and when
we are at work, school or home. Our themes of the month reflect the life skills
we want to teach.
One of the greatest life skills my instructor taught me is perseverance. Oh I
was pretty stubborn before I began my Martial Arts career, but what Master Larry
Edel showed me went far beyond what I had learned in life elsewhere.
I remember Master Edel when I first began Taekwondo. I walked into his club at a
church in Ames, Ia in the fall of 1987 determined to begin a Martial Art. There
stood this big guy with an expansive smile behind a table in street cloths. He
talked to me about Taekwondo, and told me I could stay and watch class.
Eventually he stepped out of the room for a moment and re-emerged wearing a
Taekwondo Uniform and a black belt! I had no idea that the person who would be
teaching would be a “normal guy”.
I began my training not too long after that, and Master Edel was there all
the time. In March of 1990 though this man showed me exactly what he is made of.
It was then he suffered from a farm accident that left him paralyzed from the
chest down and confined him to a wheelchair. I saw a man hit hard by a blow from
life that we don’t expect or plan for, but I also saw a man who did not give up.
Master Edel never left Taekwondo, and still teaches in Nevada, Iowa from his
wheelchair. Earning 4th, 5th, and 6th degree black belts testing from the chair,
and even achieving mastership! If that is not perseverance modeled, I don’t know
what is.
I learned to set goals in Taekwondo as well, and how to achieve them. I think
the belt ranks and requirements within each one gives us a chance to practice
goal setting and how to achieve even outside life. One that I use as an
illustration in classes is the fact that we review one form somewhere around one
hundred times before a testing. When I was in college I used to take my math
homework and do all the problems once and then wonder why I had trouble on the
tests. Repetition is the key to memorization, and that concept too is
illustrated well in classes.
How about Self Defense
This is usually what people mean when they ask about using Taekwondo. It serves
well as a method of self-defense, but we do have to understand that if someone
calls us a name, we can’t just kick them in the head.
I hope that’s what we learn in classes here. Whenever a situation arises where
the need of protecting one’s person is in question we should first avoid it if
possible, but if necessary use our skills with care. I don’t have the time or
the expertise to go into all the legal ramifications here in this article, but
if there’s another way out that doesn’t use physical methods, then we should
take it. If life or limb is in question, then of course use Taekwondo.
Our Themes of the Month
Preparing for life outside the Taekwondo Dojang.
Parents, please be sure to review the following list. Take time to reward your
child for positive behavior at home with a star any time they display these
characteristics! Stars can be given simply by writing a short note that the
students bring to class. This can be a great positive motivator at home. I have
even seen parents set up a tracking system for good behavior that is hung on the
wall. The children are then rewarded with a note every time they do something
that is listed on the chart. This gives a good visual device for the child to
follow and understand.
Also this reward system gives us a good chance to stay in communication with
you, the parent, and find out how your child, our student, is doing at home.
This cooperation will help all of us in understanding and addressing the needs
of each individual taking classes.
Integrity will be the monthly theme discussed during the month of November. The
illustration I have used for awhile with this particular skill is if Mom or Dad
says don’t eat the cookies in the cookie jar and they leave the house with a
whole bunch of freshly baked cookies in the jar, we still don’t eat them. The
gist of integrity is doing what we know is right all the time, even when no one
is watching. Thus, the phrase we will be saying this month is “Do what is right
all the time.”
In December, we will be reviewing the last three themes, those being
persistence, discipline and integrity. This gives the students a chance to show
that they have learned what all of these are, and how to apply them both inside
and outside of class. Remember Persistence we defined as “Don’t give up”, and
Discipline as “Just do it!”
January brings us to Leadership. Leadership is “getting others to follow.” We
will stress making sure that we lead others in a good direction, and that to be
a good leader we need to first be a good student.
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