THE PHILOSOPHY OF TAEKWONDO

Good morning everybody!

It’s nice to meet you here in the great time and place.
I am Fahmi Fahrurroji, the student of English Letters Department of the State Islamic,
Jakarta.
In this opportunity I would like to tell you about “The Philosophy of Taekwondo.” If
you have any questions while I’m speaking, please save them until the end of the
presentation.
Well, I’ve divided my presentation into four parts :

1. Features
2. The Philosophy of Taekwondo
3. Implications
4. Conclusions

Features
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean,
tae means to strike or break with foot; kwon means to break with fist; do means way,
method or art. Taekwondo is also known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, which
distinguishes it from other martial arts.
A taekwondo student typically wears a uniform which called dobok. Taekwondo,
along with many other martial arts, is traditionally performed in bare foot, though there are
specialist training shoes that can sometimes be worn.
Although each taekwondo club or school will be different, a taekwondo student can
typically expect to take a part in most or all of the following :

 Learning the techniques and curriculum of taekwondo

 Both anaerobic and aerobic workout, including stretching
 Self-defense techniques (hosinsul)
 Patterns (pumsae)
 Sparring (gyeorugi)
 Relaxation and meditation excercises
 Throwing and/or falling techniques (deonjigi and tteoreojigi)
 Breaking (gyeopka or weeroka)
 Exam to progress to the next rank (usually identified by belts of various colors)
 A focus on mental and ethical discipline, justice, etiquette, respect, and self-
confidence

The Philosophy of Taekwondo

Since Taekwondo developed in several different kwans, there are several different
expressions of taekwondo different. For the example, the tenets of the ITF are said to be
summed up by the last two phrases in the ITF Student Oath: “I shall be a champion of
justice and freedom” and “I shall build a better and more peaceful world.” Alternatively,
the Kukkiowon Philosophy, the Han Philosophy, is based on Eastern principles of samje
(three elements), eum (negative or darkness), and yang (positive or brightness) with samje
referring to cheon (sky or heaven), ji (the earth), and in (a man or a person). The origins of
these concepts originate from the Chinese classic “I Ching” which is considered to be an
important part of the canon of East Asian Philosophy.
Taekwondo not only about body contact but also has an art side of culture. Korean
people are very proud to have taekwondo as their national sport. Taekwondo as a martial
art is popular with people of both genders and of many ages. Physically, taekwondo
develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. An example of the union of
mental and physical discipline is the breaking of wooden boards, which requires both
physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's power. Taekwondo
as an art can be identified by its movement and beautiful combination kicks.

Implications
Our body has potentials which are can be trained and developed. Learning taekwondo
will be give us some positive things such controlling emotions and etiquette. It is not a
doubt that to train our body by taekwondo will give us strength, self-confidence, and praise
for the traditional martial art.

Conclusions
Before I finish my presentation let me summarize the important points for this!
 Taekwondo is Korean traditional martial art
 Taekwondo is an art
 Taekwondo gives us advantages (self-confidence, protection, etc)
 Indonesia has to follow Korean way for the Silat’s promotion

I think it’s the end of my presentation. Thank you for the attention.

(References : Wikipedia and Google)

 THE PHILOSOPHY OF TAEKWONDO

By :
Fahmi Fahrurroji

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

ADAB AND HUMANIORA
UIN SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH JAKARTA
2010