Positive Mental Attitude

PMA is positive mental attitude

How you feel about things around you really depends on how and what you think.  And how you think about things can impact your health.

There has been a lot of studies that link better health to positive thinking or optimism.  At the Mayo clinic, they discuss how one can reduce stress by positive thinking.  As most of you know when you are depressed or stressed out, your health level goes down, and your immune system suffers–making you more susceptible to getting sick.  Just check out this article from the American Psychological Association titled “Stress Weakens the Immune System“.

The truth of the matter is, what you truly think depends on what story you tell yourself when interpreting a situation or event.  Thus, if you want to be healthy tell yourself good positive stories about the situation or event in front of you, and you will find yourself feeling better.

This week, our focus is on Taekwondo’s last tenet–“Victory“.  Victory stands for positive mental attitude.  Please think of situations that have caused you mental grief and figure out how you can change the story you tell yourself in order to shed a more positive light into the matter.  After all, there is a positive and negative to everything–you just need to focus on the positive.

 

 

perseverance

Running uphill is a good analogy to perseverance– keep moving even when you feel like giving up

Perseverance is the third tenet of Taekwondo.  Aside from being respectful or nice to others (courtesy), or being responsible or doing what is right (integrity), applying perseverance can help you succeed in life.

The dictionary defines perseverance as:

“steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement”

The one thing this makes clear is that perseverance is the act of being persistent at some purpose or action despite hurdles, obstacles, or discouragement.

At Koryo Family Taekwondo Center, we regularly review the meaning of perseverance, what it means, how it applies to life, and share examples of it.

Our curriculum is extensive.  This means that some students may not pick them up right away.  It is through this learning moment where we teach them perseverance.  We help them understand that the only way they will fail  at something is if they give up.  As long as they continue to try their best, they will eventually succeed.

We also remind our students that persistence isn’t enough.  If at first they don’t succeed, they will need to look at what went wrong or what they did wrong.  Once they understand this and learn from it, then and only then should they try again–only this time, they correct the mistakes of the original action.

Through perseverance, we remind our students that the only limitation they have are the ones they put on themselves.  If they put their mind to it, be persistent, and learn from mistakes, there are no limits to what they can achieve.

This is why perseverance is such an important tenet of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo

Tae Kwon Do

At the school where I used to teach, we start every class by reciting the tenets of Taekwondo.

“Tenets of Taekwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, victory”

What is the purpose of reciting it, and what is the tenet’s purpose?

We recite the tenets every class so that you never forget what they are.  By repetition, we ingrain them in your mind.

Now, it doesn’t do anyone any good if you know the tenets but don’t really know their purpose.  The tenets provide a general guideline of behavior and action.  In life, there are way too many situations to dictate all possible responses.  These tenets are general enough so that the martial artist can make the best decision about how to handle almost any situation.

By knowing them and applying them, you can be on your way to becoming a better martial artist.

Recall the tenets of Taekwondo:

  • Courtesy – Be courteous and respectful of others; in short, be nice to others.
  • Integrity – People can depend on what you say and do; you can be trusted, and you are responsible.
  • Perseverance – In the face of adversity, you fight on and never give up; if you fail at something, you figure out what went wrong and keep moving forward.
  • Self-control – Sometimes anger can overcome one’s common sense or a strong impulse can cause one to lose control;  there are many temptations out there, and a strong self-control can keep you from doing the wrong thing.
  • Indomitable spirit – Set high goals and go for them; to succeed in life one must have a purpose–set them and go!
  • Victory – Having a positive mental attitude can help you overcome almost any situation; infact, it can help you learn!  Where one sees a problem, you should see an opportunity!

Olympic Taekwondo Ditches Sport's Traditions

source: Chron.com

Early in October 2011, there was news posted on the web titled “Olympic Taekwondo Ditches Sport’s Traditions.”  In this article, they noted that just a year before, the governing body for Taekwondo changed the rules for sparring so that judges award more points for head shots.

In my own personal opinion, the way Taekwondo has evolved in sports, not just in the Olympics, isn’t helping promote it as a martial arts.  I’ve personally seen it detract from the traditional teachings of martial arts.

In the referenced article, competitors who make it to black belt say that they simply focus on training to fight and not even think about other parts of the art, to include forms (or “poomsae” in Korean).  This behavior is contrary to traditional teaching of Taekwondo as a whole.

People have seen evidence of this trend seen as early as the 2008 Olympics.  In one sparring match, a Cuban competitor wasn’t happy with a referee’s call, and decided to kick the referee on the face.  That Cuban fighter (I call him fighter because he isn’t a martial artist) has long been banned from Taekwondo competition.  That was a sad day in Taekwondo, an art known to help build stronger inner character for those who truly practice it.

I know of at least a couple of schools in my state where their main focus is sparring.  One of them is no longer in business, while the other remains open.  If all the focus is on sparring, then it is no longer a martial art.  They should explicitly be advertised as Sports Taekwondo instead of just plain Taekwondo (or Tae Kwon Do) so people will know it is sports and not a martial arts.

The sport itself detracts from realistic fights since it focuses on kicks.  The hands are mainly there to block or to help set up for a kick.  Never in my life have I seen anyone score with a punch; judges award points for kicks only.  This is why Taekwondo is widely known as a style that uses lots of kicks.

Note that the sport of Taekwondo has its place.  For my students, it allows them to compete and test their skills with other kids whom they’ve not sparred before.  It also helps them experience winning and losing, and in the process exercise the application of Taekwondo tenets–courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, and victory.

If things are to improve in the sports of Taekwondo, techniques of both the hands and the feet must be awarded points.  After all, isn’t Taekwondo the art of using the hands and feet for self-defense?

What do you think?  Do you agree?  Please comment below.