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The history of Taekwondo is generally assumed to be short, merely back the forties. This, in fact, is not so. The history of Taekwondo stretches not just through the millennium, but through arts imported into Korea.

A couple of thousand years ago, when Korea consisted of three kingdoms, young men were selected for special training in warfare. This training consisted of all aspects of training for warfare, including archery, equestrian sports, military strategy, and so on. These men were the best of the best, selected because of their unique athletic and mental abilities.

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Kung Fu refers to a number of fighting disciplines that have been created over time in China. The name itself means ’skill attained by hard work over time.’ The classical Kung Fu are those arts created before the advent of the People’s Republic of China.

The martial arts of the People’s Republic, which are are called Wushu, have been modified by physical education coaches. This is for the political enhancement of the communist nation, and they are not related, in practice or philosophy, to the original martial arts. The word, however, can refer to a person’s degree of skill in non martial arts related fields.

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I’m going to put a whole bunch of stuff together here, but it’s the straight goods. Stay with me, work your way through it, and you’ll be able to fix your body using the martial arts, and this means virtually any art. Karate, kung fu, taekwondo, aikido, kenpo, any art, and I recommend looking into a discipline such as Yoga.

First thing, you need to know that life is motion. To the degree that something has the potential of motion, it is alive. To the degree that it doesn’t have the potential of motion, it is dead. This is a vital fact to keep in mind when following the advice of this bit of writing.

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The following phrase has amazing importance for a True Martial Artist. “There are five trees in paradise and they do not change, sumer nor fall, and their leaves don’t drop. Whoever understands these trees will not die.”

Now, you may be wondering what these words have to do with the martial arts, so let me explain. They were written by a fellow named Thomas some two thousand years ago. They stand for the five concentric circles of man’s experience of the universe, and they are as follows.

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No matter which art you study, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Ninjitsu, or whatever, you must be able to perceive the idea behind any attack. I have written about this subject since I began writing in the martial arts magazines over thirty years ago. I find it bizarre that nobody else writes about it.

I originally conceptualized this notion by analogizing somebody driving down a street. Drive down that street enough time, and you start to know where the kids are playing, where the potholes are, and so on. In the martial arts, do the technique enough times, and you know what it means when the opponent lifts the shoulder, turns the foot, and otherwise sets himself up.

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Making the change from Wing Chun Sticky Hands to Tai Chi Chuan Pushing Hands should be an easy one. Of course, a fire drill is always easy, until one has a real fire in their backyard. Thus, to understand this change one must make a few adjustments in the way they think about things.

First, the Sticky Hands of Wing Chun is usually done with a certain springiness in mind. Someone pushes on your arms, and you give away enough to deflect, and then spring into the opening created. This is a generality, and there is a lot more, but it is what we must focus on to make our transition.

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The Aikido Techniques of Morihei Ueshiba are sometimes accused of not being usable in real combat. Such a statement merely shows that a person doesn’t know the nasty tricks behind this amazing art. One should remember, however, that this martial art is derived from Aikijujitsu, which art was put together by Samurai warlords thousands years ago.

Before going further, let me say that this article doesn’t put forth the use of purely destructive techniques. After all, studying a martial art for the sake of the spirit should provide one with a belief system that will enable one to avoid combat situations. That said, knowing the deadlier techniques will enhance the student’s understanding, and should the philosophy proves insufficient to the task…one will have the necessary tools.