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Tenets

Taekwondo America | Uniform | Belt Hierarchy | Tying the Belt | Oath | Member Schools


Taekwondo America students shall live their lives according to the following tenets that are recited at the beginning of every class.

Courtesy

Thoughtfulness and consideration of others, humility, civility, and politeness. Taekwondo students should attempt to practice the following elements of etiquette:
  • Promote spirit of mutual concessions
  • Be ashamed of one's vices, contemplating those of others
  • Be polite to one another
  • Encourage sense of justice and humility
  • Distinguish instructor from student, senior from junior, and elder from younger
  • Behave according to etiquette
  • Respect others' possessions
  • Handle matters with fairness and sincerity
  • Refrain from giving or accepting any gift when in doubt
Show respect for others and treat them as you would like to be treated.

Integrity

Uncompromising adherence to a code of moral values and principles, it requires soundness of ethical strength. In Taekwondo, the word integrity assumes a looser definition than the one usually presented in Webster's dictionary. One must be able to define right and wrong, and have the conscience, when wrong, to feel guilt. Below are some examples of where integrity is lacking:
  • The instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by presenting improper techniques to his students due to a lack of knowledge or apathy.
  • The student who misrepresents herself by "fixing" breaking materials before demonstrations.
  • The instructor who claims false rank and camouflages bad techniques with luxurious training halls and false flattery to her students.
  • The student who requests rank from an instructor, or attempts to purchase it.
  • The student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power.
  • The instructor that teaches and promotes his art for materialistic gains.
  • The student whose actions do not live up to his words.
  • The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from her juniors.
Everyone is born with integrity, but it may be lost. Once lost it will be difficult, if not impossible, to regain it.

Perseverance

Steadfast pursuit of one's goals. It is the quality of never giving up in the face of challenge.

Happiness and prosperity usually come to the patient person. To achieve something, whether it is higher rank or perfection of a technique, one must set a goal then constantly persevere. Robert Bruce learned his lesson of perseverance from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this perseverance and tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the fourteenth century. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader of Taekwondo is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance.

Self-Control

Restraint of one's emotions and reactions. Behave in a the manner that society dictates that a reasonable and prudent person should behave under the circumstances. Sometimes a proper response to a situation is anger, so expressing anger is not a lack of self-control, however the anger must be under control. Control comes from within rather than from outside forces. This tenet is extremely important inside and outside the school, whether conducting oneself in free-sparring or in one's personal affairs. A loss of self-control in free sparring may prove disastrous to both student and opponent. An inability to live and work within one's capability is also a lack of self-control.

Indomitable Spirit

The spirit which enables one to face danger with self-possession, confidence, and resolution. Courage consists of a reserve of moral strength on which one may draw in time of emergency. A courageous person will not tolerate injustice.
 
"Here lie 300, who did their duty."

A simple epitaph for one of the greatest acts of courage known to mankind. Although facing the superior forces of Xerxes, Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae showed the world the true meaning of courage.

A serious student of Taekwondo must be modest and honest, but if confronted with injustice, he or she will deal with the belligerent without any fear or hesitation.

Stand tall and proud and face up to any situation that may come your way. Let nothing drag you down. Senator McCain and Admiral Stockdale were tortured for years in North Vietnamese prison camps and never broke. Everyone has a strong spirit in the best of times; the indomitable spirit is also  strong during the worst of times.