What is TaeKwon-Do? TaeKwon-Do is an ancient martial art dating back to
5000B.C. It was
mainly
used by peasants who could
not afford
weapons to protect their villages, so they had to
devise a way to defend themselves without weapons - hence 'Tae' meaning
“Hand”, 'Kwon' meaning “Foot” and 'Do' meaning “The Way”. Put
together
TaeKwon-Do means the ‘Way of the Hand and Foot‘. The high flying
kicks you see in TaeKwon-Do were used to knock pirates and marauders
off
horses during battles.
TaeKwon-Do
was back in 1955 by the
late General Choi Hong Hi, a philosopher, who hoped to some day unite
the world by
the way of TaeKwon-Do. To this day you can find TaeKwon-Do
schools
at every corner of the globe from Africa to Mexico, England to China,
and
India to Russia.
We practice the Chan Hun style of TaeKwon-Do. It is based on 24 patterns, which represent one hour of each day in each of our lives. Patterns are a series of movements made up of different blocks, punches, kicks, and stances that are put together to exercise the movements required for the next belt level. Patterns or 'Tuls' are a set number of movements that reflect the history of Korea from birth to present time. Each belt rank is required to perform each movement with accuracy, speed, power, balance, breath control, and sine wave. There are 24 patterns in TaeKwon-Do. Ten (10) Gup patterns from white belt to black belt, and fourteen (14) DAN patterns from 1st DAN to 9th DAN black belt.
TaeKwon-Do is a non-weapon martial art, meaning we do not practice using typical weapons, since the weapon you are sharpening is yourself. TaeKwon-Do is practical in this aspect since to defend yourself you do not need to always carry a weapon with you. TaeKwon-Do is also practical in a sense because you do not need an expensive Do-Jang (school) or a Do-Buk (uniform) to practice.
The main foundation for TaeKwon-Do are the five (5) Tenants of TaeKwon-Do. A tenet is an opinion, principle or doctrine, which a person holds as truth.
Some of the main principles of any martial arts is discipline and self awareness. Honor and pride are very essential for younger children. The constant practicing and excelling at all levels builds confidence and self esteem. You become more aware of your surroundings and more confident as you progress through the ranks. A more confident person walks with their head up and proud, this confidence is what deters attackers.
The TaeKwon-Do program itself can be taught to anyone who is in good physical and mental health.
There are 10 gups or belt ranks in our TaeKwon-Do federation. Five belts and 5 stripes on each of those belts. Testing is done on a quarterly basis dependant on class credits, the student’s aptitude, and techniques.
The program will be broken up into two separate age groups for the moment. Five years old up to and including 8-9 years old. Adult classes will be 9 years old and up.
Master Instructor Michael Louie
has been teaching TaeKwon-Do since 1991 at Millersville University as a
volunteer instructor. In May 2003 he received his 4th degree
black belt. He has promoted several students to the rank of 1st,
2nd and 3rd degree black belts. A 1993 AAU Gold medalist in the
NJ State Championships in
patterns and a 1993 AAU Silver medalist in the National Championships
in patterns, Mr. Louie will
train you in the fundamentals of TaeKwon-Do, a Korean Martial
Art. You will learn meditation exercises, kicks, punches, blocks,
patterns (tuls), self defense, self discipline, self confidence, and
sparring exercises. He will show you how to “Learn to build
a more peaceful world through martial arts” and become a better person
through TaeKwon-Do.
Hempfield
Area Recreation Center– Landisville,
PA
898-3102
(located at
Hempfield Area Recreation Center
offers a family special discount. If you have more than one student enrolled at
Paramount
Sports Complex – Palmyra,
PA 838-0330
(located about 5 miles east of Hershey)
http://www.paramountsportscomplex.com/
Paramount Sports Complex
offers a family special. If you have more than one student enrolled at