Over the
years, I have had friends and acquaintances ask a question that I have no doubt
many of us have been asked throughout our careers as martial artists.
"Why do
you practice Tae Kwon-Do?All someone
needs to do is pull out a gun and shoot you."
Here in Texas, where gun
ownership is considered a God-given right, martial arts practitioners have probably
been asked this question more than most.
Truly,
bare-handed fighting is at an extreme disadvantage against an opponent with a
firearm.So why then, DO we practice TKD?
There are
many reasons.Individuals who practice
TKD acquire:
* exceptional
physical conditioning;
* skills in
pre-planning and goal setting;
* a desire to "give back" to the community; and
* a STRONG
(and sometimes stubborn) mental purpose in life.
But what
else? I will answer
with a brief story.The other day while
walking through a good friend's dojang I encountered two students.
One was a grim-faced
young man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, with tattoos covering both arms,
preparing for a Mixed Martial Arts class.I smiled at the young man as he walked by and stated, "Good Evening".He responded with, ..."sup" (a current colloquialism
for "what's up?").No eye contact was
made from this young man, no pause in his step, and, very little in the way of
acknowledgement.
The other was
a young lady, perhaps 10 years old, and a CTF yellow belt.When I smiled and stated, "Good Evening", she
looked me directly in the eye, bowed formally, smiled, and stated
enthusiastically, "Good evening Master Harvey.How was your day today?"
The answer to
the posed question becomes simple my friends.CTF Tae Kwon-Do builds character.The kind of character that forges success, leadership, confidence,
communication skills, and more.With the
discipline of our style and the constant emphasis on excellence, how could
there possibly be any other outcome?
I challenge
you to continue to train hard, to strive for perfection, to try new techniques,
and to above all maintain that quality of character that so positively differentiates
our style from others.