Taekwondo

For American football hall of famer, Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott, I have found no mention of any Black Belt rank in any of his online biographies or articles. There is a mention of a couple of Taekwondo Instructors, Chung and Chan from a California Bay Area based school called America's Best Karate, having trained many of the San Francisco 49ers, including Lott. Many football players, and other athletes take up the Martial Art to gain skills that will improve their performance in the sport they play. However, most of them do so on a superficial level, and rarely achieve any rank.

Apparently, Ronnie Lott trained in Taekwondo to improve his football game, but there is no mention of any rank.

(see related link below)

The belt itself is pretty strong, made of silk layered over a cotton core, with eight or ten rows of stitching.

A black belt student might also be very strong; although there is no particular strength requirement for the black belt test, training toward a black belt results in increased strength. It should also be remembered that although you may have earned a black belt, you will not maintain your strength unless you maintain your training.

I think you might mean, what is the Choong Jung "form" for red belt in the ATA (American Taekwondo Association / Song Ahm Taekwondo). In that case, the answer is Choong Jung EE Jahng (Choong Jung 2nd form).

(See related link below)

The Master Yoichi Nakachi brought Shinpu-ren Karate to the US in 1959 and introduced his Butokukan Karate to the US in 1963. He died in 1998. Butokukan style karate purports to bring all the best of all the martial arts together, on a karate foundation.

Yoichi nakachi was also the "oh-so proud karate guy" that used to defy Bruce Lee in public places many times, he was Bruce's partner at University at that time, and finally it all ended up in a 11 seconds fight, face to face, in which Bruce beat him really bad (See Wikipedia Bruce Lee in Spanish)

What is the "best' is always a matter of opinion. People study Martial Art for many different reasons, and each system has many benefits. Success comes from taking the knowledge and skills taught in any particular system, practicing it thoroughly, and applying it correctly. As for self defense, all of the legitimate and recognized systems have viable techniques and tactics that could work for real self defense. It is never a valid question to pit one system against another because sport rules usually favor one or the other depending on rules applied, and this has nothing to do with the real-life application of any of the arts.

In a real fight, the system does not win or loose. It is up to the individual to have been taught correctly, practiced to a point of excellence, and then applied in an ideal fashion. With the enlightened knowledge of any authentic Martial Art system, a Master knows that there is no superior art, and any two masters facing each other are typically wise enough never to fight - so the genuine arts of the master's are never contested in this way. The only one who would make a move on a highly skilled Master is either a fool, or a Master with a bad attitude - - in which case the one with the bad attitude and lack of self control is not a true Martial Artist. Being the aggressor, they place themselves at a greater risk of defeat.

It is a common philosophy among Martial Art Masters that when two tigers fight, onelimpsaway severely wounded, and the other one is killed. Either way, neither wins since the one that survives will likely soon die either from not being able to hunt, or from not being able tofight as well against the next tiger due to his injuries.

Pine is the most common. Younger students often use balsa (thats cheating, its so easy to break). it really depends on the instructor as to what thickness and size of wood you break.

The Korean term "haesan" (해산 : hae - san) is a noun that refers to a "dismissal." It might be used at the end of a training session to dismiss the class.

Different taekwondo schools have different slogans. One of the contributors to this page attends a taekwondo school where the slogan is: "I promise to be a good person with knowledge in my mind, honest in my heart, to make good friends and become a black belt."

Tae kwon do or the way of hands and feet focuses on respect,leadership,and loyalty.

Taekwondo does not have a unique definition of respect. To feel respect for someone or something is to hold it in high esteem.

Taekwondo practitioners are expected to show respect for their county, their school, their instructors, their fellow students, their parents and even their opponents.

Taekwondo practitioners show respect by bowing and in their manner of speech and address. Taekwondo practitioners should never argue. They should not argue with their instructor during class. They should not argue with fellow students or with their parents. They most especially should not argue with referees during tournaments.

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Many people misunderstand the original meaning of the term respect, and often misuse the word in a context contrary to its intended purpose. Even frequently used slang expressions become the norm, and the validity of the definition becomes distorted and misconstrued over time.

It is worth noting that the term "respect" comes from the Latin word "respectus," the past participle of respicere, which means to "regard," or "look back at." This is very important to understanding the meaning of respect, and using it properly. Respect comes from looking back on past events, and regarding the value of objects, people, and their actions. Respect is commonly defined with the synonym of "esteem." Esteem comes from the French estimer: "to value," which is derived from the Latin aestimare, meaning to "estimate," or "assess." Assess means to examine something in order to judge or evaluate it, and to calculate and determine a value based on various factors.

By definition, respect refers to an individual's observation, mental pondering, and consideration of the value or worth of somebody or something. It means a high regard, or elevated opinion and appreciation of any person or thing. Respect is a personal, mental assessment of some level of value held in one's own mind. The existence of an attitude of respect can be displayed, demonstrated, or shown through words and actions, but respect itself is never actually given to anyone since it is not a physical object, but is based on our own individual appreciation of the value of someone or something.

(see additional comments on discussion page)

This is a rather vague question since you would have to specify who "they" are. However, Taekwondo has been used for self defense from the time it was first established as the national Martial Art of Korea, until today. Even before the name Taekwondo was officially used to describe the Korean Martial Art, the curriculum of striking with punches and kicks, throwing and grappling was taught in Korea for centuries, and used both in the military, and among villagers to defend themselves.

Our modern culmination of Taekwondo was used in post WWII Korea from 1945 until 1950 in combating the street gangs and criminals that were wreaking havoc on the newly liberated society at the end of the Japanese occupation. From 1950 to 1953, Korea was engaged in a civil war between the communist north, and the Republic of Korea in the south. Soldiers of the South Korean ROK Army were trained in special hand-to-hand combat tactics that were proven very effective.

Following the Korean war, the surviving Kwans (Martial Art schools) and their leaders organized to form a unified system which was officially called Taekwondo on April 11, 1955, but underwent some name changes until 1965 when the name was finally agreed upon. The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed in 1959, and officially registered with the Korean government in 1961. Many of the high ranking Masters were dispatched abroad to give demonstrations, and teach Taekwondo to foreign military personnel. During the Vietnam War (1955 - 1975), Korean soldiers trained in Taekwondo formed an elite group of special forces that were feared among the North Vietnamese and Vietcong, and the communist soldiers were reportedly advised to avoid encounters with the ROK Tiger division at all cost.

From the 1960's on, Taekwondo has been spreading to many countries on all inhabited continents, and has been used for self defense by many practitioners in both the military, and civilian population. Even as Taekwondo tournaments grow in popularity in the sport arena, Taekwondo remains one of the most deadly and effective forms of self defense in the world. Some schools are dedicated specifically to sports, while others remain focused on self defense, and many maintain a balance of both.

The youngest Black Belt ("Dan" or Degree) for male or female anywhere in the world is age 15, since under that age is called a "Poom" or Junior Black Belt. There are many Black Belts around the world, and in each country, but some schools and organizations are independent or separate from the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) in Seoul, South Korea, and there is no way to know who they are awarding Black Belts to, and by what standards or criteria. The Kukkiwon website has a registry where by entering exact names and birthdate can reveal who has Poom or Dan rank from the Kukkiwon.

It is growing in popularity. Taekwondo was first introduced as a demonstration sport back in Seoul 1988 and again in Barcelona in 1992. Since Taekwondo has been introduced as a full Olympic sport it has grown rapidly and become a lot more recognized in the modern world. The rules of sport Taekwondo are constantly being changed to make the sport safer and more spectator orientated.

It would appear that this question has a misspelling of the word Taekwondo, which is the name of the National Martial Art and National Sport of South Korea.

This misspelling is often due to the very common mispronunciation of "Tae" in the Korean term 태권도 (Taekwondo) to sound like the English word "tie" (like a necktie). It is confused witht the Chinese term "Tai Chi" which is pronounced like "tie." The Korean "Tae" is also often mispronounced like "tay" as the long "a" in the English word "take." This too is inaccurate.

The correct pronunciation is like the vowel in the English word "tack."

태 = Tae: "To stomp, kick, or smash with the foot."

권 = Kwon: "To punch, strike, or smash with the hand."

도 = Do: "The art, way, and path of ideal action (Tao)

Roughly translated as "The way of the hand and foot," or "The art of self defense using hands and feet." It is more accurately an in-depth education in the enhanced balance of integrating the three aspect of one's self as body, mind, and spirit, while training in skills for improved health, quality of life, and ability to protect life through Martial Art self defense, and following a path of enlightenment.

Master Byong Yu is an accomplished martial artist. He was born in 1935, in Korea. When he moved to the United States, he overcame physical disabilities, language barriers, racial prejudice, and homelessness to take the martial arts circuit by storm, earning himself the nickname, "Lightening Bolt." Eventually attained the highest rank of ninth dan from the World Taekwondo Federation. He was inducted into the "World Professional Martial Arts Association's Hall of Fame," voted "Man of the Century," and in 2001 received the prestigious "Martial Arts World Federation Lifetime Achievement Award." Master Yu presently resides in the Los Angeles area, where he continues to teach martial arts at his school located inside the CBS Studio Center. His life story is currently (1997) being chronicled in a full-length feature film project entitled Monkey Man.

Not really, at least at that time. What we now refer to as karate was created on Okinawa, a small set of islands between China and Japan. It was created combining Okinawa fighting techniques with Chinese Kung Fu. It went to Japan in the 1920's when Gichin Funakoshi went there and demonstrated and then taught it. Since then, Okinawa has become a part of Japan.

'''Brief Answer:'''

The answer to this depends upon what system of Taekwondo you study, and what organization (if any) with which your school is affiliated.

International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), now splintered into three groups claiming rights to the same name: 24 patterns called "tul"

(see related link below for ITF tul)

Kukkiwon - World Taekwondo Headquarters, Seoul, Korea:

8 geup (color belt), 9 Dan forms called "poomsae."

The series of 8 Taegeuk forms replaced the previous 8 Palgwe as the official color belt poomsae, along with the 9 Black Belt forms, authorized by the Kukkiwon and approved by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) for Olympic competition.

(see related link below for WTF Poomsae approved by the Kukkiwon)

Other organizations use different forms. The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) and Song Ahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) use the 18 Song Ahm forms created and copyrighted by ATA co-founder and 2nd President of the ATA, the late Grandmaster Haeng Ung Lee (aka: "Eternal GM Lee")

(see related link below for ATA Song Ahm Poomsae)

'''Detailed Answer:'''

"Patterns" (also called "forms") have several different general terms in the Korean Language. They are referred to as "tul," "hyung," or "poomsae"

In the early days of ancient Martial Art in Korea, the system of instruction was not as organized with a refined curriculum as it is today. Forms practice did not exist in Korean Martial Art until the influence of Shotokan Karate during the Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII. In Japanese, the term for form is "Kata" and the forms are an integral part of teaching both technical skill, and practical application.

When Korean Martial Art was being reorganized, and relabeled as Taekwondo in post WWII Korea, several of the Korean Kwan (school) founders had previously earned Black Belts in Japanese Karate. They then utilized the concept of pre-arranged patterns from Karate, and altered the movements to fit the Taekwondo techniques and strategies.

The first set of forms designed for the purpose of teaching the new art of Taekwondo were called the "Chang Hon" (Blue Cottage) forms designed by Korean General Hong Hi Choi, one of Taekwondo's key founders (and the person credited for coining the term "Taekwondo"). Gen. Choi designed his system to have 24 patterns, one for each hour of the day for the rest of your life. Each of these forms are known as "tul" and are currently used by the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) that was founded by General Choi.

The official Kwans (schools) of Taekwondo in Korea united together beginning in 1955, and eventually created the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA). From those roots, they built the National Academy and World Headquarters called the Kukkiwon. Today, Kukki Taekwondo is the official curriculum of Korea's National Martial Art known as Taekwondo.

As Taekwondo's unique curriculum developed, it became clear to the Grandmasters in Korea that new forms were needed to emphasize Taekwondo's techniques. The Palgwe (8 trigram) forms were created based on the diagrams of the Chinese I Ching philosophy (four of the 8 symbols are represented on the Korean National Flag around the red and blue circle called the "Taegeuk").

Later, the Taegeuk series, based on the same 8 trigrams, were created and these are the forms that are official recognized in Korea. The Taegeuk Poomsae consist of Taegeuk number 1 through 8. The term "jang" (장) is used to describe one form within a series of related forms. Thus, each of the Taegeuk series is labeled as Taegeuk 1st Jang, 2nd jang, 3rd Jang, etc. the nine Black Belt forms of Kukki Taekwondo are: Koryo, Keumgang, Taebaek, Pyongwon, Sipjin, Jitae, Cheonkwon, Hansu, and Ilyeo.

Like most authentic Martial Art systems of self defense, there are no actual disadvantages in the art of Taekwondo. However, there may be mistakes made by instructors in teaching the Korean art accurately and thoroughly, or errors made by the practitioner that result in disadvantages in specific circumstances.

The first distinction must be made as to whether you discussing the art of self defense, or the sport aspect of competition. In combative sports, there are rules for safety, fair play, and audience entertainment that affect the type of techniques permitted, targets which are prohibited, and the level of force allowed. A tournament that is dedicated strictly to Taekwondo will only showcase some of the entire Martial Art curriculum taught in class, but in this case, all competitors are equally being challenged to score points by using mostly kicks - so no one is disadvantaged. Conversely, if the competition is open to different systems and rules where techniques of grappling, chokes and submission holds are permitted, yet certain strikes are limited, then striking systems such as Taekwondo might be at a disadvantage.

Although grappling is a part of Taekwondo, it is not the main focus, and the tactics used to prevail against a grappler are different. In order to defeat a skilled grappler in actual self defense, the Taekwondoin must apply a dangerous technique and level of force to each strike that would injure, disable, or even kill their attacker. In real life, this includes using kicks to dislocate knees, powerful strikes to the groin, throat, neck, as well as eye-gouges. It would be like playing 'war games' and saying you may throw hand-grenades, but you are not allowed to pull the pin. When the opponent blocks or dodges the grenade and rushes to attack with a bayonet, one might claim that hand-grenades are ineffective in real combat and you are at a disadvantage if you have them. When the enemy gets close, the rules say you can use your side-arm pistol, but you may not pull the trigger and shoot. Therefore, when the attacker disarms the pistol and grapples you to the ground, firearms are viewed as useless because of the rules that limit how the firearm is used. Since some competitions have rules that favor non-violent grappling, and restricts the damaging and deadly force of certain blows, Taekwondo practitioners would be at a disadvantage under those specific rules, but it is still possible for them to prevail in spite of the imposed disadvantage. As for actual self defense, one common misconception is that Taekwondo "only" focuses on legs and kicks.

Some outsiders assess Taekwondo purely by what they see in tournaments or poorly run schools that imitate the authentic Korean Martial Art, and mistakenly believe that the actual art does not practice hand strikes widely or effectively. This is far from the truth. Any disadvantage here comes when an instructor is more of a 'sport coach,' interested mostly in competition, and trains student to be 'tournament fighters.' Their skill is based on competition rules, thus lacking in the hand strikes traditionally taught in Taekwondo. As we know the legs are the longest limb and naturally strong in the human body. Therefore, it is used as the primary weapon to defeat an opponent. However, the error of some novice students are to rely too heavily on the kicking skills, and neglect the traditional hand strikes, joint locks, pressure points, and grappling of traditional Taekwondo. The disadvantage there comes in the mistakes of the student to train on all aspects of unarmed combat with the 'emphasis' on the advantages of the leg techniques. In Taekwondo the use of hand to strikes and punching methods are not limited, as some novice might think, but are often neglected by instructors and practitioners who are taught wrong, or choose to limit themselves.

Another misconception about disadvantages pertains to stances. The deep stances of Taekwondo are often misunderstood as being impractical for self defense, but what novice do not understand is that these stances are strictly for increasing the maximum power in finishing moves where the opponent is already dazed, distracted, or disabled and cannot respond quickly. The deep, low stance is used very briefly at the opportune moment to deliver the power blow, then the fighter returns to a more mobile defensive posture. The same is true for high kicks to the head and fancy or acrobatic jumping kicks for which Taekwondo is well known. These techniques challenge the practitioner to excel at kicking, and make basic kicks easier and more formidable. They are often seen in Taekwondo demonstrations, but are rarely used in a real fight. If used, there is little concern for a counter attack because the opponent would first be dazed or disabled from an initial strike, making the higher, jumping, spinning or flying kicks a finishing maneuver.

The final disadvantage that might become a reality for some is due to inexperience, or over confidence by the practitioner. Since Taekwondo readily uses kicks, the student must be extremely wary of their terrain for obstacles and uneven or slippery surfaces that might cause a loss of balance or serious fall. Furthermore, if prudent strategy and tactics are not applied, random or excessive kicking can ultimately become very risky and be taken advantage of by a skilled opponent, particularly if the Taekwondo in underestimates the abilities of their attacker. Ultimately, when trained accurately, and used properly, Taekwondo itself will not present any disadvantage, but failures of the teacher or student might result in misuse and poor application that creates a disadvantage for the practitioner.

It is probably "kamsahamnida" or "komapsumnida", which mean "thank you" in Korean. However, you should ask him/her. Your "sabeomnim" (Master Instructor) appreciates your questions.

That is going to depend upon your instructor. If you have not practiced in thirteen years, it is going to be difficult to pick up where you left off. You would be better off to start over. If you pick things up quickly, you are likely to get promoted quickly.

For example, in one particular community in Oregon three children about 8 - 10 years old quit taekwondo when their school changed locations. They had had attained the rank of blue belt. About a year later, when a new school opened in their community, the joined at the rank of white belt, but three months later, at their first belt test, they were awarded green belts.

a teacher in karate is called a "sensei" (meaning teacher in Japanese - pronounced sen-sey) but to be a sensei you have to be a black belt. so a red belt teacher shouldn't exist, and if they do they won't be very good as red is only the second belt

The hwarang warriors all died hundreds of years ago, so they did not play a role in the making of modern taekwondo; however, their legacy inspired the men who did play a role in the making of modern taekwondo.