What does TaeKwonDo mean to you?

Question

I'm just wondering what it means to you.

To type your opinion in the answers thing.

Of coarse you already know that.(:

Answer 1

Taking down your opponent with kicking and some basic techniques!

Answer 2

It gave me back my life and I will always be grateful to the art and the school and Master Don.  

Answer 3

Good answers by Sifu Frank and Alex.

Both correct imo.

Answer 4

mcdojo comes to mind

Answer 5

I've never taken Tae Kwon do, but I have sat in on a few classes that were being taught while I was doing research as a younger man.  One thing I did like about Tae Kwon do was the way in which it was taught.  The repsonses from students in the form of "Sir, yes sir" was a symbol of respect that few sensei's and instructors get in any other art form out there from their students.  That same teaching "protocol" has kept Tae kwon do students interested and geared to staying with their art for many, many years.  Tae kwon do students, from what I gather, are dead serious about their learning and they don't complain about their kata forms because of Tae Kwon Do's strict atmosphere.

I think that a lot of instructors from other arts out there could learn from the "protocol" of Tae Kwon Do.  I've never heard not one single student of Tae Kwon Do ever complain in Yahoo Answers either about Kata forms or their school's curriculum like I've heard from all the other students of other arts in here.  It's definately the "Sir, Yes sir" that gets it done as simple as that may sound.  The simplest route is always the best route and it obviously works for Tae Kwon Do instructors.

Answer 6

It is a great way to take control of life, after 30 years of Soccer I stopped playing with a rupture Achilles tendon, torn ligaments etc. life ceased to be fun, I gain 30 lbs. could hardly walk without pain by 49 years old I was hating it, Marital arts saved my Life, I still have some issues with pain but I enjoy, everyday of practice, 2.5 years into it, I feel as good as I felt at 40, more flex able, and less back pain, stronger knees. I thanked my master not long ago, for saving my life, he just shrugged, My poor Korean and his poor english.....I just do as I'm told, I can't understand 1/2 of what he says, so I smile and go for it.

Answer 7

TaeKwonDo is a martial art for me. But i think the best martial art is MUAY THAI       MUAY BORAN i

Answer 8

take your dough.

Answer 9

Technically, it means the "way of the foot and the fist".

It's difficult to say what it means to me. At the beginning I just wanted to learn how to fight and defend myself, but as time went on, it became more of a lifestyle. In taekwondo, we have 5 tenets:

Courtesy (Ye Ui)

Integrity (Yom Chi)

Perseverance (In Nae)

Self Control (Guk Gi)

Indomitable Spirit (Baekjul Boolkool)

We're meant to go by them in our training, but they also apply in life in general. We're also meant to show proper respect to others, and (like William P said), we always have to address our head instructor as "Sir".  

Answer 10

It means "Foot Fist Way."

This video clip explains it all:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXaR4wlGu...