I saw this & wanted to share with you all.
TaekwondonÂ’ts By Master Wang
Masters Whang, as told to Bora Chang
10 - Improperly Washed Doboks:
ThereÂ’s nothing worse than huffing and puffing in class near someone who smells like a damp, old sneaker. Since every class should make you sweat with exertion, you should wash your dobok after every class, or rotate through a clean one every time you work out. Respect your uniform, and those around you.
9 - The “Running Bow” In and Out of Workout Areas: (Closely related to this is “From the Neck-down Bow.”)
Bowing properly is an acknowledgment of respect for Taekwondo, as well as to the instructors and fellow students. A proper bow is performed from the waist up, not from the neck, and it is unrushed. Besides, whatÂ’s the hurry? The matÂ’s not going anywhere, ten push-ups if youÂ’re late is the worst that can happen, and if youÂ’re in that much of a rush youÂ’re probably late and doing pushups anyways!
8 – “Kiyaps” Spoken As Such:
Imagine if every time you punched or kicked, you screamed, “Yell!” During drills, you would proceed up and down the mat, screaming, “Yell! Yell! Yell!” This is what we hear when you literally say, “Kiyap,” which, in Korean, means “Yell.” We suggest you actually yell, rather than say “Yell!”
7 - “Taekwondo” Pronounced “Tie Kwan Doe”:
You might as well call it “Twye Condo” if you’re going to butcher it like that. That’s what my sons Derek and Dylan call it when they’re trying to be funny. “Tae” is pronounced as in “Ted”. “Kwon” is pronounced as it is written. “Do” is pronounced with a short “o” sound. If you still don’t understand, please ask us. (Related note: See Taekwondon’t #5.)
6 - Improper Punching:
Making you do knuckle push-ups isnÂ’t solely to inflict torture (well, itÂ’s the main reason, but not the only one); itÂ’s so that you learn how to punch correctly. Avoid at all costs punching with bent wrists, or punching with the last two knuckles. This is dangerous to your wrists, as you can sprain or even break a wrist when punching a hard target. Always punch with a straight wrist, with the index and middle finger knuckles reaching their target first.
5 - The Number Six, Mispronounced: Six, in Korean, is “Yeosut.”
When pronounced “Yasut,” it just grates on our ears. It might sound cute coming out of a 5 year-old – the first time - but it gets old quickly. Please ask us if you’re having trouble pronouncing it.
4 - We Are Not Masters Yang, As We Were Once Called:
It is common courtesy to know the names of your instructors! If youÂ’re confused because we happen to look alike, please ask who is who, and weÂ’ll give you some clues to help you tell us apart!
3 - The Joonbi That Takes Forever and a Day:
The ready stance starts with your fists directly under the chin, then ends in front of your belt in one swift motion in a quick one-two count. There is no such thing as a “3-point joonbi”, the one that makes you look like you’re pumping your bicycle pump.
2 - Yawning in Class: Especially in our classes.
This is a sign that youÂ’re not exerting yourself enough, or that youÂ’re bored. If the latter, we can solve this by many, many more push-ups!
1 - Calling Taekwondo ‘Karate” and a Dojang a “Dojo”:
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, many Taekwondo practitioners (even Korean masters) referred to their martial art as “Korean Karate.” That’s because there wasn’t enough awareness of Taekwondo per se, so in order to simplify it for non-Koreans, people referred to the one martial art everyone knew. Today, Taekwondo is the world’s most widely practiced martial art, and although we have utmost respect for Karate and other types of martial arts, no self-respecting Taekwondo practitioner, and especially those of Korean descent, should refer to it as “Karate”, or as their training hall as a “dojo”. That would lead to a LOT of pushups – more pushups than you could ever count in Korean OR English!
TaekwondonÂ’ts By Master Wang
Masters Whang, as told to Bora Chang
10 - Improperly Washed Doboks:
ThereÂ’s nothing worse than huffing and puffing in class near someone who smells like a damp, old sneaker. Since every class should make you sweat with exertion, you should wash your dobok after every class, or rotate through a clean one every time you work out. Respect your uniform, and those around you.
9 - The “Running Bow” In and Out of Workout Areas: (Closely related to this is “From the Neck-down Bow.”)
Bowing properly is an acknowledgment of respect for Taekwondo, as well as to the instructors and fellow students. A proper bow is performed from the waist up, not from the neck, and it is unrushed. Besides, whatÂ’s the hurry? The matÂ’s not going anywhere, ten push-ups if youÂ’re late is the worst that can happen, and if youÂ’re in that much of a rush youÂ’re probably late and doing pushups anyways!
8 – “Kiyaps” Spoken As Such:
Imagine if every time you punched or kicked, you screamed, “Yell!” During drills, you would proceed up and down the mat, screaming, “Yell! Yell! Yell!” This is what we hear when you literally say, “Kiyap,” which, in Korean, means “Yell.” We suggest you actually yell, rather than say “Yell!”
7 - “Taekwondo” Pronounced “Tie Kwan Doe”:
You might as well call it “Twye Condo” if you’re going to butcher it like that. That’s what my sons Derek and Dylan call it when they’re trying to be funny. “Tae” is pronounced as in “Ted”. “Kwon” is pronounced as it is written. “Do” is pronounced with a short “o” sound. If you still don’t understand, please ask us. (Related note: See Taekwondon’t #5.)
6 - Improper Punching:
Making you do knuckle push-ups isnÂ’t solely to inflict torture (well, itÂ’s the main reason, but not the only one); itÂ’s so that you learn how to punch correctly. Avoid at all costs punching with bent wrists, or punching with the last two knuckles. This is dangerous to your wrists, as you can sprain or even break a wrist when punching a hard target. Always punch with a straight wrist, with the index and middle finger knuckles reaching their target first.
5 - The Number Six, Mispronounced: Six, in Korean, is “Yeosut.”
When pronounced “Yasut,” it just grates on our ears. It might sound cute coming out of a 5 year-old – the first time - but it gets old quickly. Please ask us if you’re having trouble pronouncing it.
4 - We Are Not Masters Yang, As We Were Once Called:
It is common courtesy to know the names of your instructors! If youÂ’re confused because we happen to look alike, please ask who is who, and weÂ’ll give you some clues to help you tell us apart!
3 - The Joonbi That Takes Forever and a Day:
The ready stance starts with your fists directly under the chin, then ends in front of your belt in one swift motion in a quick one-two count. There is no such thing as a “3-point joonbi”, the one that makes you look like you’re pumping your bicycle pump.
2 - Yawning in Class: Especially in our classes.
This is a sign that youÂ’re not exerting yourself enough, or that youÂ’re bored. If the latter, we can solve this by many, many more push-ups!
1 - Calling Taekwondo ‘Karate” and a Dojang a “Dojo”:
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, many Taekwondo practitioners (even Korean masters) referred to their martial art as “Korean Karate.” That’s because there wasn’t enough awareness of Taekwondo per se, so in order to simplify it for non-Koreans, people referred to the one martial art everyone knew. Today, Taekwondo is the world’s most widely practiced martial art, and although we have utmost respect for Karate and other types of martial arts, no self-respecting Taekwondo practitioner, and especially those of Korean descent, should refer to it as “Karate”, or as their training hall as a “dojo”. That would lead to a LOT of pushups – more pushups than you could ever count in Korean OR English!