Ten Rules of Taekwondo

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We say the 10 Rules during meditation every class.  It is not human nature  to hear something once and then "have it down" forever (that's like telling a kid once when they're young to put their toys away and thinking they'll be good about cleaning up after themselves for the rest of their life).  Even smart people need reminders (show good effort, have patience and a good attitude.....).  While you may understand (or think you understand) what they mean, here is an explanation for each one;

1) Strong Spirit

This could mean staying tough when you get hurt, being brave when you are scared, trying something when you’d rather not, not being easily "swayed" by someone else's thinking.

 

2) Effort

  
Effort is how hard you try.   The more effort you put into something, the better you’ll get at it.  This applies to every facet of our life.
Remember that the harder you work the better you get.  Effort is a big factor in determining how good someone will become over time.  Meaning that working hard once in a while will not get you very far, but working hard every time you come to class will get you ahead of most anyone else.
 

3) Patience

Be patient with yourself and your techniques, be patient with
your family and friends, be patient with situations. 
Bad things often arise when we aren’t patient.  

4) Attitude

This is probably the most important of the 10 rules.  Without a good attitude its hard to do anything worthwhile (let alone have respect, be patient, give good effort, etc.).  What belt do you need to be to have a good attitude? (any belt), what age? (any student age), how good at
TKD do you need to be (the best and the worst can show a great attitude), how smart do you need to be, etc.  
 
Attitude is your outlook towards others and situations.  Having a good
attitude is the sign of a high belt, and a winner.  

A bad attitude is someone who complains, makes excuses, doesn't trying their best.  A "good attitude" person always looks for the best in others, themselves and tries their best. Someone with a good attitude will always be more fun to be around and have more friends.  
 
Let's say we have a student named "John." John has great kicks, is the best sparrer in the class, but often makes fun of others who
aren’t as good as him, often doesn’t do good bows or say "yes sir" when he's supposed to.  

And then there’s "Joey." Poor Joey, he doesn’t have good strength and can't  kick real well, but he always tries his hardest and has a great attitude.  Which student do you think the instructors like more?  Joey

All of you can have a  good attitude and so that’s why we expect you to show it.”  

5) Self-Confidence

Self-Confidence means to believe in yourself.  

You can show confidence by the way you stand up straight, when you speak loudly and clearly.

Self-Confidence can even be part of your self defense, as other people (bullies for instance) are probably less likely to pick on someone who looks strong and may offer resistance to what they do (it'd be easier to pick on someone who looks weak and won't fight back).

Self-Confidence makes others believe in us.  As martial artists who set a good example, we have the power to lead others through our confident, correct actions. And as the old saying goes “whether you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.”

6) Respect for the National Flags

We show respect for the flags by bowing on our way in/out, turning away to straighten our uniform, not playing with them, and by learning
about them.

While this is a very simple and easy rule, we should not overlook how we can be respectful to the flags.

 

7) Respect for Instructors and Parents

First off lets talk about parents – why should you show respect
for your parents?  The answer is basically that they do everything for you (they give you a house to live in, food to eat, clothes to wear, toys to play with, pay for you to take Taekwondo lessons and then take you to go to Taekwondo, etc) so the least you can do is be respectful.  

All that being said, how do you show respect for your parents? Well the best answer I can give is to listen the first time you are asked to do something and don’t argue.  

I can't promise you’ll never get in trouble if you follow this advice
but if you listen the first time…… you wont get in trouble very often.  

Think about it, how often have you gotten in trouble because mom had to ask you 2,3…5 times to do something (you probably wouldn’t have gotten in trouble if just had done it, you know you need to do what they ask, just do it). Everyone will be happier and you'll be showing the same respect you do in the dojang.

Do you do things the first time an instructor asks?
Yes, so I know you can, your parents know it too.
 
Now lets talk about teachers/coaches, instructors. 
What are teachers/coaches, etc there to do? Help you.  
If you ever help someone else (maybe a younger brother/sister,
friend) and they acted like they don’t really care you’re helping them, are you going to want to continue to help them? No, it’s the same for you and your teachers.
 
How do you show respect to instructors – you already know this.

Instructors – by bowing, saying yes sir/maam, using good manners
like saying please/thank you, not interrupting, not arguing/doing what they ask the first time, doing your best/trying hard, eye contact when speaking with them.  
  
Who deserves more respect (Instructors or Parents)? –
Parents, please do not forget this.

8) Respect for High Ranking Belts

We should show respect for higher belts because they have earned 
a higher rank than we have and have experienced/gone through things you haven't done yet (like showing respect for your elders). 

Be respectful to your seniors (higher belts/older students) and you will set the example of what is expected and help create/maintain a culture of respect. You would like a younger person or lower belt to be respectful to you, so if you "pay it forward" it will in turn happen to you too. 

We can show respect to higher belts by bowing to them, learning from the good example they are supposed to set, and by not correcting them if they make a mistake.

9) Never Misuse Taekwondo Techniques

There are many different ways that you could "misuse" Taekwondo techniques.

Using it to hurt others (not in a self-defense scenario)

Name calling - if someone calls you a name, even if you are really mad, using your techniques at this point would be misusing it. 

Someone took something of yours - another kid took your toy, won't give it back after you asked, you don't give them a "kick" in order to get your things back.

Rough housing - kids roughhouse, but if it starts escalating - he pushed you a little too hard or he punched you in the arm, you don't elbow strike him in the face to get back at him

Using it to show off (trying to gain popularity)

Teaching it to others (people need to learn from a trained 
instructor, if not they may hurt themselves or others)

Practicing in unsafe ways or times – only practice when you have 
permission to (basically in the dojang when instructed to, or at home with permission from a parent).

Will we continue to teach you if you continue to misuse your moves? No, we wouldn’t be responsible if we did. So please understand what is and is not ok to do.

10) There is No Defeat, Only Victory

This can mean many things;

- The mindset of winning and not of losing (positive thinking).  

- Not giving up when you are not successful (perseverance) and that you only are defeated when you give up.

- Remembering that even in “defeat” we can be victorious if we learned from the situation (understanding that no one wins all the time).

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_Award-winning Taekwondo instruction proudly serving the Springfield, Annandale, Burke, Falls Church, West Springfield, Alexandria, Fairfax, Fairfax Station and Clifton communities in Fairfax County, Virginia since in 2004.

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