How You Can Benefit From Karate And Tae Kwon Do
November 25th, 2009
The martial arts are one of the fastest growing sports in America. Enrollments in Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Soo Tang Do classes are on the rise. In addition to being thought of for the physical fitness aspects, martial arts also seek to emphasize the student’s character and discipline. Offered in a secular setting, it teaches students to be ‘good people’.
With ever increasing popularity, many church communities are now offering Christian Karate. While character and discipline are important, more today a third aspect is integrated into martial arts, building the spiritual life of students. Churches are offering martial arts instruction that relates to God’s instructions in the Bible. These classes are often used as an outreach ministry to introduce the Gospel to those who normally wouldn’t attend a church service.
Classes emphasize courtesy, integrity, self-control, perseverance and an unconquerable spirit. These characteristics are key to the development in Christian life. Each week the students are given weekly topic and a memory verse. An example of what the students may receive would be a topic on Boldness vs. Fearfulness. They are taught to be confident that what they have to say or do is true and right and just in the sight of God. Acts 4:29 in the Bible would be relevant to this topic – ‘And now they’re at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message’ (MSG).
These are key characteristics to develop in the Christian life. Self discipline, picking yourself up after ‘falling short’, ministering to others, and striving to live a life that bears fruit are traits can be practiced through the study of martial arts.
Martial arts do not teach violence, but rather restraint, not anger but rather self control and stillness. Students will develop their bodies through physical effort, challenge, and learn techniques of punching and striking. Power is given to us by God in the freedom of choice in our actions. Martial arts help us to learn that our privilege of power must be controlled and not used recklessly.
Students learn that one must ultimately fail many times before true success is achieved, and that greatness is achieved only through perseverance. The goal of the class is to develop students who take responsibility for their actions, understand the limits of rules and who show an increased level of self esteem. Many classes are interspersed with teachings from the Bible to link the character tenets of Martial Arts with Christian values.
Now that we’ve covered those aspects of karate, tae kwon do, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.
Visit your local church or search online to find a group forming near you.
Tae Kwon Do is Korean Karate. It means The Way of the Hand and Foot (punching and kicking). There are basically four sections to the art: Toning, Sparring, Forms and Self Defense.
It is a well rounded exercise program that encompasses muscle toning, stretching and flexibility, increasing strength and stamina through aerobic sparring and mental challenges through becoming proficient at the patterns or forms.
Most classes start out with warm-ups. These exercises are the calisthenics such as push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, trunk rotations, squat kicks and various leg stretches. For certain you will tighten your abs and strengthen your arms just from performing the warm-up exercises. Before you know it, you’ll be doing fifty knuckle or triangle push-ups at rapid-fire pace and will be able to lean up against a wall and have someone lift your leg up so that your toes touch the wall behind your ear. Tae Kwon Do will definitely help you to become or to stay limber.
Sparring is fighting in a controlled environment. It’s not street fighting and all participants wear protective gear: helmet, gloves, shin guards and feet guards, called kicks. Usually you will spar in three minute rounds. It’s basically kick boxing. Then a minute rest; switch partners, then spar again and repeat. You will get extremely hot and sweaty. Jab, punch, upper cut, side kick, reverse punch, round house, hammer fist, bob and weave and repeat. It’s an excellent aerobic exercise.
Learning the forms or patterns can really tax your brain. Many of the forms have 26+ different movements. It’s your job to remember them, in order, and learn them proficiently. In theory, by learning the forms, it’ll help you to become a better fighter. For example, one form might start out: high block, front kick punch left; high block front kick punch right. Turn 90 degrees, down the center, knife hand left, knife hand right, knife hand left, spear hand. And so it goes. If you master these, when it comes time to spar, you can implement some of these patterns into your match.
Many people enjoy Tae Kwon Do, or any martial arts for that matter, because it is an all inclusive exercise program. It’s fun, it’s challenging, and it’s an excellent way to get in or to stay in shape. As with any exercise program, start slowly and consult your physician. If you haven’t participated in much physical exercise in a while, your muscles will definitely be very sore for the first few weeks. Don’t be intimidated by the other students may appear to be in better shape that you are. Everyone started out as a white belt. Just have fun; and get moving!
Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of karate, tae kwon do. Share your new understanding about karate, tae kwon do with others. They’ll thank you for it.
Michael Hehn
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/how-you-can-benefit-from-karate-and-tae-kwon-do-88512.html
November 25th, 2009 at 9:49 am
My 7 Year Old Wants to be in Karate or Tae Kwon Do.. What is the Difference?
I was wondering what is the difference between karate and tae kwon do? Which one do you recommend and why? When is a good time to start a child in karate or tae kwon do? What are the benefits? Please be specific. Thanks!
November 25th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Karate (for the most part) is from Japan.
Taekwon Do is from Korea.
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November 25th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
well there are many types of karate and taekwondo but ill get the basics down. karate is from japan and taekwondo is from korea. in taekwondo, it is mostly 70 percent kicks and 30 percent hand techniques. ignore people who say that taekwondo is not an effective self defence martial art. it is both sport and martial art. in taekwondo you will have lots of fun and learn many important characteristics for a child.
i don’t know a whole lot about karate but it is basically like taekwondo. both martial arts are great for beginners. you will learn more hand techniques and throws in karate than taekwondo.
i strongly recommend both for a child to do. what is most important though, is finding a good teacher. there is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher
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November 25th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Karate is a martial at that involves manipulation of all extremities(limbs) in order to execute the neutralization of the foe. In other words, it is the most general of all martial arts, no focus whatsoever. The advantage of Karate is that it is general meaning it easy to learn without worries of execution on actual situations. It can give a good exercise on all systems developing cardio and respiratory ten fold.
Tae-Kwon-Do however focuses on the lower extremities(legs) using the legs as much as possible, trying to release the best potential of a person as a kicker, jumper, sprinter. The only problem with Tae is that it is a high level art and i recommend that you wait for your son to turn 10 atleast before taking this on.
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November 25th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
TKD focuses mostly on kicking where as karate (depending on the style of) is more well rounded as far as striking goes. i don’t recommend and ATA school. their system is mostly about money and not the individual. i would shop around for a school that you would feel comfortable with. try to find a place that isn’t about the money and works with children. i’ve been in with an instuctor that did his classes through the YMCA and had a quite a few younger children for a while in his class. i saw that some children just didn’t get it at all and they slowed down the class more than anything. after you find a school, i would take your child there for a few classes, just to see how your child does for a while. if you’re going to invest time and money into this, you need to make sure your child is mature enough to take. i’m sure who ever the instrutor is will understand that.
oh, and i would try to find a place that trained mixed martial arts of some sort instead of just TKD or karate.
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November 25th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Tae Kwon Do is Korean & uses more foot techniques. Karate is either Okinawan which uses more hand techniques or Japanese which uses about equal hand & foot. I study & teach Tae Kwon Do & I can tell you it is a great activity for children (& parents, I started with my then 7 yr old son). The minimum age is about 5.
The name of the style is far less important than the quality of the instruction. Look around & find a good school in your area.
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November 25th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
the best thing to do is find a good school first. Tae kwon do means the art of kicking and punching. karate means the art of opened hand. karate is a very technical art and is hard to learn at a young age of 7. i started tae kwon do when i was 4 and with a good instructor your child could go a long way.
tae kwon do as a very athletically challenging style though. and it is some thing that your child will have to under stand,
hope this helps you in your decision
karate has many styles and names which i have studied some. karate i general i very good as well. but like i have said and others to i depends on the school and more so your child.
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November 25th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Your first and foremost concern should be the quality of the school that you are sending your child too. Examine the classes, observe the environment, the mood, the people training. then ask yourself which one you would rather see your child engaged in. Some schools (from both styles) can get ultra macho, and that might not be something you want your impressionable child to be in. Let it be known that both styles have a philosophical base that emphasize that fighting should be avoided at all costs, and should only be used as a last resort. If a school does not teach this, that should be a red flag to you.
If both styles appear to have good schools, I would next examine your child’s personality, because both styles cater to a different outlook on life. Remember, both styles can be used effectively, both as a confidence booster, instiller of discipline, and as a means of self-defense. Anyone that tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something
Karate is more straight to the point, no nonsense, and focused. Karate fighters use powerful punches and kicks to end the fight quickly. If your child is not the type that fools around, or is blunt and to the point, they might find Karate more enjoyable.
Tae Qwon Do, on the other hand, is much flashier, but that is certainly not to say that it is less effective. It uses lots of kicks and elaborate footwork to aggressively attack the opponent and get away. Proficient artists will look very impressive while doing their art. If your child is more outgoing, and likes to impress people, they would probably love Tae Qwon Do.
Both styles are perfectly capable of starting your child immediatly. I used to work at a Karate dojo, and we had children as young as 6 who took karate, and loved it. I have known Tae Qwon Do schools that also start their children off that young. Either way, I highly recommend that you start your children off on the martial arts. They are a great way to build character, teach discipline and focus, and make friends.
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November 25th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Honestly I hate the ‘my style is better than your style’ things because there is no ‘winning’ in the end. Also theoretically you can learn at least 1 thing useful from each art, LOL. However if you look at doing an art not just to defend yourself but to survive well…
Okinowan/Japanese Karate-Do techniques are 50% kicks & 50% hand techniques. Some Karate styles have high kicks in a limited manner while others have only low kicks (which are more realistic/practical).
Korean Tae Kwon Do techniques are 70% feet and 30% hand techniques. TKD is great for exercise/sports. However their kicks are not only 70% of the cirriculum but they’re very acrobatic. The kicks look beautiful when properly executed but the movies aren’t like real life. High kicks are easy to block and cause unstable balance when you plant your feet back on the ground in which case you have to hurry to get back into a defensive stance before you are attacked again.
Also high kicks even done by people who have been doing TKD for many, many years often miss their targets. TKD is undoubtedly much faster then Karate-Do but what Karate-Do has that TKD lacks is power/force behind the techniques.
I can say from personal experience, I have done both Karate-Do and TKD, and I have gotten into a scrap or two on the street and I didn’t use one TKD technique. I really have Karate to thank.
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Martial Artist/ Martial Arts Buff
November 25th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
People like to talk about this sort of thing like they know each art intimately. Truth is, they’re very different styles and both will help your child defend himself. I would go with whichever dojo you think has a better mentality and will give the best education for the price.
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November 25th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I’d say that 8-9 is a better time to start any kind of martial art, but it depends on how good your child is at following instructions, and how developed his or her muscular control is.
The difference between karate and taekwondo may be very small in actuality, the above posts notwithstanding, since many schools (at least in the US) call what they do karate when it is actually taekwondo. The main reason for doing so is that the general population is more familiar with the term "karate."
The difference between a good and a bad school is much more important – go and visit, and see if you and your child feel comfortable in the dojo/dojang ("training hall" in respectively Japanese and Korean). You should also be offered at least one free "tryout" class before committing to anything.
The benefits of practising any martial art over a prolonged period of time are, in no particular order, increased cardiovascular endurance, better strength, better posture, (usually) a longer attention span, and possibly better grades in school – the latter probably due to the martial art’s focus on rules and working within a hierarcy.
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