Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine - Issue 26

level I realize that some of the skills
practiced simply are not applicable outside
of the school setting. I’m not looking to be
critical here. I have never travelled to
Korea. I simply want to pontificate on a
very real factor we contend with everyday,
that is weather.
I do make a living in the northern part of
the world where I can’t help but wonder if –
35 degree Celsius weather affects my
martial arts. The short answer is yes it
does. The harder answer to find is how to
modernize Tae Kwon Do to effectively
execute the skills in such weather
conditions.
If you have never tried to perform a kick
with a puffy winter jacket, padded pants
and six pound boots, let me tell you that it
64 - Totally Tae Kwon Do
is quite difficult and gives you the best
work out of your life.
The places where many martial arts are
common to the culture must be quite mild
as far as weather is concerned, where
clothing is a less substantial a factor. Our
mentors have carried Tae Kwon Do
throughout the world. Perhaps our mentors
have the answers; though it is possible that
we as a community need to keep our
minds open to other practical applications
of the Tae Kwon Do form. We don’t all live
in mild climates. Maybe a little
modernization is a really good thing.
Note: The picture in this article features Mike
Cochnar and is unrelated to the author or the
topic and included for presentation only.
Courtesy of KickPics.net