Totally Tae Kwon Do Magazine - Issue 20 - Usadojo

instruction in poomsae, the essence of
taekwondo. Unfortunately, a concentration
on detailed technique such as this appears
to be sadly lacking in the many martialstyles
that leap from one discipline to
another, going wide rather than deep.
One of my students once said, following a
particularly demanding training session,
that “there is no elevator to the top floor of
traditional taekwondo - instead it is a walkup
with many flights of stairs.” So,
metaphorically speaking, in order to gain
proficiency in traditional taekwondo the
student must immerse themselves in deep
training to the point where they realize that
everything they do is part of practice rather
than accepting the erroneous concept that
practice is a limited and simplified part of
their life.
Choosing to study MMA or any other
martial-related forms of exercise in and of
itself is not necessarily off the mark. Rather
the attraction to these styles dovetails with
Www.unicef.org.uk
the general public’s expectations of the
martial arts as seen on television or in the
cinema and given the hectic schedules of
people today, is perhaps a convenient
method of becoming involved in practice in
the first place. Yet, to the practitioner
seeking a holistic understanding of a single
martial art that includes embracing the
culture from which it is drawn, going deep
rather than wide should be the obvious
course to take.
Master Doug Cook, a 5 th dan black belt, is
head instructor of the Chosun Taekwondo
Academy located in Warwick, New York, a
senior student of Grandmaster Richard Chun,
and author of three best-selling books entitled:
Taekwondo…Ancient Wisdom for the Modern
Warrior, Traditional Taekwondo - Core
Techniques, History and Philosophy, and his
most recent contribution, Taekwondo–A Path
to Excellence, focusing on the rewards and
virtues of tae kwon do, all published by YMAA
of Boston. He can be reached for lectures,
seminars or questions at www.chosuntkd.com
or info@chosuntkd.com.
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