Saturday, January 29, 2011
An Endorsement
As the owner of Lionheart Taekwondo, I endorse Delores Uhl and Forever in Time Professional Photography Studio as the sole photographers for the Lionheart Studio. They are our sole source of publicity photos and sports action photos for the school. Forever In time operates out of the Poplar Bluff area. If you need a photographer, find Delores and Forever in Time on Facebook. We do.
Monday, January 17, 2011
I am a student of Tae Kwon Do
That is the first line of the student oath. It says a lot.
It tells us first that we are people who study Tae Kwon Do (TKD). TKD is a martial art studied for sport and defense. It is taught to combat troops. It is dangerous. Therefore we need to be constantly aware of what we are doing. We need to be cognizant of ourselves and our surroundings. That is one benefit of studying tae kwon do. Focus, discipline, concentration, awareness ... these are qualities that are developed by studying something potentially dangerous.
The line also reminds us that we are students. We are constant learners. It doesn't matter if you are a white belt, black belt, master or grandmaster. No one, no matter how good he or she is, knows everything. There is always room for improvement. We are humans, therefore, we are imperfect. And since perfection is always just out of our reach, we can keep pressing to become better and better. None of us have reached that lofty pinnacle wherein we have nothing else to learn. Even the grandmaster is just an advanced student. We are all learning.
One last thing I notice is this ... that (at least) in English, "student" is a unisex word. It is neither male nor female. All of us, men and women, who have taken up this study, are students. I have trained with men and women in various dojangs and gyms and I have found both sexes to be very capable students of tae kwon do. In our class, our school, we are all friends, even family. There is no room for a sexist attitude. There is no reason for someone to begin to think they are superior to anyone else by virtue of the gender they were born with. We are all there to help ourselves and to help each other grow in the art of tae kwon do.
The first line of the student oath says so much. "I am a student of Tae Kwon Do." Yes, I am.
It tells us first that we are people who study Tae Kwon Do (TKD). TKD is a martial art studied for sport and defense. It is taught to combat troops. It is dangerous. Therefore we need to be constantly aware of what we are doing. We need to be cognizant of ourselves and our surroundings. That is one benefit of studying tae kwon do. Focus, discipline, concentration, awareness ... these are qualities that are developed by studying something potentially dangerous.
The line also reminds us that we are students. We are constant learners. It doesn't matter if you are a white belt, black belt, master or grandmaster. No one, no matter how good he or she is, knows everything. There is always room for improvement. We are humans, therefore, we are imperfect. And since perfection is always just out of our reach, we can keep pressing to become better and better. None of us have reached that lofty pinnacle wherein we have nothing else to learn. Even the grandmaster is just an advanced student. We are all learning.
One last thing I notice is this ... that (at least) in English, "student" is a unisex word. It is neither male nor female. All of us, men and women, who have taken up this study, are students. I have trained with men and women in various dojangs and gyms and I have found both sexes to be very capable students of tae kwon do. In our class, our school, we are all friends, even family. There is no room for a sexist attitude. There is no reason for someone to begin to think they are superior to anyone else by virtue of the gender they were born with. We are all there to help ourselves and to help each other grow in the art of tae kwon do.
The first line of the student oath says so much. "I am a student of Tae Kwon Do." Yes, I am.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Forgotten Words
From the time I was a young (in the art) student of tae kwon do at Hill AFB in Utah, my instructor made us recite a student oath at the end of every class. I visited several other classes over my Air Force years and all of them used the student oath or a variation of it. I have even seen it mentioned on various websites and in a couple of tae kwon do magazines. It goes like this ...
I am a student of Tae Kwon Do.
I will respect my instructors and seniors.
I will never misuse Tae Kwon Do.
I will be a champion of freedom and justice.
I will help to build a more peaceful world.
I had a long lay off in tae kwon do since the early 1990s. Since I have been back, I have not seen the student oath hardly at all. I wonder about that. A friend mentioned to me tonight about seeing tae kwon do students on some websites who seem violent and angry and threatening to hurt other people or to "kick their ***". I wonder if they are being taught that tae kwon do is for defense not attack. I wonder if they know that our ultimate aim to build a better self and a better world through peace.
I wonder if the student oath is being forgotten. I hope not. As I read it, I realize, they are good words. I hope they are not forgotten words.
I am a student of Tae Kwon Do.
I will respect my instructors and seniors.
I will never misuse Tae Kwon Do.
I will be a champion of freedom and justice.
I will help to build a more peaceful world.
I had a long lay off in tae kwon do since the early 1990s. Since I have been back, I have not seen the student oath hardly at all. I wonder about that. A friend mentioned to me tonight about seeing tae kwon do students on some websites who seem violent and angry and threatening to hurt other people or to "kick their ***". I wonder if they are being taught that tae kwon do is for defense not attack. I wonder if they know that our ultimate aim to build a better self and a better world through peace.
I wonder if the student oath is being forgotten. I hope not. As I read it, I realize, they are good words. I hope they are not forgotten words.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Hello to the World
Hello everyone. I am John Sneed and I am the owner and chief instructor at Lionheart Taekwondo. Currently I am in Springfield, Missouri. Later this summer, I will be operating in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
I will be using this blog to chronicle the happenings at the school and with me as I get ready to open and bring the school into full operation. I am currently training with Grandmaster Richard Osborn Jr. in Springfield. I have a date shortly after Easter to test for my third degree black belt.
For now, it is enough that the blog is up and running. Stay tuned, there is a lot going on.
I will be using this blog to chronicle the happenings at the school and with me as I get ready to open and bring the school into full operation. I am currently training with Grandmaster Richard Osborn Jr. in Springfield. I have a date shortly after Easter to test for my third degree black belt.
For now, it is enough that the blog is up and running. Stay tuned, there is a lot going on.
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