Recognised by:
Kukkiwon
The World Taekwondo Federation
European Taekwondo Union
British Taekwondo Council
British Taekwondo Control Board
Taekwondo Chungdokwan GB
British Students Taekwondo Federation

CONTACT:
Tel - 02072776024 / 07908917097
Email - enquiries@sbtkd.com

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PHILOSOPHY:
Ancestors of the Han (Korean) race experienced frustrations coming from natural disasters and life itself, therefore, they had to rely spiritually on nature’s power such as heaven, rain, cloud, sun, moon, trees, rocks, etc for their consolation.  As the tribal and agricultural community was firmly established, the Han people arrived at a unified thought, that is, worshipping the heavens god, which was later developed into the thought of seon (impeccable virtuousness) to become the basis of Korean philosophical thought.

On the basis of this thought, Buddhism and Confucianism reigned over the Korean people for such a long time that all individuals have been accustomed to devote themselves to the nation and society without falling victim to personal avarice, ever cultivating their minds and body.

The Koreans’ traditional thought is characterized by the priority on loyalty to the country and filial piety in peoples daily lives, thus making people think about the responsibilities first before seeking any power and voluntary working for justice.

Original thought and taekwondo spirit: Taekwondo certainly takes root in man's instincts to survive by means of protecting self from outside threat with the bare hands and feet.  It was developed into a systematized martial art in the times of the three-kingdom era.  The 3 kingdoms Silla (founded in 57 B.C.), Koguryo (37 B.C.) and the Baekjae (18 B.C.) were all antagonistic among themselves in their respective hopes to achieve national unification of the Korean peninsula.  They also had to defend themselves from foreign aggressors.

Under such circumstances, each kingdom tried to consolidate national unity by stressing the spirit of national defence among the people.  That spirit was based on the traditional 'seon' philosophy and the warriors accepted it as a martial spirit.  Above all, Silla's Hwarangdo (a youth warriors corps) was a typical example of inheriting this spirit.  Their firm view of the state was derived from the thought of loyalty, filial piety and reliability with which they could voluntarily abandon their lives for the sake of national security.  In addition, the courage of 'no retreat from fighting' was also another virtue of that spirit.

A third virtue was their practical thought of ethics with which they pledged not to commit any ethical faults and never to betray their social obligations.  After all, these spirits enabled the Hwarangs of Silla to defend their kingdom and helped it to conquer the other two kingdoms, thus unifying the entire Korean Peninsula.

Thus, the Hwarangdo spirit inherited the Koreans’ traditional spirit consisting of the thought of loyalty and filial piety, courage of no retreat from fighting and practical ethic thought of consistency in acting and learning.  This thought shaped into a peace loving thought has been handed down to the present Korean.

Present: In the midst of fierce competition for survival among different races on the earth, the Korean people have maintained their national spirit based on the 'seon' philosophy and taekwondo spirit has also been developed along with their national history of some 5,000 years.

It must be noted that taekwondo spirit was also inherited from the Hwarangdo spirit in the course of their martial art training and religious worship helped them cultivate patriotism.

Philosophy and Taekwondo: Everything in the universe is ever changing but always constant.  Because of this state, simplicity can be found among complexity.  Something unchanging can be found among the changing.  This is called taeool of heaven and is symbolized in the taeguk poomse.  Taeguk spirit has five ideas of pacifism, unity, creativity, eternity and bright future.  Taeguk poomse follow the laws of nature and is well combined with the two primal forces; defensive and attacking, progress and retreat, fast and slow speed, soft and linear movements.  At the start of poomse you will find simple methods of combat against enemy.  As you advance through poomse you can find complex principles of combat and understand its unique nature.

Taekwondo is not just a martial art and Olympic sport; it is a way of life for Koreans and for millions of practitioners around the world.  Although taekwondo is recognized as one of, if not, the most powerful form of martial art in the world, it is not all about power.  Through constant practice, taekwondo helps instill an inner peace and confidence rarely matched in any other art.  This control comes with discipline, strong mind and a desire to live in a peaceful world.  After many years of practice, the taekwondo practitioner also realizes that it is a very foolish person who runs into trouble.

Taekwondo has a long, fascinating and interesting history, which is passed on through training, as are the movements and the philosophy.  With so many talented instructors and a main governing body, the Korean World Taekwondo Federation intends to bring this philosophy and way of life to anyone who asks for it.

The WTF Taekwondo Oath speaks for itself:

1 - I shall observe the tenets of taekwondo.

2 - I shall respect my instructors and seniors.

3 - I shall never misuse taekwondo.

4 - I shall be a champion of freedom and justice.

5 - I shall build a more peaceful world.