Talavera

Nadine Talavera
English 115
Professor Lawson
3 October 2014
Culture
1426
Essence of Martial Arts
Asians are known for the stereotypical "ha yah" kung fu fighting martial arts. Jackie
Chan became one of the most famous Asian actors because of his intricate fighting techniques. In
most cases, a person's initial thought of martial arts as a form of self-defense. Although, after
nine years of being involved in such a culture, more specifically, Taekwondo, I have seen much
more than self-defense. Taekwondo is a way of living, it teaches Korean etiquette such a bowing
and indomitable spirit. Moreover, Taekwondo has helped improve my acceptance to learn more
about my ethnic culture as a Filipino, which influenced me to have a welcoming, open-minded
outlook on the world.
Learning more about Taekwondo has lead to my understanding of the importance of
Korean etiquette towards one another. The most important gesture in effort to show respect is to
bow to another person, it can be considered as a greeting or a way to stress loyalty. For Koreans
a proper bow is having both hands pressed at your sides, tilting the body at an angle with the
head lowered. Those who are not familiar with the culture refuse to bow; people perceive
lowering your head to another person as a sign of weakness. Bowing is the first lesson that is
taught at taekwondo; even as kids advance through ranks, punishments are given if they neglect
to bow. From experience the most common and painful punishment was stationary push-up

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position with both hands formed as fist, students would stay in that position until they are told to
stand up. In taekwondo, students are taught to always bow first to those who are of higher rank,
black belts, and masters. Learning about the importance of bowing made me become more
conscious of my actions and influenced my manners towards teachers, adults, and peers. I keep
in mind how to properly greet others such as introducing myself, shaking hands, and
acknowledging ones presence.
Another way for showing respect is to hand and accept objects with two hands. It is
common etiquette in Korea to shake hand with another person with the left hand being placed
under the right elbow or by the stomach. Students are also taught to always hand objects to
another person using the right hand and the left hand support the right hand. In additional, by
Korean standard to never to use the left hands as it symbolizes as an unclean hand and shows
disrespect. As a result of being a left-handed child, I would remember teachers repeatedly
saying, "shake hands with your dominant hand." Or when trying to help kids differentiate
between our left and right hand examples such as, "you write with your right hand" made the
situation worse, more so confusing. Consequently, with the introduction to Korean culture I was
able to understand the importance of proper etiquette and with that, the use of the left and right
hand and the misinterpretations that can be made when using the wrong hand. Therefore, at a
young age I learned to quickly utilize my right hand and in result became aware of its proper use.
Being influenced by Taekwondo culture has consequently made me become more
accepting of my ethnic culture. Growing up, my parents forced a Filipino culture household on
my siblings. In Filipino tradition, the younger person would say "tita, ateh, kuya, or po", more
importantly there is a "bless" when you take an older persons right hand and bring the back of
the palm towards your forehead to show respect. Initially, I refused to follow what they taught

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me because at that age my thoughts were that, we dont need to follow that, and we live in
America. It felt like I would be mock or teased if I followed such traditions. As I became
accustomed to Taekwondo culture and their preservation of traditions such as bowing and use of
the right hand, I slowly became more willing to follow Filipino traditions, soon the traditional
"bless" became as easy as bowing. Since Taekwondo culture and Filipino culture shared a
common importance of respect and a display of respect to elders, it has changed my outlook on
my culture and consequently I became more open-minded about my ethnic traditions as a
Filipino. I realized the importance of persevering traditions because it shows others who we are
and the values of our ethnic culture.
An essential part of Taekwondo is self-defense. Taekwondo teaches self-defense
through the basics of preventing from getting into physical fights all the way to the advanced
techniques of disarming an attacker. As students advance through ranks they are taught more
complex forms of self-defense. As a result of continuous practice of self-defense, it has increased
my level of confidence. Taekwondos self-defense culture has helped changed my confidence
and shaped me into believing in myself. It influenced me to accept negative feedback from
teachers, parents, and peers. Their negative and positive feedback has continuously helped me
improve myself and helped me overall become a better person.
In addition to my improvement of confidence, Taekwondo has helped develop my
understanding of determination. From the moment I stepped foot in my Taekwondo studio with
my uniform on, my goal was to earn my very first belt. After a couple weeks of taking
Taekwondo lessons I was able to earn my belt, and from that point on I was determined to earn
my black belt no matter how long it would take. It takes about four grueling years to advanced
and eventually earn a black belt. In those four years, I continuously learned more about

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Taekwondo. Slowly, without realizing I grew tired and became very bored of repeatedly practice
the same kicks, stances, and occasionally getting punished. At that time I was in my third year of
Taekwondo, I figured it was time to take a break. However, in another point of view, I was only
one year away from earning my black belt, and I knew that if I stopped now those three years
would have been a waste of time. In the end, I continued with Taekwondo, and eventually began
testing for my black belt. From those fours years, I learned the true meaning of determination.
Taekwondo has shaped me into a stronger person as it helped me focus on achieving my goal
and taught me to work hard to reach it. My goal was to earn my black belt, although, I thought
that it could easily be achieved, along the way I faced several hardships. One case was a leg
injuring that forced me to sit out during training for two months. In the span of two months, I
was able to observe my team mates become stronger and faster, as a result caused me to be
reluctant on coming back to train. Thus, Taekwondo taught me that it is very rare that things in
life will go as planned, there will be twists and turns that will deviate you for your goal.
Nevertheless, never give up on your dreams and continue working for your goal. The lesson on
determination that I have learned from my Taekwondo culture has created a positive influence on
my identity. Taekwondo has influenced me into never giving up, and taught me to face my
challenges head on. Achieving my black belt gave me the boost of determination and drive that I
never knew I had.
After nine years of being exposed to taekwondo culture, I have developed into a more
overall well-rounded person. Taekwondo is a form of martial arts that derives from Korea, in
translation Taekwondo means the way of the foot and hand. Starting Taekwondo, I would have
never realized that not only will it teach me self-defense but also lessons that help improve
character. Taekwondo taught me to endure and fight through hardships because life is always

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unexpected. Taekwondo's self-defense lessons have improved my confidence and taught me to

become a leader instead of a follower. More importantly, Taekwondo has influenced me into
accepting my ethnic culture, learning to respecting my culture traditions, as well as learning
important etiquette that will help me throughout my life. For others, Taekwondo is perceived as a
commercialized martial arts like Karate, but for me it is a culture. It has shaped and influenced
my life in so many ways, without Taekwondo I would not be able to picture myself as a whole.
The culture of Taekwondo has taught me skills that affect my everyday choices in life that has,
and will continue into helping me develop in becoming a better and more successful person for
the future.