Taekwondo:
A Workout for Everyone

By Chad Harple

Courtesy Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont

From its earliest beginnings, the Korean martial art of Taekwondo has emphasized physical and mental discipline. Although General Choi Hong-hi gave the art its name in 1957, Koreans have practiced Taekwondo since 1st century BC. The art of Taekwondo is alive and well ? it's arguably the most popular martial art in the world today ?and it was recently made an Olympic sport. Vermont, far from an exception to this martial arts trend, is home to more than 15 Taekwondo schools.

Physically, Taekwondo offers a challenging but body-friendly workout. Classes typically last for one hour, and always begin with a series of warm-up exercises. These include many stretches to loosen the joints and muscles, leading to increased flexibility. Master Dan Linde, a co-owner of Marschke's School of Taekwon-Do in South Burlington, has been training for 17 years. He is now 31, which means he has practiced Taekwondo for more than half his life, he notes.

"My flexibility has definitely improved ?it's better now than when I was fourteen. One time when I went to do a stretch kick (a warm-up movement which involves bringing one extended leg upwards as high as it can go, while standing), I hit myself in the nose with my foot," he remembers, laughing.

Warmups also include sets of push-ups, crunches, and other abdominal exercises which help develop "core strength." Many movements in Taekwondo require balance and body control as a practitioner must start and stop moving quickly while practicing stance changes and kicking and punching techniques. The ability to achieve this comes from one's abdominal muscles and rhythmic breathing, together composing "core strength" because both come from the center of your body.

This style of workout produces amazing results. Diane Choiniere, 52, has been training for a year and a half, and she believes the classes offer a better workout than she can get in a gym. "All of the stretching and push-ups and crunches are great," she says, "and class is like constant movement for an hour."

Linde recalls a former student who began training at Marschke's weighing 300 pounds. "In a year, he had lost 50 pounds, without changing anything else in his routine."

Ginny Iverson, 52, remembers how Taekwondo was the perfect rehab for her injured leg. "When I started training in Taekwondo, I had just gotten a cast off my leg that I had fractured. I couldn't do anything jarring or pounding at all." That was twelve years ago, and now Iverson is a third degree black belt, who not only teaches at Marschke's; she is a co-owner, too. "Taekwondo really improved my strength, balance and flexibility," she relates.

Although the physical benefits of Taekwondo are numerous, the mental benefits set it apart from other exercises and sports. Many parts of Taekwondo emphasize and teach discipline, self-control and respect. Each rank has a set of ordered movements associated with it, called a pattern. Students must practice it and learn its meaning in order to move onto the next level. While the primary importance of patterns is repetition of techniques to help you master them, they also teach discipline, because in order to really learn and interpret a pattern you must practice it vigorously. Similarly, students learn the Tenets of Taekwondo, which are principles (like Courtesy and Integrity) that help guide them in life. Students practice these principles during class, addressing other students as "Mr." or "sir," or "Ms." or "ma'am," regardless of age. Before training with a partner, one must bow to him or her, and shake hands.

Classes often involve meditation, where you cleanse your mind of all conscious thoughts. Often, this cleansing results from well-learned patterns where you are able to move without thinking. This sort of focus and concentration is needed for breaking techniques, where students learn to plunge their bare hands through boards and even cement blocks.

A common misconception about Taekwondo is that it arms people with kicking and punching skills and then lets them loose to use their new-found skills. In Taekwondo, students do practice fighting, called sparring, and most techniques taught in class can have harmful applications.

"All the techniques I teach in class are for self-defense," says Linde. But, when students do spar, the emphasis is on self-control; all students wear protective gear, and fighters get penalties for striking harder than contact.

Still, people are often skeptical of reasons which encourage their children to practice fighting. Iverson says she had the same concern for her children. "I was so opposed to violence, I told my kids not to expect to sign up," she recalls, relating a story about when she and her children attended a demo put on by Marschke's. "But after watching Master Marschke and listening to him talk about the warrior-spirit, and how the best warriors try to avoid confrontation, I signed myself and my kids up." Both of her children are now black belts, and she testifies that it helped keep her son out of trouble. "My son was aggressive," she says, "but Taekwondo helped his discipline."

All of these lessons learned in class lead to self-confidence, which often affects other parts of your life. Choniere began training with her grandson, Ryan. Ryan has two athletic older brothers, and never liked sports very much. "But Taekwondo has given him the confidence to succeed," Diane says. After practicing Taekwondo and becoming more coordinated, she says "Ryan is now excelling at soccer, and plays basketball too." Kelly Mullins, the third co-owner of Marschke's, began training when she was 27 and remembers not having much confidence as a kid. "Taekwondo is something I felt suited for, it was something that made me feel good about myself when I practiced it," she says, "and besides that, it's a good outlet. All the problems of the world seem to go away in an hour."

If all this sounds intimidating, you shouldn't worry. While instructors at Marschke's love to challenge their students, the only thing they love more is encouraging them. In fact, all of the instructors at Marschke's School of Taekwon-Do cite the people as a reason that they've continued training in Taekwondo.

"Weight-lifting is kind of rote, and not very social. But here, in class, there's always something new to learn, and everyone knows everyone else's name. It's more of a community," says Linde.

In addition to new forms and techniques to learn, Taekwondo is an easy exercise routine to stay with for years because of the variety of people it draws together. Doctors, electricians, engineers, lawyers, ministers, teachers, children in kindergarten and in college ?Taekwondo creates a unique learning environment that includes everyone and can't be found just anywhere. As Mullins points out, "where else will you find an adult bowing to a child?"




Judith Kirby
Program Director, TaekwondoNetwork
jkirby@taekwondonetwork.com 717-252-2824