Taekwondo, Korean Martial Art

I shall observe the Tenets of Taekwondo. I shall respect Instructors and Seniors. I shall never misuse Taekwondo. I will be a champion of freedom and justice. I will build a more peaceful world. Patterns are prearranged sequences of attack and defence moves against imaginary opponents. They are designed to improve power, accuracy and speed and to make techniques reflex actions rather than the result of (Slow) conscious thought. The names of the patterns for the coloured belt grade (kup) students is from the TAE GEUK (Tal Chi, in Chinese), the ultimate principle in oriental philosophy. TAE means "great" and GEUK means "ultimate" or "eternal". Each pattern represents one of the Eight Trigrams (Pal Gwe) of the I Chin- (The book of Changes). Sparring is the practical application of various forms against an actual opponent.