Times have changed and with them the lifestyle we know, it is not a secret the importance and impact of having healthy lives, which is not only summarized in a balanced diet, now it is about practicing or training any sport.
Taken from: martialdevotee.com
As we know, each country has an athletic stronghold, in fact, many times they were invented for a need related to local history and traditions. In the case of South Korea, it is often quite evident thanks to the media or social networks that are martial arts, the vast majority believe that they are only represented by taekwondo (태권도), but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
And I am not writing it from the assumption, I lived it, I trained for 4 years a martial art little known internationally, but quite recognized locally, being considered one of the oldest, better known as hapkido (합기도). I don’t know about the other martial arts, but something I admire about this specific one is that it is considered a lifestyle, and this fact makes it more than just a Sunday or evening workout. The bases do not only start from making figures, using some extra element for the defense, or learning the kicks, values such as respect and humility are part of the training, and the main idea is to use the opponent’s strength against him.
Taken from: skilledfemfighters.com
The belts are not just a color, each one symbolizes the stage of maturity of the person who owns it; starting from the white (purity), yellow (warning), orange (improvement), green (power), blue (center), purple (maturity), red (dynamism), red-brown (passion), brown (neutral), brown-black (harmony), and the black are divided into black belts, where there is no longer a change of color, but yellow stripes are added to the belt for a total of 9, the tenth and last is only given to those who have had an exemplary life.
As for philosophy, we find elements such as energy and spirit, all this believing that we should always use the enemy’s force against him, however, if he does not invade our life circle, it is not necessary to start a fight, because conflict is the last thing we should look for.
There are more details regarding this art, such as the equipment or uniform and the defense weapons, for example, the short stick called Dan Bong Sool or the long stick known as Jang Bong Sool. I remember that with these weapons we also made little complex figures because if we did not do them fluently, we could end up hitting ourselves.
Taken from: kimshapkido.com
There is quite a lot that remains to be told, however, I could never end because from each thing comes a detail that contains another story. Even so, I invite you to learn more about martial arts, not just the common ones or those we see at the Olympic Games, there are quite a few and each one has a story, people who love it and those who, like me, were changed.
Written by: Sara Varon
Reviewed by: Angie Salavarria
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