The terms “Yin” (or “Um” in Korean) and “Yang” have become commonplace in our modern Western culture, and whenever anyone uses these words, it is mostly used to contrast two individuals or two objects. The Yin and Yang symbol is commonly represented by a white and black circle, as shown Continue Reading
Yoshi Ota
The Meaning of Cho
Learning to count is one of the first things one learns when learning a language, whether it is their first or tenth. It was no different when I began training Tang Soo Do; while I am fluent in Japanese, the Korean language is quite different enough that it took a Continue Reading
Rock What You Got: Your Martial Arts, Your Do
In simple terms, training in martial arts is essentially being in a constant state of comparing your skills to your instructor and your peers, and eventually your students. You are constantly striving to match your instructor, be better than your fellow students (or at least their equal) and stay one Continue Reading
The Meaning of Cha Ryut
One of the first commands we learn in any traditional martial arts is the command to come to attention. In Tang Soo Do and other Korean martial arts, it is “Cha-Ryut” (or Ryot), and it is one of those commands that is not only instantly recognizable, but quintessentially Korean. In Continue Reading
Dealing with Injury and Setbacks
If you’re old enough to understand anything in this sentence, then it is very likely that you have been injured at some point in your life. It’s an unavoidable part of life: we all make mistakes, we can’t control everything around us, and entropy exists, so inevitably something will fall Continue Reading
How to Respectfully Voice Your Opinion to Your Seniors, Especially if You Disagree
In my article about politics, any group of human beings will inevitably have some form of politicking, whether we like it or not. It’s an unavoidable fact in society, and this is true even in martial arts organizations. As such, disagreements are bound to spring up, not just in interpretation Continue Reading
The Meaning of Bo
In my association, there is a rank called “Cho Dan Bo”, which translates to “black belt candidate”. It is a solid blue belt, and it is the rank that you receive prior to testing for your black belt. I discussed what “Dan” meant in this article, so this one will Continue Reading
Martial Arts is About Socializing
For those who read the headline and your first instinct is to comment that I’m wrong, hear me out first. People who have trained for years tend to hyper-focus on getting the right technique, or executing the correct sequence of moves in their form, or dive into the applications of Continue Reading
The Meaning of “Soo”
The word “Soo” comes up often when it comes to Korean techniques and is present in the name of the style I train in (Tang Soo Do), and so it’s natural to be curious as to what it means. In basic terms, it means “hand”, and typically denotes an open Continue Reading
How to Find the Right Martial Arts Community for You
What defines a community? In simple terms it’s a group of people that are working towards the same goal. For martial arts, it could mean a studio or club, a loose collection of local schools, an association, all those who train in the same style, or perhaps as large as Continue Reading