Jason stood tall, all 3-feet, 10 inches, 65-pounds of him . . . feet firm, fists clinched and held near the waist. Hardly a bead of sweat showed on his brow.
The right hand struck first, followed by a upward thrust of the left, a quick turn and a roundhouse kick with the right foot. His target? A soft pad held by the instructor.Aggression? No, a move towards confidence. Violence? No, a step towards discipline.
These days, many young boys and girls see martial arts as high kicks, lightning-fast hands and a guarantee of never losing a fight, no matter the size or numbers.
What they don't see is a clean room, finished homework, respect for parents and teachers and, believe it or not, warm feelings for brothers and sisters.
There's more to Tae Kwon Do than kicks and punches.
"A number of kids come in here thinking they're going to be `White Power Rangers.' They soon learn differently," says Aaron Lankford, instructor at the Gold Medal Tae Kwon Do school in Holladay. "They come to build self-confidence, self-discipline and self-esteem. And part of that is learning to be good citizens."
The first thing students read when they open up their manual, is that Tae Kwon Do does not require physical development alone . . . "We must develop intellect, visualization and most importantly the development of the heart through courage and understanding."
"I teach them to respect their parents, to clean their rooms, to do well in school. If they come here strictly to become good fighters, then this is not the place for them," he says.
Tae Kwon Do is one form of the martial arts, as is karate and kung
fu. Translated it means "the way of fist and foot fighting."
When first taught, back around 37 BC, it became a symbol of status within the military. Mixed in with the physical training were teachings of philosophers. It's the same today.
Combative moves, says Lankford, help students develop awareness, responsibility, mental discipline and perseverance . . . "No matter what it is they are doing - school work, games, helping others in community service, helping around the home."
From the minute students, some as young as five, enter the class, their role there defined.
- Respect the school . . . Bow upon entering.
- Respect the teacher . . . Always answer "yes, sir," or "no, sir."
- Never face the instructor when fixing a uniform.
- Respect yourself . . . No profanity or loud talking. Be modest.
- Show respect to higher ranks . . . Call "black belts" Mr. or Ms.
- Respect the art . . . Work hard. Be attentive. There is no perfect punch or kick, so always strive for perfection day by day.
In class there are the rules. They sit in order of rankings - black belts to white belts - with legs folded and back straight. They talk when spoken to, and perform only when asked. Their movements are quick and done as best they can - expect no more or no less.
And, as Lankford notes, "They truly enjoy it. They try their very hardest. You can see it in how they respond."
Classes are also a way of relieving stress, especially for some of the older students. Students come to class and punch and kick and yell, and it's expected of them.
As for the fighting part, Lankford describes the art of Tae Kwon Do as "aggressive."
"But, one of the talents they master is how to get away and learn how to keep away," he notes.
Which, of course, makes it an ideal sport for women.
In fact, martial arts skills are many times more useful to women than men. The reason is that women are attacked, physically, more often than men. And despite what some think, says Lankford, women can defend themselves against an attacker.
"Women have," he points out, "some advantages over men. For one, they can scream. For another, women are, generally, mentally tougher than men. Also, women are not encumbered by heavy muscles. There are a number of moves women can make that heavily muscled males cannot."
These skills, however, are not something that come easily. They require hard work and perseverance. Many students are surprised, he adds, to find out that the real work begins after they've achieved black belt . . . "The higher levels require even more intense training and discipline from the student."
Lankford is, himself, a 4th degree black belt. He trained in Asia, where he assisted in teaching the military police in south Taiwan. He began teaching in Utah in 1990 and in 1994 opened the Gold Medal Tae Kwon Do studio in Holladay. He recently took eight of his students to the Olympics. Six of them, he says, returned with medals.
But as proud as he is of his students physical achievements, he is equally as happy with their mental powers. There's more to Tae Kwon Do than kicking and hitting, there's the clean rooms, good spirit, friendly greetings and good grades, something not shown in the movie theaters.