Editing Taekwondo (section)

== Philosophy ==
Different styles of Taekwondo adopt different philosophical underpinnings. Many of these underpinnings however refer back to the Five Commandments of the [[Hwarang]] as a historical referent. For example, Choi Hong-hi expressed his philosophical basis for taekwondo as the [[International Taekwon-Do Federation#Philosophy|Five Tenets of Taekwondo]]:<ref name="The Tenants Of Tae Kwon Do">{{cite web |last=S. Benko |first=James |title=Grand Master, Ph.D. |url=http://www.itatkd.com/tenets.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703092555/http://itatkd.com/tenets.html |archive-date=3 July 2017 |access-date=13 March 2013 |work=The Tenants Of Tae Kwon Do |publisher=ITA Institute}}</ref>
* Courtesy ({{Korean|hangul=예의|hanja=禮儀|rr=yeui|labels=no}})
* Integrity ({{Korean|hangul=염치|hanja=廉恥|rr=yeomchi|labels=no}})
* Perseverance ({{Korean|hangul=인내|hanja=忍耐|rr=innae|labels=no}})
* Self-control ({{Korean|hangul=극기|hanja=克己|rr=geukgi|labels=no}})
* Indomitable spirit ({{Korean|hangul=백절불굴|hanja=百折不屈|rr=baekjeolbulgul|labels=no}})

These tenets are further articulated in a taekwondo oath, also authored by Choi:
* I shall observe the tenets of taekwondo
* I shall respect the instructor and seniors
* I shall never misuse taekwondo
* I shall be a champion of freedom and justice
* I shall build a more peaceful world
Modern ITF organizations have continued to update and expand upon this philosophy.<ref>{{cite web |title=ITF More Culture |url=http://www.itftkd.org/?Content=MoralCulture |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911213623/http://www.itftkd.org/?Content=MoralCulture |archive-date=September 11, 2014 |access-date=September 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ITF Philosophy |url=http://www.tkd-itf.org/pagina.php?idpag=1133&web=47&lng=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911204627/http://www.tkd-itf.org/pagina.php?idpag=1133&web=47&lng=3 |archive-date=September 11, 2014 |access-date=September 11, 2014 |website=Tkd.otf.org}}</ref>

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) also refers to the commandments of the Hwarang in the articulation of its taekwondo philosophy.<ref>{{cite web |title=WTF Philosophy |url=http://www.worldtaekwondofederation.net/philosophy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103033449/http://www.worldtaekwondofederation.net/philosophy |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=September 11, 2014 |website=Worldtaekwondofederation.net}}</ref> Like the ITF philosophy, it centers on the development of a peaceful society as one of the overarching goals for the practice of taekwondo. The WT's stated philosophy is that this goal can be furthered by adoption of the Hwarang spirit, by behaving rationally ("education in accordance with the reason of heaven"), and by recognition of the philosophies embodied in the {{Transliteration|ko|rr|taegeuk}} (the yin and the yang, i.e., "the unity of opposites") and the [[Taegeuk#Tricolored taegeuk|sam taegeuk]] (understanding change in the world as the interactions of the heavens, the Earth, and Man). The philosophical position articulated by the Kukkiwon is likewise based on the Hwarang tradition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kukkiwon Philosophy |url=http://kukkiwon.or.kr/front/pageView.action?cmd=%2Feng%2Finformation%2Ftaekwondo_mind |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903194807/http://www.kukkiwon.or.kr/front/pageView.action?cmd=%2Feng%2Finformation%2Ftaekwondo_mind |archive-date=September 3, 2014 |access-date=September 11, 2014 |website=Kukkiwon.or.kr}}</ref>

=== Theory of power ===
The emphasis on speed and agility is a defining characteristic of taekwondo and has its origins in analyses undertaken by [[Choi Hong-hi]]. The results of that analysis are known by ITF practitioners as Choi's ''Theory of Power''. Choi based his understanding of power on [[biomechanics]] and [[Classical mechanics|Newtonian physics]] as well as Chinese martial arts. For example, Choi observed that the kinetic energy of a strike increases quadratically with the speed of the strike, but increases only linearly with the mass of the striking object. In other words, speed is more important than size in terms of generating power. This principle was incorporated into the early design of taekwondo and is still used.<ref name="Gillis" /><ref name="Choi" />

Choi also advocated a "relax/strike" principle for taekwondo; in other words, between blocks, kicks, and strikes the practitioner should relax the body, then tense the muscles only while performing the technique. It is believed that the relax/strike principle increases the power of the technique, by conserving the body's energy. He expanded on this principle with his advocacy of the "sine wave" technique. This involves raising one's centre of gravity between techniques, then lowering it as the technique is performed, producing the up-and-down movement from which the term "sine wave" is derived.<ref name="Choi" />

The components of the Theory of Power include:<ref>{{cite web |title=ITF Theory of Power |url=http://www.tkd.co.uk/powertheory/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140928172001/http://www.tkd.co.uk/powertheory/ |archive-date=September 28, 2014 |access-date=September 11, 2014 |website=Tkd.co.uk}}</ref>

* Reaction Force: the principle that as the striking limb is brought forward, other parts of the body should be brought backwards in order to provide more power to the striking limb. As an example, if the right leg is brought forward in a [[roundhouse kick]], the right arm is brought backwards to provide the reaction force.
* Concentration: the principle of bringing as many muscles as possible to bear on a strike, concentrating the area of impact into as small an area as possible.
* Equilibrium: maintaining a correct centre-of-balance throughout a technique.
* Breath Control: the idea that during a strike one should exhale, with the exhalation concluding at the moment of impact.
* Mass: the principle of bringing as much of the body to bear on a strike as possible; again using the turning kick as an example, the idea would be to rotate the hip as well as the leg during the kick in order to take advantage of the hip's additional mass in terms of providing power to the kick.
* Speed: as previously noted, the speed of execution of a technique in taekwondo is deemed to be even more important than mass in terms of providing power.