“10 PRINCIPLES OF TANG SOO DO”

• Every member should seek the truth and practice it.
• Promote the highest moral character through the training of Tang Soo Do.
• Respect and obey your parents, teachers and seniors.
• Love your country and contribute to your community.
• Develop both great confidence and humility, and practice both inside and outside of class.
• Do your best to promote intellectuality.
• Do not hesitate to sacrifice yourself for justice.
• Do you utmost to develop Tang Soo Do as the most popular martial art in the world.
• Develop your endurance, and be calm and humble in mind.
• Always remember that the ultimate purpose of Tang Soo Do is to promote both physical and mental health.

Karate as an Art

Karate, as it applies to the art, is the perfecting of the skills, application of techniques, and knowledge as designed by the originators of each individual style.  Furthermore, just as good sportsmanship is important in sports, the spirit of martial arts is important in karate training.  It is worthwhile to work toward the goal of becoming a total martial artist, not just a good fighter.  As a craftsman strives to perfect his/her craft, so too should a karate practitioner persevere to continually better him/herself in the art.
The difference between sports and martial arts philosophy is that sports are practiced for reasons of recreation, hobby, or income, and the results are realized in victory or defeat.  Karate is practiced for the purpose of self-defense and the results could be realized in life or death.

Karate as a Sport

Karate has definitely established a place in the world of sports.  Blocking, kicking, and punching techniques all contribute to making karate a very exciting and competitive sport.  Sport karate offers everything from individual form competition to controlled contact point matches to full contact professional events.  The tremendous skill, control, and discipline required in karate training, in addition to the perfection of padding and safety equipment, has made karate one of the safest contact sports.