Will Taekwondo encourage Children to be more aggressive?
No. If anything it has the opposite effect. Discipline, progressive skill development and personal insight will help to make people more balanced, and less likely to provoke aggression. Taekwondo will not promote aggression any more than other sports, perhaps even less. Even individuals initially attracted to the perceived aggression quickly change their minds.
Do women and girls train in taekwondo?
Yes, quite often. Some even compete at Professional and Olympic levels.
Does violence get aggression out of my system?
Not really. This has been termed catharsis, or at least mislabelled catharsis. Some people term is ‘ventilation theory’. Acting on violence only reinforces violent behaviour, which is a bad cycle to get stuck in. Violence doesn’t really solve anything except violent attacks from another. No professional psychologist believes in this ventilation method.
Catharsis, which is confused with ventilation theory, is an ancient philosophy where observing someone emotion journey, perhaps through a film, play or novel, allows us to gain some insight into ourselves as if we underwent the experience ourselves. This is totally different to acting on violent thought, which is foolish.
Is there an age limit?
We often see children as young as three train quite successfully. Many older individuals also take classes, largely to keep physically and mentally alert. We have yet to find an upper age limit.
Does everybody compete in tournaments?
Not at all, most people don’t compete. Those who do enter tournaments tend to take some different classes.
Is it like the Movies?
Film is very misleading, full of half-truths. But the thing that often most attracts us to films is the emotional journey of the main character. If you are looking for some personal triumph you will find martial arts quite rewarding. Training and achievement is an emotional journey, even if it is not as stylized as a film might suggest.