This is the official blog for Pro Form Tae Kwon Do of Martinsburg, WV. I will be putting up various articles on aspects of Tae Kwon Do and martial arts training in general. I will confess that I am not used to blogging, but like in martial arts, I hope that with consistent practice, it will get better. Please keep that in mind and check back often. Hopefully things will get better as time goes on.

Changing Systems/Styles
     I have had to switch styles and systems various times throughout my martial arts career. I started in wrestling, then Karate, then Japanese Jujutsu, then Tae Kwon Do, later Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do, and along the way, Aikido, Iaido, and a little bit of a few other styles. I can say definitively that changing styles or switching systems can be both a pain, but can also be a great thing to motivate me to figure out what makes each system different and a cause to examine my skills and figure out what new things I can learn from the new system, while keeping the good things from the old.
     I bring this up because I know many of the students are a little hesitant at the prospect of changing from WMKS to Pro Form. I think that many of the new combinations will be advantageous from a sparring perspective. The old combinations are not wrong, just different. The old combinations will still be useful in sparring, just no longer tested. The new combinations are an additional set of skills to add to sparring. The forms will not be changing, as those are dictated by tradition, but as students hit the Black Belt levels, more of the applications will be explored and practiced. By the time a student has made it to Black Belt, the colored belt forms should be known well enough to be able to break them down for the purpose of analysis and partner practice with the 'hidden applications.' Prior to the Black Belt ranks, it is probably best for students to focus on correctly performing the foundational moves. No real changes need to be made to the forms, and I really do not feel that I would be in any position to be the one to do so anyway. The situational self defense is being expanded and improved. In regards to that, self defense should be the most effective, up-to-date method available, so of all the parts of the curriculum, it should be the one which changes most as time goes on. As instructors learn better techniques, they should be included, either augmenting or replacing older techniques. Terminology has been updated to reflect the strong Korean heritage and history, while keeping a few terms dealing with martial arts around the world, and particularly in America.
     I know that the Pro Form system is being set up in such a way that it seems like there is a lot to memorize, but in truth, there is so much information which exists today that it is actually tough to cut it down to a realistic amount for each belt level. As such, we want our students to be considered experts in the field of martial arts. We want students to be experts not only in the physical sense, but also the mental, spiritual/emotional, and the moral sense. Martial arts is a vehicle by which we improve ourselves as we journey onward in life. Martial artists should learn to protect ourselves from physical assaults as well as other physical problems, such as obesity, diabetes, or heart disease. We learn to protect ourselves emotionally by being more confident, and therefore less likely to be insulted or hurt when others try to bring us down. We learn to be better morally by being strong enough to resist temptation to do wrong and stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. The group projects which we will be doing will help others, and in doing so, allow us to build within ourselves a spirit of giving.
     The simple fact is that regardless of what is changing, it should be faced with the idea that it is an adventure which will help us all to grow. Students will be given time to adapt to the changes and special considerations will be shown during the first few tests as students try to make the change-over. Keep in mind, we are all having to adapt, but it is a journey that we go on together. Let us all help each other!