Mountain Tae Kwon Do School

For centuries, the martial arts were practiced only in Asia and practically unknown in the United States until after World War II. Significant growth of martial arts activity in this country did not occur until the Korean Conflict (1948-1951). During and after this conflict many American soldiers were exposed to martial arts while stationed in Korea and Japan. Some even joined training halls and became rather proficient. The chief impetus in the United States, however, was provided by karate master Matsutatsu Oyama in 1952 when he gave a series of demonstrations throughout the United States. The practice of martial arts has increased over the years, the result of a number of popular movies, concern about crime, and growth in the number of schools teaching the techniques.

In many schools and organizations the spiritual aspect of martial arts tends to be neglected in the United States and in other Western countries. Orientals have for many centuries been taught the relationship between the acquisition of martial arts and the responsibility for using such skills maturely, in a spiritualistic manner. This concept, while not completely foreign to Western cultures, has not generally received as great an emphasis here as it has in the East.

Much of the spiritual neglect in martial arts can be placed at the feet of poorly qualified instructors. These people usually lack a thorough knowledge of the historical background of the art and an understanding of the art's spiritual basis. There can be little wonder then that they fail to instill the proper attitudes in their students. Instructors must stress that martial arts skills should never be used offensively or to "showoff." When one has acquired the means of effective self-defense, one generally has also developed enough self-confidence that the need to prove oneself no longer exists. Of course, a certain amount of maturity is required to conduct oneself responsibly and with restraint.

The United States has been the "melting pot" of the world in many ways, including the evolution of the martial arts. Because of a lack of tradition in martial arts, Americans have not felt as fervently bound to a particular style as Orientals have historically been. True, the first instructors in the United States were Orientals and many still are. But while each teacher represented a specific system, the students had the opportunity to try many styles and decide for themselves which was most effective. Due to their democratic background, individual American students also tend to feel free to "bend" traditional techniques to conform to their own physiques and personalities.