The trinity of Taekwondo is comprised of three separate elements; body, mind, and spirit. Those that follow Taekwondo believe that in order to learn this martial art, and above all become a master of this martial art, you must bring all of these elements in line with one another.
You need your body to give you the strength to face challenges. You need your mind to control your body. You need your spirit to give yourself motivation. If you are weak on just one of the elements in the trinity of Taekwondo, you are going to be a weak fighter and a weak person.
On this page, we want to look at the various elements of the trinity of Taekwondo. This should provide you with the information you need to understand this beautiful fighting style.
Remember; Taekwondo focuses heavily on this trinity and the way in which everything is linked. The trinity is symbolized in the Kwang-Gae. It is symbolized in the way in which you tie your Taekwondo belt. Throughout mastering this martial art, you will be given constant reminders on how everything needs to be improved.
Mind
When we talk about the mind in Taekwondo, we are talking about you learning how your body works when it comes to martial arts. The ten commandments of Taekwondo will play heavily into the way your mind develops when it comes to martial arts.
The mind is comprised of several elements. A lot of this will be focused on what the weaknesses of your body are. Only by being able to identify that weakness will you become a true fighter. It means that you will have the tools to defend yourself properly. At the same time, you will be learning the ways in which you can exploit your opponent’s weaknesses.
This is how it links to your body. It is all well and good knowing how to move your body and having the physical strength to deal with issues that may arise, it is another thing altogether knowing exactly how to move your body in such a way that you are able to deal with any issues that arise. What is the sense of knowing how to defend yourself if you are not familiar with the body in such a way that you can defend yourself in the right areas?
When you are developing your mind in Taekwondo, you will also be focusing on some of the commandments of Taekwondo. For example; some of the commandments rely heavily on you not being able to enter into a battle that you cannot win, but if you do, you must try to finish what you have started. You need a strong mind for all of this.
You need to be able to recognize when your physical skills are not up to scratch. If you cannot recognize your limits, then you simply cannot be effective. Remember; Taekwondo isn’t just about fighting, it is being able to recognize that fighting should only ever be used as an absolutely last resort.
Body
This is the part of the trinity of Taekwondo that you will be building everything else upon. In order to practice martial arts, your body needs to be in peak condition. You need to physically be able to perform the movements that Taekwondo requires of you.
You need to be able to punch. You need to be able to kick. You need to be able to defend yourself. If you do not have a strong body, and you do not work on developing the strength of your body, then it doesn’t matter how much you want to learn Taekwondo, you will never become a master.
After all, you can have the mind to tell yourself which way you want your body to go, and you may have the spirit to tell your body that this is what you want, but if your body is not going to be up to the challenge, then you can’t accomplish anything.
When you are learning Taekwondo, the majority of your time will be spent training your body. You will become physically fitter. Your muscles will become more flexible. You will learn to move your body in ways that you never thought possible. It is a long and arduous process, but it is vital. It ensures that once your mind and spirit are in place, you will be well on your journey towards becoming a master of Taekwondo.
Do not worry if you are new to Taekwondo. This martial art, just like other martial arts, is incredibly fluid. You are not expected to be able to learn how to move your body in the right way quickly. It can take months, sometimes years, to get to that point. This is where the other elements in the trinity of Taekwondo start to come into play.
Spirit
Perhaps the best way to describe ‘spirit’ when it comes to the trinity of Taekwondo is ‘motivation’. You must have a sense of purpose in life. You must have something that you believe in enough to stand up for it. Without goals, without something to believe in, then it doesn’t matter what strength you have.
It doesn’t matter how much command you have over that strength, you can’t be a master of Taekwondo. It really is as simple as that. Those who are not willing to improve themselves as a person and stand up for what they believe in are those who will never grow as people.
Spirit goes beyond this too. As you may well know, Taekwondo is heavily focused upon the commandments of Taekwondo. Spirit demands that you incorporate these commandments in your day to day lives. Everything that you do in your life needs to be in light of these commandments. You need to show respect for others.
You need to be able to tackle challenges head-on. To be a true master of Taekwondo, you can’t just learn the moves, you need to live and breathe the purpose of Taekwondo. For masters, Taekwondo is their life. It dictates their interactions, and most of the time this is going to be contributing to the improvement of a person.
Final Thoughts
All Taekwondo training that you undertake will focus on developing the elements of the trinity simultaneously. In Taekwondo, each element cannot exist without the other two. Mastering each component of the trinity will improve the other two elements too.
For example; as your body becomes stronger, your mind and spirit will also improve. After all, a stronger body means you can use it in better ways. It also becomes a whole lot easier to deal with the challenges that life throws you. If you are not combining all three elements in your Taekwondo training, you will never become a true master of Taekwondo.
