Buchanan Taekwondo

Congratulations for all those who tested today at Master Moon’s World Class Taekwondo!

It has been great visiting Master Moon and Master Yi these past two weeks in Keller Texas! (Just north of Ft Worth) where my Grandchildren train - Nora, William, and Eleanor Luff. Master Moon’s World Class Taekwondo truly lives up to its name with excellent instruction by world class Masters. Thank you for all you do for our students and taekwondo. It has been a pleasure to be so welcomed by such a great school!

Master Buchanan, Buchanan Taekwondo

It has been great visiting Master Moon and Master Yi these past two weeks in Keller Texas! (Just north of Ft Worth) where my Grandchildren train - Nora, William, and Eleanor Luff. Master Moon’s World Class Taekwondo truly lives up to its name with excellent instruction by world class Masters. Thank you for all you do for our students and taekwondo. It has been a pleasure to be so welcomed by such a great school!

Master Buchanan, Buchanan Taekwondo

Master Moon’s World Class Taekwondo, Keller, Texas

Hey students! Are you in the Olympia area? Check out this amazing school….

https://www.facebook.com/martialartsolympia

U.S. Martial Arts Center website: http://martialartsolympia.com

The U.S. Martial Arts Center (USMAC) is an award winning fa

Belt testing at Tiger Cho’s Taekwondo, St. John’s, Florida. Thank you Master’s Julian and Cho for the excellent instruction. Congratulations students!

The training continues! Such a great school. Kamsamnida Master Cho and Master Julian. So good!

"Ye" (etiquette) is an essential spirit in Taekwondo training with a fundamental base of respect for humanity. Etiquette is an expression, through actions, of respecting others and encourages us to cultivate a righteous and decent character. It reminds us to have a modest attitude to help maintain harmony in our community.

We "Bow" in Taekwondo because it was one of our first lessons in Taekwondo, a part of the Korean culture and a sign of mutual respect.

The following information will help you to further understand the proper etiquette of bowing.

Bowing is a greeting and display of respect to one's seniors or to your peers on formal occasions. You will rarely see close friends bowing to one another, unless they are in a public arena.

When you bow, your legs should be together, hands straight down on your sides and eyes to the ground.

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Here are some general tips for maintaining the proper manners:
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1. In a social gathering, wait to be introduced by a third party.

2. Patting or touching someone is considered rude.

3. Bow with a Greeting – An-nyeong-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요) or An-nyeong-hashim-nika (안녕하십니까) is “Hello”, Gamsa-ham-nida (감사합니다) is “Thank you” and Ban-gab-seub-ni-da - (반갑습니다) is "Nice to meet you".

4. Posture is important when bowing. Bow from the waist, not the neck.

5. It is polite to return bows if you are receiving one, unless you’re an obvious senior. Although you’re not required to bow when a child bows to you, it is a nice gesture to do so.

6. Exchange of name cards and business cards are common in Korea. Give and receive cards with both hands.

7. Handshakes are becoming more common in business settings. Handshakes are done while bowing. Usually both hands grasp the other person’s hands, but sometimes a single handshake suffices. Play it by situation.

Please note:
Women generally don’t offer handshakes first, even in business situations. There are some women who even find it offensive when a man offers a handshake.

8. Sometimes, the person with higher status (or age) will initiate a handshake, take it with both hands.

9. Don’t be over enthusiastic when giving a handshake, don’t squeeze too hard nor shake for too long.

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FIVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BOWS
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1. CASUAL BOW
A quick, swift bow, this is the greeting close or similar ranked colleagues or friends, and in the situations when you can’t perform the deeper bows: in cramped spaces such as elevators or public transportation. It is also acceptable when you run into the same senior several times during the day.
Although it may look like one, it’s not to be confused with a simple head nod. Remember: bowing occurs from the waist, not the neck.

2. STANDARD BOW
Respectful 30º ~ 45º Bow
You really can’t go wrong with this most common bow. It is used to greet almost anybody; seniors and even juniors.

3. “BELLY-BUTTON” BOW
People in uniform usually give the formal “belly-button” bow. The “belly-button” or navel bow (배꼽인사) is the formal respectful bow that is mostly used by women in uniform, especially flight attendants and salespeople. The term comes from the fact that the hands are clasped together at the navel position when bowing. The degree of bowing depends on the occasion but the 45º is the most common.

4. 90º Bow
Simultaneous handshake and 90 degree bowing.
This bow is literally called the “90 degree bow” (90도 인사) in Korean because it is. It’s a form of utter respect, an intentional showing of service and obedience. It is also used in occasions for deep apologies.

5. BIG BOW
The big bow done on New Year’s Day is called ‘sebae’ (세배). Besides the regular everyday bows, there are the knees-to-the-ground “Big Bows” (큰절) or deep bows that are reserved for special occasions such as holidays, weddings, funerals, jesa (제사, ancestral rites), greeting elders after a long period of absence, and showing of extreme remorse or gratitude.

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THE DONT'S
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1. Do not bow deeper to someone when you are already with another person who is that someone’s senior. For example, when you’re with the director of your department and a manager passes by, you do not give that manager a 90º bow in the director’s presence.

2. Do not bow “down” to someone, i.e. when you are on a staircase, be sure to get on the same or lower level to whom you are bowing before greeting them.

3. The “silent bow” is just plain rude, unless you’re in an environment where you have to be quiet like the library or theater. Say hello! Say goodbye! Say thank you!

4. Bowing is not modern dance. Don’t try to bow while moving, e.g. walking, running, jogging. Take your time to stand still and deliver a proper greeting.

5. Although it’s not truly a “don’t”, Koreans don’t bow with their hands together in a prayer pose unless they’re Buddhist or in a religious setting. Countries in South East Asia have this custom for everyday life, but it isn’t common here.

6. Although making eye contact upon first encounter is important, a mistake that foreigners (and even Korean kids) often make is maintaining that eye contact when bowing. What results from this stance: your neck sticks out while your upperbody goes down, making you look like a bird. Not very attractive.

7. Hanging arms are not appropriate. Unless you want to look like you’re trying to touch your toes, avoid being a gorilla; keep your arms naturally at your side.

Enjoy your journey learning Taekwondo, appreciating its Korean heritage and culture and discovering the meaning of "Do" or "The Way of Life"... which many prize and consider to be the most important aspect of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo for Life,

Johnny CW Kang
Taekwondo Worldwide Community Founder
https://www.facebook.com/groups/InternationalTKDCommunity
United States Taekwondo Committee (USTC) Executive Director
https://www.ustaekwondocommittee.com/

US Taekwondo Headquarters | United States | U.S. Taekwondo Committee The US Kukkiwon Headquartes and home ofthe US Open Hanmadang. To learn what events we are hosting or sponsoring for the Taekwondo community in the USA.