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Taigado
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Taigado is an integrated martial art based upon Tae Kwon Do, Okinawan Kempo, Western Boxing and Jujitsu. Additional martial arts influences include Filipino Kali, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Hapikido, Aikido, Yoga, Tai Chi and Philosophy. In Japanese, taiga means "Greater Self" or "Great River"; do can be translated as "way", "art" or "path". Thus, taigado translates as "The Way of the Greater Self" or "The Way of the Great River". History & Development Taigado has its roots in Tae Kwon Do, Okinawan Kempo, Western Boxing and Jujitsu as taught within the Korean Karate Club by Mr. James DelReal at The Pennsylvania State University. This is a Tae Kwon Do (Moo Duk Kwon) based system that incorporates elements of Okinawan Kempo, Western Boxing and Jujitsu to provide a complete approach to the martial arts. Taigado builds off of this framework and incorporates additional material from Filipino Kali, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Hapkido, Aikido, Yoga and Philosophy to create a truly integrated [http://en. .org/wiki/Hard_and_soft_(martial_arts) hard-soft style martial art] with practical applications to everyday life. Concepts from philosophy are also incorporated within Taigado to provide context for how martial arts principles and training can be applied to modern life and its challenges. This system was developed by Michael Weaver, a martial artist with close to 20 years of teaching experience in the martial arts and a former instructor for The Pennsylvania State University as well as Penn State Korean Karate instructor. Taigado is the result of looking to integrate both hard and soft style martial arts concepts into a martial art with effective lessons throughout all aspects of life. While physical mastery of the self and techniques is emphasized and regarded as important, this is balanced with a path for emotional development to develop spiritual as well as physical bravery. Instruction in Taigado is currently available in conjunction with Acropolis Boston, a school of comparative philosophy in the classical tradition, located in Cambridge, MA. Features Taigado focuses on developing both hard and soft style martial arts concepts, as well as development throughout all aspects of an to create a truly integrated martial art. Training focuses on physical mastery of techniques as well as emotional development to increase self-knowledge and compassion for others. Physical Mastery Physical mastery is a recurring theme within martial arts, philosophy and warrior traditions. True physical mastery is only possible with emotional development, synchronizing and harmonizing mind and body. The goal of physical mastery is accomplished through a variety of techniques incorporated from a wide range of martial arts: Kicking Techniques Kicking techniques from Tae Kwon Do (Moo Duk Kwon) are used within the system to provide individuals with a way of defending themselves from a greater distance and allowing individuals to generate maximal power and force. These techniques are also used to develop strength, flexibility and balance on the path to physical mastery. Advanced levels also have the opportunity to develop techniques using the Thai-style roundhouse, knees and conditioning using the Thai pads. Punching Techniques Punching techniques and conditioning methods from Western Boxing have been incorporated to develop upper body coordination and strength, while learning how to execute and defend against punches in a practical manner. The centerline principle from Wing Chun Kung Fu and Filipino Kali is also used to help with defense against punches and to refine hand techniques. Trapping & Controls Control techniques from Hapkido, Aikido, Okinawan Kempo and Filipino Kali are used to get students comfortable with redirecting energy and force as well as applying it. Soft-style footwork to avoid the full force of kicks and punches is also taught. As students progress, a variety of wristlocks, arm locks and controls are developed to redirect and control attacks. Groundwork Groundwork from both Japanese Jujitsu with influences from Brazilian Jujitsu are also covered. Additional seated rooting techniques inspired by yoga asanas are also incorporated to develop a sense of balance while on the ground. Self-Defense Self-defense and awareness techniques are also taught against a variety of holds and situations. These techniques differ from traditional soft-style trapping and controls as they focus on effectiveness of technique in simulated situations as opposed to "correct technique" in and of itself. "Flexibility" There is a flexibility component that is also developed with static and PNF stretches along with influences in yoga asana. This is an extremely important component of training as it allows one to react appropriately and with greater options than if their flexibility were compromised. This is another component that has immediate implications for everyday life, as it can help improve overall energy levels, ability to relax and posture. Emotional Development Just as the hard and soft style influences help one develop the physical aspect in a balanced manner, to develop the individual in a balanced manner, emotional development is also incorporated into the training. As one progresses, this emotional development becomes as important to physical mastery as physical training and conditioning itself. This is primarily done through the use of partner drills, sparring and a philosophical approach to instruction. Partner Drills At the beginning ranks, emotional development arises from the challenges of working through different techniques themselves and getting a feel for the physical body. As training progresses, working with a partner becomes more important to "test out" and see what techniques are effective against different body types and which have to be worked on and adjusted. This requires stepping away from simple theoretical or technical knowledge of a technique and making it work effectively for someone with a different body structure or stance than one may have otherwise expected. This often requires dropping "preconceived notions" of how things "should be" and dealing with the reality (isness or suchness) of the situation as it presents itself. Sparring In the intermediate to advanced ranks, sparring brings its own unique challenges and presents a wide range of challenges for emotional development. It can push someone to and beyond their limits of knowledge and execution when dealing with someone of higher rank, providing the opportunity for growth in that manner. However, even when working with someone of lower rank, it can force someone to work with the compassion needed to balance the knowledge or work on techniques that are not yet comfortable. In this way, growth and improvement is possible no matter what the situation, something which can be directly experienced in the training hall. Belt Rankings There are seven levels within the Taigado system. These are based off of the colored belt ranking systems found with in the Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan and Han Moo Kwan systems. Unlike the traditional Korean systems, there are no gup grades between the belts and belts are used to indicate increasing levels of physical mastery and mental development. The color belt system represents various stages of growth throughout the training of a martial artist and is patterned after the cycle of a seed growing into a plant and maturing. In this way, rankings are based upon individual development and growth, as opposed to simply promoting someone based upon time spent or exclusively physical requirements. White Belt - Beginning Potential The white belt represents the beginner level within the martial art and can be viewed as a seed with the potential for growth contained inside of it. With proper cultivation this seed can develop into a plant which will naturally produce more seeds. The white belt is technically outside of the grading system and has not yet begun growing, however the potential is there. The training of a white belt is to prepare them with the core foundation and basic techniques that will provide them with the sense of bodily awareness and the core techniques that start to form the roots of their practice. Yellow Belt - Physical Body The yellow belt grade indicates the first stage of physical mastery, that of bodily awareness. At this stage, the practitioner has a basic understanding of the core techniques (kicks, punches, self-defense and footwork) that serve as the basis for more advanced techniques and concepts. This grade can be represented as that of a small yellow sprout coming forth from the seed, the first new growth or body of a plant. The training of a yellow belt is focused upon placing these techniques in motion with more focus on developing footwork and using techniques in combinations with one another. Green Belt - Physical Movement The green belt represents the second stage of physical mastery, that of movement or the body in motion. This can be likened to a plant sprouting and unfurling its leaves, allowing one to see that it is in face a plant. At this stage, the practitioner has developed more comfort with the core techniques and understands how to link them together in combinations with footwork. The focus is on developing movement and flow from one technique to another, as well as a general flow of movement with partner drills and basic sparring. Once the practitioner is at the green belt level, more emphasis is placed upon sparring and advanced techniques to begin training the emotional aspect of the mind to develop it in balance and harmony with the physical. Blue Belt - Emotional Development Focus on pure physical mastery alone will only get someone so far, even in the physical realm. This is likened to the plant reaching higher and higher up to the sky, working to grow to its full size and height. The blue belt represents an increased level of physical mastery and is considered to be the intermediate belt grade because of the emphasis on mental or emotional development to complement the physical. At this stage, the practitioner has moved into the realm of sparring and begun to work with their own strengths and weaknesses when interacting with other practitioners of different grades and ranks. It is at this point that emotional responses typically begin to come forth and one realizes that they can no longer simply rely on patterns of movement or thought that they are comfortable with. This can be a very difficult level to be at, as it represents a true “in between” stage, neither beginner nor advanced practitioner. Red Belt - Intellectual Understanding The red belt is considered an advanced grade, where a certain level of mastery at both the physical and emotional levels has been reached. There is a deep intellectual understanding of techniques, movement and sparring. This is literally a blossoming forth of previously acquired knowledge and training, hence the color red representing a flower. There is a saying that “a red belt can do everything a black belt can do, they just can’t teach it yet”. This is very true and the red belt is also looked upon as a “teacher in training”. They have increased responsibilities with helping the lower ranks learn their material, paving their way to become instructors. Black Belt 1st Dan - Intelligent Instruction The 1st Degree Black Belt represents the death of the plant, which is when new seeds are released. This is indicative of the black belt being responsible for teaching others and helping them grow through the grades outlined above. The black belt now also has a more complete understanding of the belt system and the way the teaching progression works because they have experienced it first hand. Through the teaching process, the black belt instructor gains additional wisdom and understanding of techniques by fielding other participants’ questions and helping them develop in their own unique way. This represents “intelligent instruction”, where they are beginning to come up with creative ways to teach that fits their unique abilities and their students’ individual needs. At this point, the black belt is expected to be able to instruct anyone up to the grade of red belt, but still cannot promote black belts of their own or “create instructors”. Black Belt 2nd Dan - Intuitive Instruction The 2nd Degree Black Belt is able to instruct individuals up to the level of 1st Degree Black Belt due to a more intuitive sense of instruction and therefore the art itself. This is where instruction and Taigado have become vehicles for self-expression in a very creative way. In fact one of the requirements for 2nd Dan is to learn something from outside the current Taigado system and begin teaching these concepts to start growing the art in a personal direction. This is where most people will have no need or desire to progress beyond as they have the ability to keep developing themselves and their students in unique and creative ways. Black Belt 3rd Dan - Developing the Martial Arts While the 1st and 2nd Dan Black Belts focus on giving back to students, the 3rd Dan is different as it focuses on giving back to the martial arts discipline as a whole. This involves building off of the current system and developing it in new directions to the point of creating a new martial art. This ensures that the martial arts discipline itself is continually renewed and refreshed. In Eastern Philosophy, art is looked upon as a living thing, and a true expression of the self. In this way, creating a new martial art provides a way for the Black Belt to better communicate with their students and ensure that martial arts as a discipline continue to grow, evolve and remain relevant. 
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