Question 094: Do not teach patterns - REPLY

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I do not know of any TKD school that does not teach kata. Patterns are an integral part of all the traditional martial arts; they train the mental and emotional side of the martial arts and help build character. Martial arts that are only concerned with the physical side of the martial arts tend to downplay or eliminate patterns from their curricula. Their practitioners, as in other purely physical endeavors, tend to practice them for a while, get bored, and move on to other physical endeavors. For those who train in traditional martial arts, the art becomes an integral part of their lives. One comparison between is Taebo and Taekwondo. Taebo teaches most of the movements of Taekwondo, but it is purely physical and is a fleeting fad. Once the novelty of Taebo wears off, students move on to the next fad of the moment. Since Taekwondo integrates physical, mental, and emotion aspects into its training, it becomes a way of life, and students tend to stay with it, in one form or another, for the rest of their lives.