Changes

Many technically perfect techniques are also powerful and effective. However, in today's society, time is at a premium. We want to be able to protect ourselves, but we do not have the time it takes to learn to hundreds of techniques or to perform a technically perfect technique. Now, due to changes in our society, Taekwondo students learn relatively few techniques. 

Traditional Taekwondo practitioners do countless repetitions of a technique until they perform it perfectly; perfect as judged by someone else who performs it perfectly. The problem is that healthy people with equal abilities may have physical differences that either aid or hinder their ability to perform a perfect technique. One person who can kick through a board with a perfect technique is judged as a better martial artist than one who can kick through a brick wall with a technique that does not conform to the "standard." Modern Taekwondo practitioners should appreciate the differences in people.

Many in today's society want to be able to protect themselves—today—not many months in the future. Instead of stressing perfection of a few basic techniques and then moving on to more techniques, modern Taekwondo starts a beginner with physical conditioning, power development, basic fighting skills, and fighting tactics and then progresses toward perfection of technique. Modern Taekwondo students may become excellent fighters while, due to physical limitations, never being able to perform perfect techniques, even after years of concentrated effort. They learn to maximize their assets while dealing with their liabilities. In modern Taekwondo, techniques should not be judged as to their technical perfection but as to their effectiveness.