Why study Taekwondo

You study taekwondo because in a prison somewhere is a guy training hard so that, when he gets is released, he can kick your ass and take your money.

Prison may rehabilitate good people who have gone wrong, but for bad people, it is merely a training camp. They are studying with the masters of violence and training hard so that when they are released they will not be arrested again. One way to ensure this is to leave no witnesses.

The training one gets in prison, both mentally and physically, is extremely efficient and very practical. There are no patterns to learn. Every day is a adrenaline filled training session in survival. Prisoners learn their first day that to survive in prison you must be tough and that you must daily demonstrate how tough you are. Just as a new chicken in a farmyard, you have to endure many pecking battles to find your place in the pecking order. Moreover, you have to face more battles every time a new chicken moves in. You learn to sense trouble, read intentions, and watch your back at all times. You quickly learn who the big roosters are and you quickly ingratiate yourself to them so they will take you under their wing and teach you the ways of crime.

Since weights and resistance training are readily available in prison and prisoners have nothing else to do, they train daily to be physically tough. Prison itself makes them mentally tough, much tougher than any bar bully. With so many "masters" of crime available, some prisoners attain their "black belts" in murder and mayhem. Some become "super predators" that are feared by even the toughest street thug. When these prisoners are released, they look for prey. Most look for the weakest prey, such as women, the elderly, or children. Others do not care what type of prey is available since they do not fear injury or death. You are just a piece of meat to them.

There are many reasons why people study taekwondo; self-defense is one of those reasons. As a martial artist, you may be able to defend yourself against a drunk at the bar, but do not fool yourself, when you are attacked by a predator, unless you have trained for that moment, you will find your life slowly fading away as you lie in a pool of your own blood.