The TKD Is it a social phenomenon?

A look at the current state of TKD in society today

Marcelo David Eisen

C.A.B.A, April 2025

Dedication and Acknowledgement

This work, proposed by our prestigious International Taekwon-Do Federation, I want to

dedicate to my lifelong partner, Alejandra, with whom I have shared my achievements
and my ups and downs since I was 16 years old. To my children, who shared and
cultivated this art with me. To my grandchildren who are starting on this path. To my
great teachers from whom I not only learned a technique but also a philosophy of life.
And lastly, to my dear students, who gave me the possibility to transmit these teachings.

Index

Introduction……………………..

Problem Statement………………..

Justification of the Problem………………….

General Objectives………………………..

Specific Objectives…………………….

Theoretical Framework...……………………………..

Methodology...……………………………

Survey Results………………..

My Perspective as a Teacher…………………

General Conclusions………………….

Bibliographic References…………………

Introduction

My history with Taekwon-Do began around 1977, back then called Korean Karate, with
the remembered Grand Master Pablo Trajtemberg, at the Belgrano neighborhood
headquarters, an important branch of the renowned Argentine Taekwon-Do Center.
Many wonderful moments were given to me by TKD, but I highlight some events such
as my yellow belt graduation at the Kumazawa headquarters on Alvear Avenue, where
the examining board was presided over by Grand Master Nan Sun Choi, one of the main
pioneers of this art in Argentina. Later, another important step was my graduation to 1st
dan, an event held at the new headquarters (Cabildo Avenue) of the Argentine
Taekwon-Do Center, with the examining board presided over by prestigious masters;
among them, my first teacher, Grand Master Pablo Trajtemberg, and my current teacher,
Grand Master Héctor Marano. At 23 years old, once I achieved my black belt and was
authorized as an instructor, I began my teaching career, which continues to this day.

For a long time as an instructor, I discovered in each class the richness of the exchange
between peers, as different people of different ages and social classes always attended
them. Like others, I went through these trainings in a world far from technological
globalization, where accessing courses and a diversity of teachers was difficult. Over
the years, I lived, observed, and discovered Taekwon-Do as a social phenomenon. A
social phenomenon because it grows day by day, because students remain practicing
this discipline and with the same teacher, in the same school for years and sometimes
decades; because parents choose to bring their children to the dojang from a very early
age. These questions still resonate with me: why TKD and not other spaces, why do
disciples choose this martial art for so many years and in this space and at this time?
Today, where my experience and training have borne fruit, I want to try to answer these
questions.

Searching for material on these topics, I found that for some authors, Taekwon-Do, as a
martial art of Korean origin, has transcended its sporting purpose to become a
phenomenon with social, cultural, and psychological implications. Traditionally, martial
arts, including Taekwon-Do, have played a significant role in the formation of
character, physical development, and emotional well-being of individuals.

Currently, it is observed that more and more people are practicing this martial art, and
more and more families are choosing to bring their children to Taekwon-Do as an
extracurricular activity. Many schools are also beginning to offer this space for children,
considering it an important discipline to release anxieties, guide behavior, and improve
visuomotor coordination.

Generally speaking, over the last decades, Taekwon-Do has proven to be a useful tool,
not only for improving the physical performance of practitioners but also for fostering
social and mental integration, especially in a society increasingly marked by a lack of
coherence, cohesion, and mental health.

Therefore, this work aims to analyze the social, educational, and psychological impact
of Taekwon-Do today, from the relationship between physical and mental health
indicators. It also seeks to determine how this art facilitates integration between
different generations.

Problem Statement

In today's society, physical and mental health has become a matter of growing concern.
Among the great ills of our time are sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, stress, anxiety,
depression, excessive screen time, violent relationships, as well as a lack of spaces for
social integration. These are problems that are increasingly present in people's daily
lives, especially among young people. We live in an increasingly atomized society,
where different generations clash, a society that often promotes values such as
individualism and consumerism, where immediacy and the pursuit of constant success
devour the bonds between people and genuine human experiences.

In this context, Taekwon-Do can present itself as a space where practitioners find
common ground regardless of their ages and generational interests. That is why it is
crucial to evaluate how Taekwon-Do contrasts with these trends and offers an
alternative that fosters the construction of a more supportive community by promoting
collaboration and mutual respect among disciples.

Taekwon-Do emerges as an option that can significantly contribute to the well-being of

individuals and society. I believe this topic has been studied, however, it is necessary to
give it a current perspective for the year 2025; and furthermore, that this latest
perspective can be analyzed from the viewpoint of different health and education
professionals. We need a joint perspective that enriches our work and allows TKD to
continue growing and collaborating with developing individuals, adults, older adults,
and people with disabilities.

Justification of the Problem

The relevance of this study lies in the need to explore alternatives to address the mental
health and socialization problems facing today's society. The practice of sports and
physical activities such as Taekwon-Do not only improves physical condition but also
has a positive impact on psychological well-being. Furthermore, Taekwon-Do presents
itself as an inclusive space that allows the integration of people of different generations
and abilities, making it a vehicle for the creation of more cohesive communities. This
work seeks to show how Taekwon-Do breaks with the codes of an atomized and
consumerist society, deeply linked to image and the pursuit of success.

Objectives

General Objective:

Through this work, I propose, in the first instance, to share my professional experience
in Taekwon-Do and to explain the essential philosophy of this wonderful art in
Argentina today.

I also wish to focus on the importance of motivation in Taekwon-Do and the benefits it
produces in the effectiveness of regular practice. I am interested in explaining the ways
in which the practice of motivational techniques impacts the benefits for practitioners.

Solanas defines motivation as a process or a combination of processes that consists of

influencing people's behavior in some way. It is observed that in Taekwon-Do, it
produces wonderful effects, worthy of promoting in our professional practice.
Therefore, I am interested in showing Taekwon-Do as a motivator and facilitator of goal
achievement.

Specific Objectives:

 Evaluate how the practice of Taekwondo contributes to the physical and

psychological well-being of practitioners.
  Analyze the impact of Taekwon-Do on the mental health of people with
disabilities.
 Investigate how Taekwon-Do facilitates the integration of different generations.
 Hypothesize about how TKD contributes to the dynamics of a more just,
supportive, and respectful society.

Theoretical Framework

(This section includes a review of existing literature on Taekwon-Do, mental health, and
the integration of generations today. This is where the citations of the mentioned authors
will be used: Rodrigo Lago Pérez, Lidia Cervantes, Joaquín Dosil Díaz and Balaguer,
Solanas, Masco.)

From this perspective, I would like to mention some of the most prominent ideas that
served as the basis for the research.

a) Taekwon-Do and its social function: Taekwon-Do, as a discipline, is much more than
a simple physical activity. According to Rodrigo Lago Pérez and Lidia Cervantes (year),
this martial art fosters a deep social cohesion by involving people of diverse ages,
backgrounds, and abilities. The authors suggest that Taekwon-Do can contribute to the
construction of a more supportive community by promoting collaboration and mutual
respect among practitioners.

b) Taekwon-Do and mental health: The research of Joaquín Dosil Díaz (year) and
Balaguer (year) on psychological training in sports, and specifically in Taekwon-Do,
reveals that the practice of this discipline helps individuals develop mental skills such as
concentration, emotional management, and resilience. Taekwon-Do training also
improves the self-esteem and general well-being of students, which contributes to the
prevention of psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression.

c) Taekwon-Do and people with disabilities: Taekwon-Do has proven to be an inclusive

sport, promoting the participation of people with disabilities. Establishing that this
practice offers a space for integration where physical and social barriers are reduced is a
key aspect of this study. Research on inclusion in contact sports such as Taekwon-Do,
conducted by Lago Pérez and Cervantes (year), has highlighted how these disciplines
promote confidence and personal development in people with disabilities.

Rodrigo Lagos Pérez and Lidia Cervantes have summarized the benefits of Taekwon-
Do in the following points:

 Their minds develop the foundations of concentration.

 Children become more disciplined.
 The self-confidence gained through Taekwon-Do is because children realize
they are capable of mastering their bodies in the environment, also leading to
increased self-esteem.
 Through various tasks and varied exercises, camaraderie and teamwork are
instilled and fostered in the child, as well as the importance of each individual
within the group.
 The practice of Taekwon-Do promotes values such as honesty, loyalty, respect,
humility, and love for others.
  The child obtains cultural teachings that will allow them to learn about the
customs, traditions, and ways of thinking of other cultures, making them more
tolerant and supportive.

d) As an intergenerational space: For Alejandro Masco (2012), studying the different

generations is a practical and theoretical exercise of self-knowledge, it is recognizing
where we stand and why, to make the most of our potential in life and in daily work.
Therefore, he describes the concept of generation as a time interval between the birth of
parents and that of their children. A generation is also defined as a group of people born
at a particular time. The experiences they go through during childhood and adolescence
create and define differences between generations. That is why it is said that we are
children of our parents and also of the society in which we are born. The concept of
generation cannot escape the socio-historical approach of its particular time; this is
called the spirit of the age. Today, the universal spirit of the age arises from
technological advancement, the emergence of the internet, networks, artificial
intelligence, where, among other aspects, cultural differences tend to be reduced. We
are all born in the tension between generations, our parents who are the repositories of
past times and who still impact the time in which we live, and our children who are the
opposite, the new. Depending on how this intergenerational tension is viewed and
integrated, it can threaten or enrich society. These concepts of generation are
complemented by the life cycle. From this concept, a generation is defined by having
shared different social, cultural, political, and economic phenomena at the same
biological age. Each generation enters the adult world with different characteristics.
What is characteristic of our time is the speed with which technological changes occur,
affecting human bonds between people of different generations, and the massification of
the internet, which marked a cultural revolution for us. In this current socio-cultural
framework, I discover TKD as a collaborator in the formation of bonds between
different people with different abilities and from different generations.

Methodology

In March 2025, a survey was conducted targeting health and education professionals,
who answered a questionnaire of 10 questions about their knowledge of the benefits of
Taekwon-Do, as well as its social, physical, and mental implications for practitioners.

Of the total respondents, 29.9% belong to the health area, 60.8% are professionals in the
education area, and 8.2% are professionals in both health and education.

The objective of this survey is to visualize and understand the current perspective of
these mentioned professionals on TKD, as well as their observations on its relationship
with the mental health of practitioners and the extent to which they can observe it as a
social phenomenon.

Survey Results

The tables with the obtained responses are presented below:

(Note: The actual tables with survey results were not provided in the text, so they
cannot be included in the translation.)
My Perspective as a Teacher

Through this work, I propose, in the first instance, to share my professional experience
in Taekwon-Do and to explain the essential philosophy of this wonderful art.

I wish to focus on the importance of motivation in Taekwon-Do and the benefits it

produces in the effectiveness of professional practice, in students and their families.

Personally, I have had the opportunity to observe that the practice of Taekwon-Do and
its methodology allows feelings of frustration to find an effective and satisfactory
solution, regardless of the student's aptitudes and/or abilities. I have also observed that
regular training predisposes children to better navigate different aspects of life each day;
for example, in daily relationships, they can position themselves with an active and
respectful attitude. Throughout these decades, I perceived that words and phrases of
encouragement stimulated and collaborated with the student's evolution.

Some people who are not familiar with this martial art believe that practitioners highly
stimulate their levels of aggression and that this makes them violent in daily life.
However, what I have observed is that children who practice a martial art have a greater
capacity to defend themselves, which translates into a calmer and more decisive way of
being and behaving. Because within the teaching of TKD, the student can understand
their potential and their weaknesses, as well as find in the teachings of their teacher
values that elevate their perception of themselves and the world around them. I
remember that the basic training of Taekwon-Do acts as a channeler in the management
of aggression to avoid violence and that it can be practiced from a very young age.

Regarding the communication I establish with the parents of minor students, I have
always tried to collaborate with the integral formation of the children, providing
suggestions to families about the importance of responsibility with habitual, routine, and
orderly tasks, always seeking to encourage and accompany them so that beyond
obligations, the child can live with enthusiasm and happiness.

Another factor that I find enriching for a child's development is the family's
participation in some activities organized by the school. For this, I hold many events in
which it is essential for the child to be accompanied by their loved ones, such as: family
participation in graduations, open classes with parents where the child teaches their
parents something, or the end-of-year show where the family shares their child's
progress, among others.

Everything I have expressed above, I carry out in my classes with children, providing
them with affection, limits, games, and a space in which they can unleash their full
potential, highlighting their positive aspects, always seeking to develop their attitude,
since aptitudes depend greatly on each student's conditions.

Many times, I have questioned why a student decides to practice TKD for so long, or
why they choose the same school. I observed that in many cases, students find a place of
containment where they can develop, they are given affection, and they are accepted
with their possibilities and their difficulties. They feel included in a new family that
watches over their achievements and accepts their disagreements. Providing them with
tools, encouragement, and advice makes this disciple leave their practice happy and
generates continuity in their path. It is also very relevant and stimulating to propose
short, medium, and long-term goals, together with the encouragement of graduation
and/or competition. The accompaniment of disciples interested in learning to teach,
directly collaborating with my role, and ensuring that classes and graduations had the
breadth to meet the different requirements of students and families was also very
important throughout this time.

I believe that those of us who dedicate ourselves to teaching, or at least in my personal

case, can reflect on a feeling of privilege, because having carried out a work with broad
dedication, passion, and professionalism for so long has given me in this life the
blessing of working in what I love for decades (and I keep thinking that we are very few
within the universe who have that grace).

Regarding the issue of inclusion, where in my classes I have been able to attend to
different people with special abilities, older adults, and very young children, I have
adapted it for each particular case, generating empathy with each person and seeking the
best version of the class so that no one feels excluded. In relation to this topic, I would
like to mention that for 25 years, I have accompanied a student diagnosed with
schizophrenia in his practice, currently a IV DAN. A task that had many doubts,
questions, and ups and downs. However, although it was not easy because it meant a
challenge for both of us, but especially for me due to my lack of knowledge in this area.
With great pride, satisfaction, and joy, I observed that he achieved the objectives,
always in interaction with his family and their unconditional support. Ezequiel came to
my dojang at the age of 14, with many fears and enthusiasm, and with a psychiatric
pathology that made it difficult for him to connect with others and learn in general.
When he started practicing, his concentration and relaxation improved. This is what
helped him manage anxiety and stress. Learning new techniques and overcoming
challenges such as forms, belt advancement, and tournament competitions contributed
to the development of a positive self-image. I always treated him as just another student
in my class and continued to set boundaries because I discovered that the organized
structure emotionally stabilized him. Also, the group practice environment fostered
collaboration and mutual respect, interaction with classmates and instructors, and this
helped reduce social isolation. The defensive and offensive techniques of TKD promote
self-control in a safe and structured environment. We are still working on regulating and
controlling his strength and his body.

I also want to share my experience with other students with various disabilities. Adrian,
a student with Down Syndrome, who reached black tip in 1999, and several students
with different diagnoses such as developmental delays, motor disorders, and attention
deficit, seeing them improve class after class reinforces the idea that there are no
limitations to practicing TKD.

Having passed almost five decades, I feel the need to express my ideas and take stock of
the exciting journey I have had the fortune to take as a student, as a teacher/master, and
to discover once again the benefits of this martial art in all areas regarding both physical
and mental and spiritual health. Throughout this work, I wish to express my feelings,
my thoughts, and my experience from some premises that I consider valuable with the
intention that these reflections serve the new generations but fundamentally my
students, thanks to whom I have also grown and who have helped me reach this point.
General Conclusion

In closing and by way of a general conclusion, this work has demonstrated, in my

understanding, that Taekwon-Do is not only a sporting practice but also a powerful tool
to improve the mental health of practitioners and promote social integration. The
positive impact of Taekwon-Do on mental health, especially in people with disabilities,
and its ability to unite people of different generations, make this discipline a significant
response to the social and psychological challenges facing today's society. Taekwon-Do
offers a space where the principles of respect, community, and cooperation are central,
promoting comprehensive well-being, both physical and emotional. Over the years,
various professionals have observed these benefits, which is why they increasingly
recommend it to people with different issues.

The survey conducted also reveals the importance that respondents in general give to
the practice of TKD to counteract the excessive use of screens, providing the possibility
of connection. However, they do not find a direct relationship with the development of
self-esteem.

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Marcelo David Eisen C.A.B.A, April 2025