Tang Soo Do, the 2,000-year-old art of Korean Karate is a traditional Martial Art. Students who practice in the art will develop many qualities along with valued self-defense. The goal of the Tang Soo Do student is to become a better person in life. Strong charter and determination are important factors in being successful in learning the art. In the beginning there will be a strong emphases on discipline. You must develop discipline and dedication to learn the art. Many years ago when students learned Tang Soo Do, they would spend one or two months just working on discipline before actually doing any of the exercises or drills. Training in the art is physically demanding and will require practice and hard work to be successful. When you begin you are a white belt. White belt indicates the beginning or purity. When the art was developed there were four belts, relating to the four seasons. White belt resembling the winter, green belt the spring, red belt the summer and Black or Midnight Blue belt fall or autumn. White belt was to resemble the snow on a hill. Under the snow is life but it is covered so as a white belt you have the ability to learn but you must work through and melt the snow away. The green belt resembles the spring, which means when a person reaches green belt they begin to blossom as a martial artist. The red belt resembles the summer, which indicates that the student is now strong in the self-defense aspect of Tang Soo Do. The Black Belt resembles the autumn, which is the most beautiful season. This indicates that the Black is the beauty of the Art. The present belt system is White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Red and Black or Midnight Blue. The Intercontinental Tang Soo Do Organization uses both the traditional Midnight Blue and Black Belt for its Dan members. The Midnight Blue is the traditional belt, which indicates that Dan members are still students, as the color black resembles the end. We use the Black Belt for regular class training and the Midnight Blue Belt for tests, demonstrations, tournaments and seminars. When a student reaches 4th Dan they will then receive a red stripe through the center of the Black Belt which indicates the level of Master. The first thing you will learn, as a Tang Soo Do student is to bow. The bow is a showing of respect. Bowing has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanking, apologizing, greeting, and so on. It's a convenient and important custom for you to learn. You can bow, when you say, "Thank you", "Sorry", "Hello", "Good bye", "Congratulations", "Excuse me", "Good night", "Good Morning", and more. In Tang Soo Do you must bow whenever you enter or leave the Do Jang (training area). You must also bow to all Black Belts and Instructors, when you first see them and when you depart from them. As a Tang Soo Do student you will be required to attend at least two classes per week. However the more classes you attend the better you will get. It is important to be consistent and disciplined in your attendance. Always be early for your class so you have time to stretch and warm your muscles up before exercising. Flexibility is very important in the training of Tang Soo Do. As a Tang Soo Do student you will learn many techniques consisting of blocks and strikes. The basic techniques you will learn will be your foundation for learning Tang Soo Do. Always try to make good low to the ground strong stances. The stances are very important for your future in learning the Art. The Martial Arts began many years ago when monks who practiced meditation in Temples, were seeking ways to enrich their lives. As they progressed mentally they were growing weaker physically. Also when these monks would travel, the bandits knew they were peaceful people so they would attack them and steal from them. For these reasons the monks developed the Martial Arts. As monks, they were in tune with nature so the Martial Arts were developed from the study of animals. That is why many of our traditional forms resemble animals. Tang Soo Do is a science of the human mind and body. It teaches us many techniques of self-defense, enhances our physical condition and strengthens our mind through mental focus and memorization. Meditation and relaxation training is also important in the study of Tang Soo Do. As a student of Tang Soo Do you will see a strong emphases on respect. Chon Kyung is the Korean word for respect. Respect is the heart of Tang Soo Do training. You must respect your teacher, the other students, your family and the Art in which you are learning. Respect is a feeling of worth and honor. Respect can be shown through behavior and it can also be felt. We can act in ways, which are considered respectful, yet we can also feel respect for someone and feel respected by someone. Because it is possible to act in ways that do not reflect how we really feel, the feeling of respect is more important than the behavior without the feeling. When the feeling is truly there, the behavior will naturally follow. Tang Soo Do is based on respect. Honor is also a very important concept of Tang Soo Do training. Honor is honesty, fairness and integrity in one's beliefs and actions. We must always be honorable and respectful in our actions while in the Do Jang, training with other students and in our daily life. As a Tang Soo Do student be sure that your actions have honorable results and you will always be honored and respected.