Tang Soo Do:  The road to improved health, vitality and longevity Kwan Jhang Nim Charles Ferraro Reprinted from "Mi Guk Kwan News" / October 1998

I am often asked the question, "Why should I study the martial arts?" The usual answers I provide are short and uncomplicated. I tell them that the study of Tang Soo Do will provide increased self-esteem, increased self-confidence, an ability to say no to peer pressure, better physical fitness and an ability to protect themselves and their loved ones if they are ever attacked. While all these reasons are true, I see no need to confuse the inquirer. Additionally, I am trying to provide a simple answer that will convince them to enroll either themselves or their children in my Tang Soo Do classes. Often, I neglect to mention what is probably the most important reasons for the study of the martial arts--improved health, vitality and longevity of life. 

When we think of good health, we often think of a sound mind and a sound body. Whenever disease is present there is an "absence of ease." Where there is infirmity, "Firmness is lacking." Disease and infirmity are obstacles to vibrant health. When viewed as challenges, these obstacles can be transformed into opportunities. The Chinese calligraphy for the word "crisis", is actually comprised of two parts; part one represents "chaos", while part two represents "opportunity". A crisis situation will at first present us with calamity and chaos but in time the chaos itself will eventually give birth to amazing opportunities for personal growth and development. When we practice free-sparring in Tang Soo Do, we are often presented simultaneously with a crisis and an opportunity. Through meditation and relaxation techniques we learn that the silent introspection of the Ascendant (the transcendent, the quiet space within, the void, etc.) will convert illusion to reality. Difficulties will be transformed through diligent practice to wellness. When one sets their intention, and with steeled resolve maintains a positive attitude anything is possible. 

Like an eagle whose seemingly effortless flight would not be possible except for the resistance of the air, self-discovery will lead to personal growth and development. Impossible healing and improbable remissions of diseases have befuddled modern medicine time and time again. We just don't know everything there is to know about the power of the mind and the mysteries of life.

So what is meant by "a sound mind and a sound body"? "Sound" is a vibration. Life Force or Ki (Chi) is a sound/ light vibration. These vibrations are universal in nature. We know from our martial arts training that all life exists in a state of balance of the forces of Um (Ying) and Yang. The constant transition of Um to Yang and Yang to Um is a classic example of this vibratory principle. We see many examples of this Um / Yang relationship in our lives: empty transiting to full and back again, the substantial to the insubstantial, the tangible to the intangible, the material to the non material, the conscious giving way to the unconscious. 

College physics explains the existence of what Western science calls an "L" field. We learn from science that an energy field is nothing more than the Um/ Yang phase of the nucleus of the atom. In the Um phase, the nucleus becomes void and actually disappears and during the Yang phase, the nucleus becomes substantial and appears and its existence can be perceived. The waves created by the on / off fluctuations of the nucleus form the energy field referred to earlier in this article as the "L" field. This "L" field is what is commonly referred to by martial artist, healers and mystics as the "Universal Life force" or Ki (Chi) energy. 

Matter can neither be created or destroyed, and Einstein proved that it exists in a constant flux. Spirit and matter constantly transform into each other, one giving rise to the other and back again. The secret to health is to learn to flow with this process of ebb and flow transformation. By becoming one with the natural flow of this Universal Life Force we can unlock its healing mysteries. These benefits can be unlimited and anyone can access them. 

In order to restore health, it is important to restore balance which can be gained through a thorough knowledge of stillness. It is from the stillness that one can access true power. The performance of Tang Soo Do hyung (form) is referred to as moving meditation. Through the practice of Tang Soo Do hyungs we can bring our mind and body to a still point and it is from this that the doorway to the mysteries will open. Your mind/ body has its own sound/ life vibratory rate. 

When you perform the hyungs of Tang Soo Do properly your body/ mind emits a pattern of sound/ light vibrations that harmonizes with the universal chord and aligns us within an archetypal pattern of harmonic relations of which health and well-being are components. When we have disease, there is a tendency to be out of synchronization with these archetypal patterns. We can't seem to hear that universal drum beat. Through introspection, we can face the music of our discordant thoughts and actions. Performing Tang Soo Do attunes us to the rhythm and vibration of the universal (cosmic) band. It is through this process that the obstacles of disease can be transformed into opportunities for self healing. When self healing efforts are combined with the wisdom of conventional medicine the miracles that become possible are unlimited. 

Over the 20 plus years that I have been teaching Tang Soo Do, I have heard and seen many examples of people overcoming difficulties and disease. The thousands of essays I have had the privilege to read are full of such stories. The study of martial arts has always been about the unification of mind, body and spirit by improving the quality of life.

Tang Soo Do, like many other martial arts has been the subject of many studies from around the world. There are many health benefits derived from the study of Tang Soo Do: 

• The lymphatic system is cleansed of impurities through the bending, twisting and turning movements which characterize the forms and techniques.  
• Regular practice of the hyungs produces improved circulation, develops coordination, creates benefits for the central nervous system by helping to rid it of various stresses, as well as, creating new neurological pathways to the brain. 
• Some studies have shown that regular practice of the techniques and forms will stimulate the cerebral cortex which excites some functions of the body and inhibits others. 
• Hypertension and arteriosclerosis are minimized because of the facilitation blood flow and oxygenation of the tissues. 
• Elasticity of the lung tissue is increased while the rigidity of the rib cartilage is decreased. (6) Flexibility of the spine and body in general is augmented. 
• Rotation of the juri (waist) re-hydrates the spinal discs, alleviating degeneration and compression. 
• Blood pressure is lowered. 
• Energy is conserved as movement becomes more efficient. 
• Stress is reduced and more creative solutions are discovered.
• Digestion is enhanced and absorption of nutrients is improved as the internal organs are massaged through the breathing practices and movements of the exercises. 
• Tang Soo Do training can have a balancing effect on hormone production and the glandular system as a whole. 
• One study showed that T-cell counts increased after each workout session. 
•  Positive bacteria are assisted and negative bacteria discouraged as a result of the body functioning at optimal efficiency.  
• Martial arts training can actually produce an antibiotic function. 
• The skeletal systems of martial artist tend to be stronger and denser as the practice promotes storage of calcium in the bones and prevents the leeching our of calcium. 
• Cholesterol levels appear to drop as well. 
• Relaxing while practicing Tang Soo Do helps to organize the two hemispheres of the brain applying both the intuitive aspects, as well as, the logical aspects of our being. 
• Tang Soo Do is a brain exercise as much as it is a body workout. In the young and more especially in teens and adults, the ability to focus on "life's" objectives is heightened and the ability to block out distractions and daily "static" enhanced. 
• Circulation is improved in the elderly. 

Additionally, flexibility is increased, stamina is enhanced and balance becomes more stabilized. This is why Tai Chi (the soft form practiced by advanced practitioners of Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan) is a treatment modality at numerous rehabilitation centers across the world including one of the most prominent, Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, CT.

In effect, the Um/Yang, yes/no, seen/unseen, soma/psyche balancing act of Tang Soo Do training activates health allowing us to see the "ease" of disease, to achieve "firmness" in the midst of infirmity. The principles are easy: concentrate, resolve the spirit, discipline the action, relax, breathe, control your power, practice daily, stretch easily, adapt to all situations, yield to overwhelming forces, move with efficiency, seek stillness and practice honesty and humility in all things.