[Written for the 6th dan promotion test in 4.9.2020 and to be sent to Kukkiwon]

Author: Krista Mäkinen, 4.9.2020, Finland

1. Introduction

Development in taekwondo comes through training. The progress is tested with belt tests which makes the training always somewhat goal-oriented. In addition to the development in technical and physical skills, the practitioner is expected to grow in mental qualities as well. Originally, training of mental qualities has probably played a more important role, but as the general lifestyle and training environments have changed, its role has perhaps become less. By training environments I mean that nowadays taekwondo is practised in almost every corner of the world, which means a large variety of training environments and situations. There has also been a strong desire to bring Taekwondo "closer to people" and make it a sport to as many as possible.

The rules for taekwondo competition forms have evolved over the past and perhaps also slightly the techniques. But the philosophy and values have remained the same, although the word expressions have been modernized to match modern society. The goal is to develop physical skills which target at defending oneself, as well as mental qualities which aim at a balanced individual who has a strong sense of justice [1]. Most of the people don't know these fine goals when starting taekwondo, but typical motives such as learning new skills, improving physical condition, concentration or discipline are well in line with the goals mentioned above.

In order for the hobby to continue for as long as possible, it is essential that the activities and the atmosphere in the lessons meet the motives of the student. The clubs naturally strive for a good level in all their activities. But the way how the student sees it depends on his or her past experiences in similar situations, that is, his or her schemas. In this essay, I would like to discuss the connection between the typical taekwondo training practices and how different students may feel it. The focus is therefore on the development of mental qualities in taekwondo. Furthermore, I will concentrate on one concept, ego, which I will define in more detail in the next paragraph. In short, according to psychology, the ego is a perception of oneselves, while according to a yogic perception, the ego is kind of a mask that can be very different or even distorted compared to one's true self. I will focus on the yogic point of view.

At the end, I will briefly present two models for the training sessions, which could be used to reduce the impact of the student's ego. The first model is based on the mindset concept [3]. Mindset means the way of thinking and is divided into fixed mindset (unchanging mindset) and growth mindset (flexible mindset). A fixed mindset corresponds to the view that we are born with certain qualities which can hardly be influenced later, while a person with a growth mindset believes that an individual can develop in anything as a result of training. Logically it seems that the fixed mindset is closely related to the maliciously functioning ego, with the person sticking to his or her beliefs about the past experiences. The second model is the so-called core-based motor teaching model, in which the student's motor background is taken as the base for the learning situation since it determines how the teaching-learning process is organised.

I am not an expert either in psychology or yoga, but I've started to get interested in the subject of ego through my aroused interest in yogic views. I have practiced taekwondo without any break since 1991, and I have been working in the field of pedagogy and didactics since 2004. Recently I have added kundalini yoga and meditation to my daily practices [9]. I have already found a lot of benefits as well as connections to taekwondo. Together they seem to create a fruitful and harmonious combination to my body and my mind.

I am grateful for Master Mun Dong-Kun, 8th dan (Seung Yong Taekwondo Andorra), for his persevering and sturdy guidance in taekwondo techniques as well as gentle mentoring in other areas of life. In addition, Budokwai Taekwondo dojang (Turku, Finland), leaded by Instructor Jarkko Mäkinen, has been a place where I've been able to practice, develop as a student as well as implement my ideas in teaching as the person who I am genuinely.

In this essay I have not been scientifically accurate with the sources as this is not a scientific text. Most things are either generally known or easily discoverable, or intuitively understandable. However, a short list of sources can be found at the end.

2. Ego and other concepts

The ego is the perception of ourselves, our self-image, or, how we see ourselves. According to analytical psychology, the ego is the immediate conscious mind. It is the surface layer where all conscious reflection and self-reflection takes place. The conscious mind is the awareness of oneself, the ability to say "I exist" and the ability to define themselves in some way. The ego is the center of the conscious person [4]. The word 'ego' is derived from ancient Greek, and means 'I' as such. Freud popularizes the word 'ego' by referring to it as a conscious mind (thoughts) or an awareness of our own identity and our way of life.

The yogic view of the ego differs from that described above. According to it, the ego is only our belief of what we are, which in turn is not equal to our true self. Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle defines the ego in the following way: The ego is your idea of who you are, imaginary me. It is formed through experiences and cultural environment. It can also be referred to as a 'false image', as it comes as the result when we identificate ourselves with the thinking, which in turn occurs unconsciously. The ego tries to keep the past alive because it thinks that you are a product of the past. It also imagines that freedom or fulfillment will be found in the future. The present moment tends always to be misinterpreted because the ego sees it through the experiences of the past. Therefore, the ego is basically never present in the present moment. Or at most, it narrows the present moment to a tool for the future [5]. It can be said that the ego takes advantage of our mind.

Our actions can also be colored or limited by emotional reactions, i.e. emotions. Emotion is the body's quick feedback to the mind, or a reflection (signal) from the mind to the body. For example, if you have an idea to attack (albeit only verbally), it will generate anger energy in your body. Similarly, feeling of a threat towards yourself causes your muscles to contract [5]. Emotions are strong because they emerge from the subconscious mind. They are almost like primitive reactions and you see everything "through filters" instead of being objective and calm.

Of course living in a normal society requires an ego. And actually the ego itself is not a problem. But, if we only believe the story told by our ego, without questioning it at all, we create our identity from its beliefs which come, as told above, from the experiences in the past. We all have certain ideas, models and beliefs about things, as well as emotional locks and fears about certain situations. The ego's actions and reactions in the emotions, in any present moment, are based on these models, as they arise from old experiences. This brings us worries: "Am I capable enough? Am I competent enough? Am I accepted? How do I look? What if the same thing happens?" etc. The ego analyzes situations in advance, and it creates an opinion of other people even before we have even got a real experience of the relationship. The ego can also stand above others, have a feeling of being better, more beautiful, stronger, more capable - whatever brings a sense of security for itself. Because these models for behaviour or thinking are often accompanied by a feeling, which is most probably unconscious, the models can be very stubborn and deep. In addition, if a person has a fixed mindset according to The mindset theory, it can take a long time to dismantle these beliefs.

The ego can vanish when it is unnecessary or it becomes unuseful, that is, in a safe environment or in extreme suffering. For example, when you are immersed in an interesting book, task, comfortable conversation, or in a state of flow, your ego has retreated to the background. You answer and act automatically without any conscious intervention. You are not worried about who you are, what you want, or what the consequences of your actions will be. The ego is not filtering your thoughts [6]. Likewise, in extremely hard stress or even extreme suffering when the conscious mind is no longer able to offer answers, the ego has no use.

3. Taekwondo and ego

Where there are people, there are also egos. As was described above, the ego is a false image of ourselves and it is always in need of protection, concerned about its competence, ability, external habitus, and it may therefore want to either reveal or hide its qualities. Because taekwondo has a hierarchical belt system and also other possibilities to proceed in the taekwondo career, it easily exposes us to a comparison which then can evoke our ego. For some students, just staying in a group keeps the ego awake. On the other hand, development in mental strength is one of the key qualities in taekwondo. This includes also the control of the mind (emotions). But since the word "control" refers to something that you constantly have to take care of, it is worth considering whether by purely practicing taekwondo (instead of for example lecturing) it is possible to reach a positive and natural state of mind where no control is needed.

3.1. Goals in taekwondo

Development in taekwondo happens through practicing the sport, most efficiently under regular guided training. Progress in belts comes naturally through promotion tests and is usually a good incentive to learn something new and also measure how much of the skills has been absorbed. Mental development, though, does not necessarily follow the same pace with the belts. Although the student does not value the mental qualities as a first priority in taekwondo, or he or she is not getting much information about them, some qualities are essential and are expected to be shown. Such are for example good behavior and perseverance.

The philosophy and goals of taekwondo have been formed through the history, culture and religions in the Korean Peninsula. The goals of modern taekwondoin are

1. physical skills aimed at defending oneself,

2. mental qualities whose values are justice, responsibility and universal equality [1, 2].

In other words, a taekwondoin is a peace-loving, mentally and physically balanced individual equipped with the sense of equality. It should be noted that in the past descriptions have been more colored by religions or spiritual approaching. For example, my Finnish Taekwondo passport from the 90's has the following definition of taekwondo's philosophy: "Taekwondo is a physical expression of humanity that consists of the desire to survive and of the desire to achieve higher human goals. Basically, all activities have evolved from a human instinct to strengthen one's own body and mind. This (physical) affirmation together with positive thoughts (mental) as a whole, as a result of the development in these, strives for achieving a perfect moment when being one together with the universe, and a complete self-control, when achieving balance and being able to control deeds, desires, thoughts…"

The clubs also have guidelines of similar content around the globe that highlight the following practical qualities: good behavior, modesty, patience, self-sacrifice, respect, purity of mind and body, and courtesy, honesty, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit. These are certainly easier for the student to understand than the more philosophical description described above.

3.2. Taekwondo training and ego

A typical taekwondo training in a club is usually guided by a coach or an instructor from the beginning to the end, and often also by commands. There can be short independently conducted parts but usually with instructions as well. The basic assumption is that the student follows instructions literally. To internalize the core philosophy of taekwondo, the student must try his or her best, which often means training with full speed but without losing the control. In particular, the focus of mind and concentration should be fully involved. A lot of exercises are done in pairs for the purpose of learning to work with everyone as well as to learn how to apply the techniques.

The goal of the sport is to develop physical skills and self-defense. In the light of history, this means real martial arts that also work in extreme conditions. Noticing this, it is obvious that tolerating hard exercise i.e. coping tiredness is part of taekwondo. By going through hard training it is thought that the student and his mind (spirit) becomes more flexible. When you surrender to the bad feeling, meaning accepting it not resisting it, you concentrate only on the present moment, perhaps forget the environment, then you are close to forgetting your own ego. In addition, when you prepare for this (and the whole training) with a confident and positive attitude, you will experience a very relaxed feeling afterwards - a feeling that everything is just fine.

As mentioned above, taekwondo is a martial art. Therefore partner exercises play an important role. When doing the exercises, the techniques must be done with a suitable power, to a correct target and taking into account the partner's skills. In addition, we are interacting with another person. And sometimes his or her ego. In partner exercises you have a chance to get valuable information about yourself. Observe carefully your own attitude towards the other person, no matter if being a child or an adult, a beginner or an advanced. Taekwondo is a martial art, but its goal is to preserve life and promote peace, not to destroy or beat anyone. In addition, a fighting situation should be creative. Therefore, the purpose of technical, tactical and repetitive training is to increase the number of possible solutions. Also note that creativity comes through a no mind state, not through analytical thinking or decision making. Or, you're already too late ...

Many taekwondo masters and instructors emphasize the precise motion and timing of techniques. In particular, a constant attempt to produce the correct trajectory is essential. This challenges both intellectually and physically, leaving no time to filter your thoughts through your ego. Later, when your technique begins to flow, you can focus on enjoying doing it. There is an opportunity for an 'active meditation', a state of no mind, where the environment is irrelevant. The same tactic, i.e. focusing on technique, can also be used to forget the feeling of tiredness - when the ego is talking to your ear verses like "Stooop, you can't handle this! Now it's better to take rest. Soon you will fall down." etc. In this moment, focus on the trajectory of motion, on the point of impact, or breathing, and the ego's talk will flush away.

Sometimes you can get really upset when you don't learn a new technique or combination or don't feel comfortable with your training partner. Note that these may also show up as indifference or loss of interest. Whatever the reaction is, it provides valuable information about yourself and your ego. You should just let the feeling come and go, and not cling to it, because at some point it will pass. Perhaps next time the whole thing will be a lot easier. If you happen to have a bad day but you have arrived for training, make sure that you leave your bad mood to the door to not spoil the mood of others. If you are an instructor, this is of course extremely important. Surrender for the exercises or your teaching and you'll go with the flow. About 20 years ago I was amused by this training outline by a Finnish Sabumnim Markku Murto: "When you come to the gym, forget what was served for the lunch at the school today". That is, it is necessary to empty the mind consciously.

It is likely that you will not learn everything at once and some things will be more challenging or less interesting than others. By aging, after an injury or some other limitations, you may not be able to implement previous skills in a way that you'd wanted, or, you may need to modify your movements. It may also be that you have started the sport at such an age that jumping to three meters is not a meaningful goal. Taekwondo sets realistic boundaries. Whenever you need to adapt to changes, it is possible that the ego reacts as it lives with the self-image formed from the past. Everyone develops and he or she is allowed to develop at his or her own pace. Fortunately taekwondo offers plenty of different challenges. There may also become situations where you are afraid: for example, a fight, a kyukpa, i.e. the breaking techniques, a poomsae performance for an audience, or a belt test. In these situations, use a positive speech to yourself. You may even want to say to the fearful ego, that "Shhh, quiet! I've been practicing well, I'll take care of this".

Taekwondo is a group activity that tends to create a feeling of togetherness when like-minded people practice together. Among familiar people there is no need to show up or protect yourself and therefore the ego can take rest. Many people have said that they have changed in as persons by freeing up or by making lifestyle changes after starting taekwondo. Such a change can occur when one feels that he or she is learning, belongs to the group or excels him or herself through challenges. These all raise self-confidence and later self-esteem. The worry for trying new things may vanish when you realize that you know and are able to. In addition, shouting the kihap can release tensions physically and mentally. As a conclusion, taekwondo allows you to get to know your own body, mind and ego and thus increase your self-awareness.

Harmful awakening of ego may arise, though, from some practices common to sports like taekwondo. Despite the fact that the belt promotion system gives motivation and goals for training it can also awaken the negative ego. You may want to compare with other students and their skills, count the time and your activity since the previous belt test. That is, paying attention to wrong things. The ego can also be interested in qualifications, talent groups, one's own or others' success, or problems within the group or with coaches etc. It's worth remembering that everyone has started the hobby for themselves. To become better, it is essential to concentrate on the right things instead of using energy to ego-type problems. In addition, basically there is always someone who is better at something. For example, belt promotions ​​are somewhat relative to the holders attributes and are assigned by the masters. The attitude and actions of the instructors and image of the club itself play an essential role in how to avoid harmful comparisons and turn attention to each personal development. We can also learn to get excited and motivated by someone else's success. Taekwondo should therefore teach to act for the common good, without forgetting individuals.

I think the ego could be useful to overcome excess excitement in competitions or other stressful situations. In this kind of situation where there is a need to create a positive, capable self-image, you can use your ego. In this case, the ego is not the master but the servant. When the situation is over, it is necessary to return to a normal calm state of mind.

4. Supporting mental goals from teaching perspective

The goal in teaching taekwondo is to teach techniques in the most effective and versatile way possible, and also to convey the mental dimensions of the sport. The instructor must have the intention and strategy, i.e. the desire to plan and then implement. In order to be able to plan and teach taekwondo lessons, the instructor must also have an understanding of physical and mental development of human beings at different ages and with different backgrounds. On the physical side, the general goal is to promote health, improve self-defense skills, and develop physical characteristics in a comprehensive, diverse, and upward manner, taking the target group into account. On the mental side, the instructor should be able to develop social skills and teach and understand emotional self-regulation, as well as challenge the students intellectually, for example by leaving room for their own solutions in certain training situations. The instructor should encourage and sometimes push the students in every way, but keeping in mind that the hobby is voluntary. Training in a group also challenges and helps students to develop. It also makes the training more interesting and thus keeps up the motivation. The instructor should have these in mind and implement practices which support the idea. It is important to clarify and verbalize the meaning of mental goals alongside techniques [1].

The instructor is responsible for what happens in the dojang and that he conveys the right things. This means that the instructor must have an understanding of how he or she conveys the values ​​of the sport. The student should be able to trust the instructor in the content and intensity of what is required. The instructor's activities also have a big impact on how the students experience taekwondo. A good instructor should be easy to approach, allow mistakes, be able to mock him or herself also, positively persevere, give someone else to show if he or she can't, constantly acquire new knowledge, and create a feeling of belonging and security. If the instructor is having a bad day, the emotional state needs to be able to reset. A person's do means consistency and authenticity in what he or she represents; a taekwondo instructor represents taekwondo.

Despite clear and consistent guidance, the student's protective walls and ego may wake up too much in some situations, even during the training. The student may suddenly become less responsive, unwilling, worried, afraid, arrogant, besserwisser, or, give up or lose his or her control in other ways. I will briefly present two models that could be used to create an "ego-free" training situation. The first is Mindset, which means the way of thinking. The second is the core-based motor teaching model. Naturally, the general well-being of the students have already been taken into account in the clubs, but these models work as tools that can awaken intrinsic motivation.

4.1. The mindset

Mindset refers to the human way of thinking and has been studied by the American Carol S. Dweck [3]. There are two ways of thinking, the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. A person with a fixed mindset believes that a person's skills and qualities are properties that come from the birth, while a person with a growth mindset sees that any property or skill can be developed through practice. It then follows that the former is goal-oriented and the latter is interested in learning itself (task-oriented). Furthermore, a person with a fixed mindset tries to look competent (or also sub-performing) all the time in the eyes of others and therefore does not dare to throw itself into demanding challenges, while the latter is motivated by challenges and the process itself. It is easy to conclude that the worrying ego is directly related to the fixed mindset type.

Person's mindset affects how he or she responds to challenges, obstacles, required effort, criticism, and the success of others (see image above [7]).

Fortunately, the way of thinking can be changed. In the field of teaching this can be assisted by paying attention to the way you give feedback. In the table below, some pairs of sentences are formulated to illustrate the difference between the two thinking patterns [7].

4.2. The core-based motor teaching model

This model has been developed at the University of Jyväskylä to improve the quality of physical exercise (PE) lessons [8]. The researchers have found that it's not the teachers' actions but the students' own actions which determine the quality of learning. The key is, how to get the student to want to practice more and more a certain task or a skill. First of all, students' motor background is the antecedent of learning and it determines how the teaching-learning process should be organised. The second thing is that we need to offer interesting and challenging tasks i.e. 'cheat' the students to practise more in a positive way!

Basically this means that there can be as many different practices as there are students. Previous skills may vary a lot and therefore meaningful exercises may also vary. Instead of pointing them out to a skill level, we can let them choose, or keep the exercise open enough. It doesn't mean that students can choose how to do a certain technique, but instead of showing or telling over and over again the right way to do, we create situations or set-ups where the student has a possibility to learn the correct way. Kicking targets are good "assisting teachers" in taekwondo, but in addition we can use for example hurdles of different height to exceed before hitting the target. Or, making more fun out, execute the kick to a flying ball. Or we can try to get more sound, or no sound, etc. For some students, games and playing work as liberating elements and can be combined with taekwondo elements.

Another point of view, and perhaps more important and challenging, is how to take into consideration students' previous experiences, schemas. Schemas are toned by emotions and attitudes and they therefore strongly affect learning. You can imagine an inner "boss" (the ego) who drives us in a certain situation. The role of the instructor is to offer positive experiences and lots of repetitions which aims to change the schemas. A good approach is that the student can practice the complete technique from the start at his or her own level. The instructor may aim to develop inspiring exercises which do not require difficult prior skills, specific qualities and long instructions, i.e. the students can start immediately and get a feeling that he or she is doing the same as the top experts in the sport.

To avoid any harmful ego from awaking, the target is to pass the conscious self (the thinking self) of the student. This is achieved by creating an activating and motivating environment that takes into account the background of the student. An instructor who is well aware of different mindsets, will give room for students' ideas, opportunities to find solutions themselves, accepts different variations, gives enough time to practice, and supports emotionally. The ego of the student doesn't even notice that he or she is fully involved in the task - a positive scam!

5. Conclusions

When you have done something for a long time, you've probably gone through almost all emotions while doing the practise since the experiences outside the training follows us to the training. I have practised myself or instructed others while feeling joy, love and happiness, but also while having sadness, anger, fatigue, fear or worry in my heart and mind. Taekwondo training works as an indicator for the current day level of concentration and shows where the focus really is. If you find your mind wandering around during the warm-up, bring your focus gently on the current moment to get the best out of the training (yourself).

At its best, a taekwondo dojang is a place where you can abandon your shield and be genuine yourself. When you do something from your heart and with compassion, you probably love the activity and feel emotional support in the group. This makes your hobby likely to last longer, even lifelong. Instead, if the hobby only supports your ego-based needs, you will probably quit earlier. Taekwondo doesn't offer everything for everyone, but we as instructors and clubs are responsible for improving activities in a direction that makes everyone feel comfortable and welcome.

Am I there in the dojang with my ego? Yes, often. But when I'm actively doing, such as teaching or practicing, there's usually no room for the ego to wake up.

6. Sources

[1] Taekwondo textbook, Kukkiwon 2006 & www.kukkiwon.or.kr

[2] https://leeskoreanmartialarts.com/downloads/Kukkiwon-LKMA-history.pdf

[3] Dweck, Carol S., Mindset, The New Psychology of Success,, 2006

[4] https://www.helsinki.fi/teol/kurssit/usk/03a_analyyttisen.shtml (in Finnish)

[5] Tolle, Eckhart, The Power of Now, 1997

[6] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/toward-less-egoic-world/201905/what-is-the-ego-and-why-is-it-so-involved-in-my-life

[7] https://www.mindsetworks.com/

[8] Eloranta, V. & Jaakkola, T., Core-based motor teaching (Ydinkeskeinen motorinen opettaminen), University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physical Education, LIIKUNTA & TIEDE magazine 5–6/2003 (in Finnish, Abstract in English)

[9] https://www.ongnamolive.com/