About the Flowering Youth
The flowering
youth demonstration team has been together for nearly 3 years. I
set up the team because I wanted a vehicle to encourage the younger
students within the association to reach the highest technical
standard possible. Since the team’s inception it has gone from
strength to strength and many of the members have gone on to achieve
a high degree of excellence not only at coloured belt level but also
at black belt. Five members of the current team will be travelling
to Australia in 2006 to represent P.U.M.A. and the UKITF on the
international stage.
The name
Flowering Youth or “Flower of Youth” was another name given to the
famous Hwa Rang Youth group. The group was formed to cultivate
moral and patriotic ideals among Korean youth. The youth were taught
to be brave, to love their country, and to be cooperative.
Membership was restricted to educated young men of noble birth. A
Hwa Rang candidate had to be a man of character, virtue, and
countenance. The members were trained to improve their moral
principles and military skills. They entertained themselves by
listening to music and poetry, and travelled around the country
visiting famous mountains and rivers. Their moral code, known as
Sesak O Kye, resembled the Budo code of Japan and the code of
chivalry of Europe. It was devised by a Buddhist monk named Wun
Kwang Dae Sa. Buddhist monks played a major role in educating the
Hwa Rang youth.
Another aim
of the team is to show the aesthetic beauty of the art of
Taekwon-Do. General Choi was very specific when he said that the
movements of Taekwon-Do were designed to be fast, powerful, and
strong but the performer should show the beauty of the art too.
I hope that
the team will serve as an example for all young students, to show
them that with hard work and dedication a high level of expertise
can be reached.
Taekwon
Master
Ray Gayle |
