Truly inspirational

We should never be too quick to judge somebody based on outward appearances.

 

Yes the music is awful isn't it. Towards the end of the video I think I can make out a different tune in the background so yes it probably is an awful overlay.

 

Thank you for posting that; awesome!

 

Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of this is that judging by the uniforms and things on the wall, this is ITF taekwondo. The think about that is its roots are quite political. Taekwondo, especially ITF taekwondo, emerged in post war Korea. When the Japanese occupation ended, the Korean government called a handful of the best martial artists in the country, and asked them to form a unified style that outshines the Japanese styles of karate and jiujutsu etc.

The government wanted to be one better than Japan. If the Japanese did a turning kick, the Koreans wanted a full 360 jump and spin kick. If the Japanese wanted to show off their straight jumping kicks, the Koreans wanted to jump higher, or doing other fancy stuff. All in all, politically, it is geared to show off superior physical ability. I think that makes it all the more interesting that ITF taekwondo is the style that these guys have chosen to pursue.

Credit must also go to their instructor(s). I train in a Korean style related to taekwondo but with less of the political influence, so I know that many of the techniques are built on the assumption that the whole body works. A kick for example calls into play everything from feet, knees, hips, arms for counterbalance etc. You can adapt techniques to some extent, to allow for minor niggles, but generally the techniques fall apart if anything significant is broken. Somebody, the guys in the video plus their teachers, must have but hundreds and hundreds of hours into practicing and trial and error and adaptation to take those techniques designed to show off the elite athleticism of the Korean army, and make them work as gracefully and fluidly for people with substantial physical challenges.

 

Their dedication is unquestionable, as is their skill.
There are many able bodied people who would not commit to such a gruelling schedule of focus and physical endurance that these people have: that much is clear.

Fascinating piece of background, thank you for sharing that.