STF Pledge

STF Pledge:

“We, the members of Singapore Taekwondo Federation, pledge that

· we shall remain humble, honest and helpful at all times,
· we shall respect our elders, parents, coaches, seniors and one another regardless of race, language, class or creed,
· we shall believe in ourselves and persist no matter how great the challenge to achieve our noble aspirations,
· we shall develop our characters, qualities and abilities to serve our community and our country and
· we shall abide by the rules and regulations of taekwondo and the laws of Singapore.”

1. we shall remain humble, honest and helpful at all times - Regardless of your social status, most beginners begin with white belt. Each poomsae step is taught with due diligence, where instructor explains the meaning behind the steps, the volume of movement. A humble person will strive for perfecting each step, practice to mimic how his instructor does it, never thinking that he is already surpassing the instructor’s standards. Eg. A Taekwondo practitioner helps his instructor to carry the sandbag and training kits from the store to the training ground each day. He wipes and cleans the equipment after the end of the training and puts it back to the store. Before sparring session, every student will help one another to tie the body protector. Once he finishes, he asks his friend to help him tie his body protector. In a more organized class, once the instructor gives the signal to prepare for sparring, you will see students standing in a row, each tying the body protector for the person in front of him thus displaying Teamwork!

2. we shall respect our elders, parents, coaches, seniors and one another regardless of race, language, class or creed - All taekwondo practitioners are taught to be filial and respect our elders and parents at home, to bow respectfully to Coaches and Black belts and to learn humbly from seniors. Besides bowing to Coaches, our speech and actions must display utmost respect we have for them.
3. we shall believe in ourselves and persist no matter how great the challenge to achieve our noble aspirations - In the event that he fails his grading, or lost in a game, he presses on (perseverance) and continues his Taekwondo learning. He will train even harder the next time and try again when he gets to chance to perform again.
4. we shall develop our characters, qualities and abilities to serve our community and our country and - In any particular Taekwondo event, hundreds pairs of hands are required to setup the equipment, lay the mat, cater the food/beverages, assign referees and helpers, consolidate results, etc…They are usually not paid. In fact, when one asks them, they will gladly say that it is their honour to be able to do something to give back to the Taekwondo community. Some may say, they forgo the chance to participate because their instructor needs their help more as a volunteer.

5. we shall abide by the rules and regulations of Taekwondo and the laws of Singapore- Abiding the rules and regulations of taekwondo is what all taekwondo practitioners are required to do and the laws of Singapore is to be abide by all Singaporeans as well as foreigners who live in Singapore. To live life with integrity and lawfully.

Adapted by: Girlene Tan, President of Zen Taekwondo Club

Love,
Winnie