ADD / ADHD is becoming and epidemic. Today many children spend large amounts of time in front of televisions, computers, or other gaming devices. They are developing lifestyles that have very little or no regular exercise from a very early age and even the school systems are removing what once was daily physical education classes from the schedule. Our world today is also filled with much stress. Stress has been said to be the root cause of many learning disabilities in individuals labeled hyperactive, ADD, ADHD, and emotionally handicapped.
Research suggests that ADD and ADHD as well as other learning disabilities are due to a particular sense (usually the eyes, or ears, or both), not connecting properly to the brain or being underdeveloped. If, for instance, the ears are not sending information properly to the brain, the individual will compensate by using their eyes to balance, and to sense their place in the world which makes it difficult to have a good attention span and to assimilate information using their eyes. If the eyes do not go through their complete developmental cycle, they may not be able to send information to the brain properly either. This is found to be very common in individuals who spend large amounts of time in front of some type of screen (ie. TVs, computers, etc.). Because these display information in a 2D format and we live in a 3D world, an individual’s eyes may become wired up for the 2D world that we do not live in. In Choi Kwang Do we have specific drills to develop more neural connections in the brain, and classes are taught with structure for self-discipline and supports listening skills to help develop attention spans.
Other learning disabilities are also aided by the practice of Choi Kwang Do. We use both the left and right sides of body and brain evenly (contralateral movement). Every movement has also been analyzed to use the body the way it was designed to be used (biomechanical principles). CKD movements are very sophisticated and it has been proven that movement stimulates the production of neurotrophins (natural substances that stimulate the growth of nerve cells and increase the number of neural connections in the brain). More traditional martial arts use ipsilateral (one side only) movements which are harmful and stressful on the brain. The contralateral movements in CKD are similar to that of a baby’s crawl, using both sides evenly. In CKD we use these contralateral movements in coordination with the eyes resulting in the corpus callosum (the nerve connecting the right and left sides of the brain) becoming more developed. We all need to be able to access both the creative right side of the brain and the logical left side of the brain together in order to be truly effective in today’s world. Someone who is more predominantly right brained will be creative but may lack the self-discipline or rational thought (left brain function) to reach their optimum potential. Someone who is predominantly left brained may lack the ability to solve problems by thinking creatively, also hampering their potential. Choi Kwang Do is a unique physical program that works both sides of the body and brain evenly, resulting in whole brain integrated development and learning.
Modern society can tend to be competitive or compulsive increasing the risk of injuries. In CKD personal development rather than completion is paramount. Choi Kwang Do has been developed for optimum health, Self-Defense, and Personal Growth. We want students to be champions for life not just in the ring.
Choi Kwang Do is the only modern martial art using scientific principles from the fields of biomechanics, psychology, kinesiology, chiropractic and neurophysiology disciplines.
Information gathered, in part, by CKD article written by Anthony Aurelius.
Published in Taekwon-Do & Korean Martial Arts, Vol. 9, Issue 2, March 2004