What are the Three Purposes of Tang Soo Do?

• A. Self Defense, Health, Better Person
• B. Loyalty to country
• C. Obedience to parents
• D. Repeatedly practice all techniques already learned

Answer: (A)

Tang Soo Do is guided by three purposes: self-defense, health, and becoming a better person. Self-defense means having the skills to protect yourself and others when needed, used with discipline and restraint. Health focuses on building physical conditioning—strength, speed, flexibility, endurance—and maintaining it through regular practice. Becoming a better person centers on character—courtesy, integrity, perseverance, respect, and humility—so the discipline shapes how you carry yourself off the mat as well. These aims shape every part of training, from learning techniques and forms to sparring and etiquette, emphasizing how skill supports safety, well-being, and good character. The other choices describe social roles or rote repetition, which don’t capture the fuller purpose that links practice to life beyond the dojo.