Tae Bo combines dance with Tae Kwon Do and kickboxing to provide a high-impact aerobic workout. Multi-martial arts champion Billy Blanksis credited with creating Tae Bo, which has become a phenomenon endorsed by numerous athletes and celebrities. "Tae" is a Korean word that stands for foot and leg, and "Bo" is a shortened version of boxing. Beyond the technical definition of Tae Bo, the letters that form the word are also an acronym for the philosophy behind the combined exercises.
The Acronym
The letters in Tae Bo stand for total awareness, excellence, body and obedience and form a theory that creates not only Tae Bo's foundation but also the philosophy behind the other modalities incorporated into it -- such as kick boxing and Tae Kwon Do. It stresses not only physical movement but mental conditioning as well.
Total Awareness
Building complete physical and mental awareness is key to all martial arts, such as Tae Kwon Doe and kickboxing. You must be aware of what your body is doing and how it's feeling while maintaining complete mental awareness.
Striving for Excellence
Striving toward excellence in each movement you make another key component in physical performance. The philosophy of Tae Bo is that if you're not striving to get the most out of your workout, your results may be disappointing. Combining total awareness along with striving for excellence enables you to reach goals you may not have thought were possible.
Body Movement
Becoming totally aware of your body's status allows you to know when you can push yourself harder, as well as when to pull back in order to protect yourself from overexertion. Staying in tune with your body's movements helps you perform the motions correctly, which, if not done correctly, can cause pain and injury
Obedience
Obedience requires training. For example, most dogs aren't obedient until they're properly trained. The same goes for your body -- you must train it to do the things you want it to do, such as the intense workouts involved in Tae Bo. Although it may not come easy, the theory goes, by continuing to train hard and striving for total awareness and excellence, eventually your body will become obedient.
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