When it comes to fighting, I'm from the old school. I get mad, work myself into an emotional frenzy and try to kick, scratch and punch the other guy into a pulp.

I don't know if I can accomplish that, but a good adrenalin rush prevents you from thinking too much.

And I really don't worry about the opponent as long as he's as red in the face as I am and goes into a similar amateur boxing stance.

I've never had reason to find out, but from watching movies and television, I think the only thing that would bother me is facing a guy who isn't red in the face, who crouches with perfect balance and feet wide apart, his right fist near his ribs and his left fist extended.

Guys who do that also seem to have a confident look on their faces. I mean, I only know what I would like to do, but I don't know if I can do it. These martial arts guys act like they know what they can do, no matter what I do. And they seem so confident.

After spending a couple of hours Monday with Pyong Tuk Ko, a seventh-degree black belt and master of Ko's U.S. TaeKwonDo Center in Newport News, I know why martial arts experts are confident.

I thank goodness that martial arts are referred to as the arts of self defense. Especially TaeKwonDo. If it was taught as an offensive art rather than a defense against aggressors, we would be more concerned about regulating fists and feet than guns.

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Hampton Coliseum, close to 1,000 of the most accomplished TaeKwonDo artists in the United States will compete in the U.S. National Championships. Winners will earn the right to represent this country in the Olympic Games, Pan Am Games or World Championships.

For three days, you will see the most beautiful, and potentially most destructive, of all the martial arts.

TaeKwonDo incorporates most of the basics of the other art forms. It's boxing without gloves, judo without being able to grab clothes, and karate without the emphasis on punching to the face.

In TaeKwonDo, fighting is done from a distance. In competition, points are scored by kicks to the body and face, and punches to the chest.

But there are sides to this sport you won't see.

If a TaeKwonDo student is fighting for his life on the streets, he knows how to use every body part as a weapon. He can turn his fist into a hammer, position his hand into a spear or knife, and use his leg as a baseball bat.

Three of the 11 commandments of TaeKwonDo are: 1 - Use good judgment before killing any living things; 2 - Never retreat in battles. 3 - Always finish what you started.

But the other eight commandments focus on a more gentle, almost passive, side. It includes being loyal to your country, school and friends, being a good son or daughter to your parents, and being respectful to your elders and teachers.

The Korean national demonstration team, which will be giving demonstrations at schools throughout the area this week, put on a 30-minute show Monday afternoon that incorporated all that is good about this ancient Korean form of self-defense.

The students were supportive of each other. They demonstrated a series of swiftly connected sequences of actions that moved their body parts/weapons from side to side and back and forth for both defense and attack.

It was awesome watching a small girl repeatedly disable a larger male attacker.

After watching the TaeKwonDo students for about 30 minutes, I realized why I would get nervous squaring off with an opponent who dropped into an unconventional stance with a confident look on his face.

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