Inconsistency between mind and action results in an illness of the mind. Martial arts removes the illness by achieving unity inside and outside of individuals’ minds.

  En-Ha Jang (29, KAIST SEMBA student), the CEO of CTOC, demonstrated the actions of Tai Chi and explained the effects of martial arts. CTOC (Challenge to Change), established by En-Ha Jang, is a customized martial arts program that supports those with mental difficulties, including depression. The head office of CTOC, located near the Seoul Forestin Seongdong-Gu, looks more like a studio than an office. There were various athletic facilities, including sandbags, on a mattress, and there were the pictures of the legendary Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali on the wall. “Here, you can practice 11 different types of martial arts, including kickboxing and Muay Tai, based on each individual’s preference. The four instructors at CTOC all have more than 20 years of experience and have mastered 4~5 martial arts.   

  Even until three years ago, CEO Jang was an average office worker at a major company, who was not really into working out. The first time she entered into the world of martial artswas after she suffered from depression. “Due to the extreme stress from consecutive nights doing overtime, I suffered from severe depression. I had a health checkup one day, and the doctor told me that my entire body was broken so that I had to reexamine all of my organs. Extremely shocked, I started exercising kickboxingand Muay Tai to upgrade my physical condition at that time. As a result, when I had a health checkup exactly a year after, my physical age, originally 40s, became 22, and my mindset became utterly changed. I really wanted to let the others know that depression can be overcome in this way without depending on drugs.”

   Last June, she quit her job and opened a gym by borrowing a house with her accumulated funds. Due to people’s great interest in learning diverse martial arts, the number of members increased to more than 50. CEO Jang mentioned that “those who are vulnerable to stress, including directors at companies, celebrities, usually visit CTOC.” Currently, CTOC is running a program for supporting socially excluded groups of people for free. CEO Jang pointed out the instance of a college student who severely suffered from a mental disorder. “Because he couldn’t adapt to his college life, he took time off from school. However, after 8 weeks of his martial arts program, he was able to return to his college. Even now, 6 months after his recovery, he comes here from Chun-Cheon in Kangwon Province to exercise every week.”

  From net year, CEO Jang plans to expand the pool of martial arts programs to target the job seekers who receive youth allowance from Seoul City. She further emphasized that “the martial arts is the best self-development program in terms of the fact that everyone can find his/her talents through this exercise.” CEO Jang mentioned that her ultimate goal is to contribute to society by developing healthy ways to cure other people’s minds.

http://news.joins.com/article/21023629