American Korean Tae Kwon Do Association

Taekwondo (also, Tae Kwon Do, Taekwon-Do, or Tae Kwon-Do) is a martial art and combat sport originating in Korea. Tae Kwon Do is the national sport of South Korea and sparring, kyeorugi, is an Olympic sporting event. In Korean, derived from hanja, tae (跆) means to destroy with the feet; kwon (拳) means to strike or smash with the hand; and do (道) means "path" or "way". Hence, Tae Kwon Do is loosely translated as "the way of striking with hands and feet" (*).

Tae Kwon Do's popularity has resulted in the divergent evolution of the martial art. As with many other martial arts, Tae Kwon Do is a combination of combat technique, self-defense, sport, exercise, entertainment, and philosophy (*).

Although there are great doctrinal and technical differences among public and private Tae Kwon Do organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, using the leg's greater reach and power to disable the opponent from a distance. In sparring, turning, front, reverse turning and side kicks are often used, as well as the backfist and reverse punch; advanced kicks include jumping, spinning, sliding, skipping kicks, and are often in combination. Tae Kwon Do training often includes a system of blocks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks, though it generally does not emphasize grappling (*).

Please click on the following links for Tae Kwon Do history and Korean Basic Commands used during training.

     • Tae Kwon Do History
     • Korean Basic Commands

* wikipedia encyclopedia