Taekwondo,Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques,with emphasis on head-height kicks,spinning jump kicks,and fast kicking techniques. The literal translation for tae kwon do is "kicking","punching",and "the art or way of". They are a kind of martial arts in which one attacks or defends with hands and feet anytime or anywhere,with occasional use of weapons. The physical training undertaken in Taekwondo is purposeful and fosters strength of mind through mental armament.
Korean martial arts are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation. The history of Korean martial arts can be traced as far back as the prehistoric era. The ancestors of modern Korean people migrated and settled in the Korean Peninsula as early as the 28th century BC,a geopolitical region besieged by thousands of known documented instances of foreign invasions. Consequently,the Korean people developed unique martial arts and military strategies in order to defend themselves and their territory.
Tang Soo Do refers to a Korean martial art based on Karate and may include fighting principles from subak,as well as northern Chinese martial arts. Before the Nine Kwans united and formed the martial art Taekwondo,Tang Soo Do was used by select Kwans to identify their Karate-derived martial arts style.
Korea Taekwondo Association,originally the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (1961),is the first taekwondo organisation. It was founded in 1959,although official South Korean sources give 1961 as its year of establishment. In 1966,some members of the KTA,led by H. H. Choi,broke off from the KTA and formed the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). The Kukkiwon and the then-World Taekwondo Federation were created by the KTA in the early 1970s. The KTA sits under the Korea Sports Council,is aligned with Kukkiwon,and is a Member National Association (MNA) of the WT. Its goal is to promote the martial art taekwondo as a national sport within South Korea.
The Korean terms hyeong,pumsae,poomsae and teul are all used to refer to martial arts forms that are typically used in Korean martial arts such as Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do.
In martial arts,a knifehand strike is a strike using the part of the hand opposite the thumb,familiar to many people as a karate chop. This refers to strikes performed with the side of the knuckle of the small finger. Suitable targets for the knifehand strike include the Carotid Sinus which leads to unconsciousness,mastoid muscles of the neck,the jugular,the throat,the collar bones,ribs,sides of the head,temple,jaw,the third vertebra,the upper arm,the wrist,the elbow,and the knee cap.
Chang Moo Kwan is a style of Korean martial arts that was founded by Yoon Byung-in and Lee Nam Suk.
Chung Do Kwan,created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944,is one of the first of nine schools or kwan teaching Tang Soo Do. Later,the school began to teach what came to be known as taekwondo. This style of Tang Soo Do is known for its overall power and emphasis on kicks to the head.
The British Taekwondo Control Board (WTF) Ltd,operating as British Taekwondo is the National Governing Body for World Taekwondo in Great Britain. It is a member of,and recognised by,World Taekwondo,the international governing body for taekwondo as recognised by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. British Taekwondo is also a member of the British Olympic Association (BOA),the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and the European Taekwondo Union (ETU).
The European Taekwondo Union (ETU) or World Taekwondo Europe (WTE) is the official governing body for all Taekwondo matters in Europe as a regional organisation of World Taekwondo. It comprises the National Taekwondo Federations of all the European member nations and regulates all Taekwondo matters on a continental basis. The first participating countries in the ETU were Spain,Belgium,Austria,Portugal,Germany,Italy,France,Netherlands,Turkey,Greece,Denmark and the UK. The first president was Antonio Garcia de la Fuente. The First European Championships of the ETU were held in Barcelona on May 22–23,1976. After being considered only a demonstration sports event twice - in Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 - the WTF style - was incorporated as a full Olympic discipline in Sydney in 2000. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,it was announced that European Taekwondo Union will not recognise taekwondo events organised in Russia and Belarus,and will not host events in either country.
Nam Suk Lee born in the city of Yeo Joo,is credited with co-founding the traditional Korean martial art of Chang Moo Kwan in the mid-1940s,and then promoting and expanding it globally. Chang Moo Kwan was one of the five original Kwans which became Tae Kwon Do in the mid 1950s. In his later life Nam Suk Lee was to make the seaside community of San Pedro,California his home,where he reestablished his traditional roots in Chang Moo Kwan. He was 75 and still actively teaching Chang Moo Kwan through the San Pedro YMCA. Nam Suk Lee died in the neighboring Southern California community of Torrance on August 29,2000,due to a stroke.
Yun Mu Kwan was one of the original five "kwans" that arose in Korea following World War II. It was the name of the place where a generic form of Japanese karate (Shotokan) was being taught by a number of Korean students who had studied in Japan and returned to Korea in the first half of the twentieth century,bringing the Japanese art with them. Yun Mu Kwan,as a style,would eventually be renamed Jidokwan by various former students and would become one of the core styles that contributed to the development of what is today known as Taekwondo.
Taegeuk Il Jang is the first of eight taekwondo forms practiced in Kukki Taekwondo,as defined by the Kukkiwon. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Il Jang is considered a beginner form,often practiced by students of Kukki style taekwondo with rank of 8th geup. Eighth geup students of Kukki-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank.
Taegeuk Ee Jang is the second of eight taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Ee Jang is considered a beginner form,often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo with rank of 7th geup. Seventh geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank.
Taegek Sam Jang is the third of eight taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Sam Jang is often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo with rank of 6th geup. Sixth geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank.
Taegek Sa Jang is the fourth of eight taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Sa Jang is often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WT-style taekwondo.
Taegeuk Oh Jang is the fifth of eight taekwondo forms in the Taegeuk set practiced by the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Oh Jang is often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WT-style taekwondo with rank of 4th geup. Fourth geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank.
Taegeuk Yook Jang is the sixth of eight taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Yook Jang is often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo with rank of 3rd geup. Third geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank.
Taegeuk Chil Jang is the seventh of eight taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Chil Jang is often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo with rank of 2nd geup. Second geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank.
Taegeuk Pal Jang is the last of eight taegeuk taekwondo forms practiced by the Kukkiwon and the World Taekwondo Federation. A form,or poomsae,is a choreographed pattern of defense-and-attack motions. Taegeuk Pal Jang is often practiced by students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo with rank of 1st geup. First geup students of Kukkiwon/WTF-style taekwondo practice this form in order to advance to the next rank,at which students then begin studying a new sequence of black belt forms.
