4    Tae means “kick”, Kwon means “strike with a fist”, and Do means “way of”

4    It is a martial art which emphasizes quick, linear movement as well as flowing circular movements.

4    It is most known for its vast repertoire of kicking techniques.

4    The overall curriculum is designed to create a moral martial artist equally competent in sport, citizenship, and self-defense applications.

 

4    The earliest records of Korean martial arts date back to 50 B.C.E. during the Three Kingdoms period of Korea. Detailed tomb paintings have been discovered showing stances, kicks, and techniques still found today in Tae Kwon Do.

4    The noble Hwarang warriors of the Silla dynasty (57 A.D. to 935 A.D.) developed the style of Hwarang-do, which centered on Taek Kyeon, an early style of competitive sports style martial art. The Hwarang warriors developed the code of ethics which modern Tae Kwon Do practitioners follow today.

4    During the Koryo Dynasty (935-1392), Taek Kyeon became known as Soo Bak and emphasis shifted from sports applications to a fighting art.

4    During the Yi Dynasty (1397-1907), Soo Bak declined, as martial arts became less practiced in favor of more scholarly activities. Soo Bak was practiced more for recreation and the traditional techniques became fragmented over different schools of practice.

4    In 1909, when Japan occupied Korea, they banned the practice of Korean martial arts. Korean patriots rebelled and began studying Soo Bok intensively. Many practitioners researched ancient techniques held secret by Buddhist monks, and others left Korea to study martial arts in Japan and China.

4    After Korean liberation in 1945, many Korean martial arts styles flourished. At this point, many “kwan”, or schools, formed. From here, various related, yet different styles came to be: Soo Bak Do, Kwon Bop, Kong Soo Do (Japanese Karate), Tae Soo Do, Tang Soo Do, and traditional Taek Kyeon.  Most of the early masters of TKD had extensive backgrounds in Japanese Shotokan Karate. Hapkido was developed by Choi Yong-sool from Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu learned from Sokaku Takeda in Japan.

4    In the 1950s, Korean martial arts were taught to Korean soldiers. By 1955, a meeting was set up to unify the various kwan. The styles were merged under the name Tae Soo Do, and changed two years later to the modern name Tae Kwon Do. Hapkido was one of the styles that remained independent, although there are many federations.

4    Tae Kwon Do spread rapidly all around the world. General Choi Hong-hi (Oh Doh Kwan) was one of the main founders of modern Taekwondo and helped spread the art. There was a political rift between General Choi’s ITF and the KTA, leading to the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) being established in 1973 as a regulating body for Tae Kwon Do and General Choi’s ITF being exiled from South Korea.

4    The ITF and WTF systems of Tae Kwon Do occasionally are heated rivals. Both teach Tae Kwon Do and offer rank certification. The curriculum, especially the forms (poomsae), differs in some respects.

4    Tae Kwon Do was brought to the attention of the Olympics and in 1988, it was recognized as an official Demonstration Sport at the Seoul Olympics. It has been a medal sport in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

 

                    The 5 Tenets of Tae Kwon Do

1.      Courtesy

2.      Integrity

3.      Perseverance

4.      Self Control

5.      Indomitable Spirit

 
  

 

 

                        The 5 Principles of Tae Kwon Do

                1.      Loyalty to Country

                2.      Obedience to Parents

                3.      Confidence in friends

4.      No Retreat from Enemy Attack

5.      Refrain from Senseless Killing[1]
 

 

·       Do your best to follow the tenets and principles of Tae Kwon Do.

·       Treat everyone with respect and honesty.

·       Do not provoke violence nor allow yourself to be provoked into violence.

·       Refrain from criticizing or demeaning other martial arts or martial artists. Debate and discussion is encouraged but do not put others down.

·       When we bow to people, we cup our hands at the side of the waist and bend from the waist at least 45 degrees forward, keeping our eyes averted. A shallow bow while looking in the eyes is considered a challenge and should only be used in competition, and then rarely.

·       Bow to the dojang, to the flag, and to the instructors upon entering and leaving the dojang.

·       Address all instructors as “sir” or “ma’am”.

·       Respect all other students and instructors. Obey senior belts and guide junior belts.

·       Remain serious. Refrain from joking, laughing, and loud talking during class.

·       Keep the dojang, your uniform, and the equipment clean and in good repair.

·       Keep nails, hair, and jewelry from interfering with class.

·       Refrain from eating during class time.

·       Always remove your shoes upon entering the dojang.

·       Always be on time. If you are late, kneel at the back of class until the instructor invites you to join.

·       If you are going to miss class, be late, or leave early, make sure that you inform the instructors.

·       Always allow seniors to sit before you.

·       When your name is called for testing, shout a loud “yes sir/ma’am” and walk quickly to the place indicated.

·       Follow all commands of the testing board.

·       Wear a clean uniform and be presentable.

·       While testing, use good control, good intensity, proper techniques and “ki-hap” loudly.

·       If you lose your place during poomsae, come to a position of attention facing the testing board, bow and await instructions to begin again.

·       If you are asked to wait while another student performs, sit on your knees until otherwise instructed.

·       Remain quiet and seated while others are testing. Shortly before you are to test, you may get up and stretch quietly. Please refrain from talking, laughing, or improper seating.

 

Terminology

 

Cardinal numbers (pure Korean numbers)

하나 1 – Ha na

둘 2 - Dool

셋 3 - Set

넷 4 - Net

다섯 5 – Da-seot

여섯 6 – Yeo-seot

일곱 7 – Ill-gop

여덟 8 – Yeo-deolp

아홉 9 – Ah-hop

열 10 – Yeol

 

Ordinal numbers (Sino-Korean Numbers)

일 1^st  - Ill

이 2^nd - Ee

삼 3^rd  - Sam

사 4^th  - Sa

오 5^th - Oh

육 6^th - Yook

칠 7^th - Chill

팔 8^th - Pahl

구 9^th – Koo

십 10^th – Ship

 

Anyeong Hashimnika? - Formal greetings to a senior

Anyeong Haseyo? - Formal greetings to a junior

Anyeonghi Kyeseyo.  - Formal Goodbye when you are leaving the room

Anyeonghi Kaseyo. - Formal Goodbye when the other person is leaving the room.

감사합니다 Kam sa ham ni da – Thank you very much.

고맙습니다 Go map sum ni da - Thanks

Cheon man ay yo – You’re welcome.

차렷 Cha-ryeot - Attention

Kyeong-neh - Bow

준비 Joon-bi  - Ready (stance)

Shi-jak  - Begin

Bah-roh - At ease, relax

그만 Guh-mon - Stop

Kelyeo  - STOP!

Ear ah seot – Stand up (please)

Taegeuki taehan kyeong-leh  - Salute the flag

Kwanjangnim kae kyeong-leh - Bow to the master

Sa beom nim - Instructor

Cho kyo nim - Assistant instructor

Yoo dan ja - Black belt (person)

 

도복 Do-bok  - Uniform

(허리) 띠 Ddi  - Belt

흰 띠 Ha-yan Ddi - White belt

노란 띠 No-ran Ddi - Yellow belt

초록 띠 Cho-rok Ddi - Green belt

파랑 띠 Pa-rang Ddi - Blue belt

빨간 띠 Ppal-gan Ddi - Red belt

검정 띠 Geom-jeong Ddi - Black belt (clothing)

 

앞 굽이서기 Ahp-goobi-seogi - Front

앞 서기 Ahp-seogi - Walking

뒷 (굽이) 서기 Dwee-seogi - Back

범서기 Beom-seogi - Cat

주춤 서기 Joo-choom-seogi - Horse

 

앞차기 Ahp cha-gi - Front kick

돌려 차기 Dol-lyo cha-gi - Roundhouse kick

옆차기 Yeop cha-gi - Side kick

뒤차기 Dweet cha-gi - Back kick

앞차올리기 Ahp-cha-ol-lee-gi - Axe kick

뒤돌려 차기 Dwee-dolah cha-gi - Spinning heel

Moo-lup chagi - Knee strike

 

 Joo-meok cheegi - Fist strike

 May choomak - Hammer fist

 Tung choomak - Back fist

 Soo-do cheegi - knife hand strike

  Yeok soo-do cheegi - Ridgehand strike

  Jang-kuon cheegi  - Palm heel strike

  Peon son-gutt - Spear hand thrust

  Pal-goop - Elbow strike

 

아래 막기 Ah-re mag-ki- Low block

몸통 막기 Mom-tong mag-ki - Middle block

얼굴막기 Eol-guhl mag-ki - Face block

몸통 안 막기 막기 Mom-tong ahn mag-ki – Inside body block

몸통 바깥 막기 Mom-tong ba kkat mag-ki  - Outside body block

몸통 막기 Sohn-nal mom-tong mag-ki - Knife hand block