The History of Tae Kwon-Do

Although recently introduced to the western world, Tae Kwon-Do has been an integral part of Korean society for centuries. It is in every sense of the word, a martial art, practised throughout Korea on the military training fields and in the gymnasiums of all the high schools and universities.

Spirit-body training in relation to Tae-Kwon-Do may be traced back to the sixth century At that time a group of warrior youths called the Hwa-Rang-Do, trained themselves bodily and spiritually for the defence of Korea. Training included that of the bow, spear, sword and hand/foot fighting techniques such as So Bak and Taek Kyon. The Hwa-Rang-Do exercised spiritually and physically by training mercilessly with the elements of nature, swimming rivers and climbing mountains.

General Choi Hong Hi, the Founder and Grand Master of Tae Kwon-Do, was born in North Korea in 1918. During his younger days, Gen. Choi studied calligraphy under the famous teacher Mr. Han li Dong. Han was also an expert in the art of Taek-kyon, the ancient Korean art of foot fighting, concerned about his student's weak physical condition, he began to teach the boy the rigorous exercises of Taek-kyon to help build up Choi's body.

Later, while studying in Kyoto, Japan, Gen. Choi took up karate, and attained the rank of second Black Belt. Armed with this knowledge and that of Taek-kyon, he began to forge the techniques of a new martial arts system.

Taekwon-Do, as practised today, is a modern art of self defense.Through his research of many martial arts and by using principles of modern science, he designed techniques that provides the student with maximum power and effectiveness.

Taekwon-Do has grown in popularity and is taught in nearly every country in the world. It is greatly renowned for its spectacular and dynamic kicking techniques. This has led to the misconception that Taekwon-Do is just a kicking art. Since the legs are more powerful than the arms, Taekwon-Do does make extensive use of the legs but kicks make up only a small fraction of the total number of Taekwon-Do techniques. There are also blocks, punches, and strikes with the hands or arms as well as basic throws and grappling. The range of techniques cater for all types of situations including defending against more than one opponent, and against weapons.

Who can practice Taekwon-Do?

Taekwon-Do is for anyone who wishes to learn it, no matter what age you are. You can benefit from Taekwon-Do if you are male or female, young or old, whatever your build. People who have a disability or suffer from a previous injury can still benefit from Taekwon-Do as the training can be differentiated to suit your ability. As long as your instructor is informed about your limitations he/she will be able to recommend safe training activities for you.

Benefits of Taekwon-Do

As well as learning to defend yourself there are many other benefits:

• You will develop total fitness: strength, endurance and flexibility. Due to the nature of the Taekwon-Do techniques your body will develop the ability to perform fast and powerful movements.
• It helps you to develop a good physique by promoting the loss of excess weight, and developing muscle definition.
• Through training you will learn self-discipline, gain self-confidence and develop a positive mental attitude, which will naturally extend into your personal and social life and improve your quality of life.
• Children in particular can benefit from Taekwon-Do by developing good coordination, concentration and spatial awareness at an early age. Our experience has shown that children experience a more rapid acceleration of these skills from Taekwon-Do compared to the usual activities they are likely to experience in school.
• There is also a social benefit as you meet new people and make new friends.