A Brief Introduction to Tae Kwon-Do

Taekwon-Do is a relatively young martial art, developed by a Korean General in the 1940’s, but the Korean martial arts that TKD is based on have a rich heritage. There is evidence of stylised fighting arts that date from around 2000 years ago. The martial arts were used by the Korean warrior-monks & the Korean nobility for use on the battlefields of Korea in defence of their homeland, repelling various invasions by the Mongols, Chinese & the Japanese. An early form of this fighting art was called Soo Bak & this was practiced by the Hwa Rang, the Korean equivalent of the Japanese Samurai. Further influences came from China, this style was known as Kwon Bup. From these early forms of fighting styles, a martial art originated which featured a superior way of fighting using the feet to kick & destroy the enemy. This style, called Tae Kyon, was to develop & many centuries later was to be the foundation of the modern art of Taekwon-Do. A further influence on the development of TKD was the Japanese art of Shotokan Karate.

These martial arts flourished during the Koryo & Yi Dynasties & continued to be practiced until 1910 when Korea was invaded & annexed by Japan. During this occupation the traditional Korean martial arts were forced underground & it wasn’t until after the end of WW2 in 1945, that the Korean arts surfaced once again.

The people of Korea have a strong sense of national pride & spirit, due to the history of invasions & occupations by their neighbouring countries & it was decided to develop a Korean martial art to help to restore the Korean peoples pride after the brutal Japanese occupation. This art was based on the “lost” arts & was developed by a General in the South Korean Army, called Choi Hong Hi. This art was named Taekwon-Do.

The philosophy of Taekwon-Do

The core ideals of TKD training are to build, not only a healthy body, but to develop a focussed mind, a strong spirit & an ethical set of moral values. These 5 ideals are known as “The Tenets of Taekwon-Do” & are a very important part of the TKD training. They are, as follows;

Courtesy

To be polite to your instructors, seniors, fellow students & others.

Integrity

To be honest with yourself, & others, to know the difference between right & wrong.

Perseverance

To keep trying to achieve your goals, to never give up but to persevere.

Self-control

To never lose your temper. Martial arts carry a great responsibility & the student must respect his opponents –to lose your temper can prove to be very dangerous. Learn to live, work & train within your capabilities.

Indomitable Spirit

To show courage, when you & your principles are pitted against overwhelming odds.

The Inauguration of Taekwon-Do

The art of Taekwon-Do can be credited to one man, the father of TKD; Major General, Choi Hong Hi (1918 to 2002).

After World War 2 and the end of the Japanese occupation, the Korean martial arts schools, or Kwan's, were very fragmented and disorganised. General Choi, of the Oh-do Kwan, began his development of his art of Taekwon-Do, with the vision of uniting all the Kwan's together to form one strong style. This was achieved and on April 11th 1955, Taekwon-Do officially came into being. Ambassadors of Taekwon-Do travelled around the world teaching the art. It was introduced into the UK in 1967 by Master Rhee Ki Ha, (9th Dan).

The Art of Foot & Hand

The art of Taekwon-Do involves the skilled application of punches, kicks, sweeps, throws, blocks, dodges, strikes and interception with the hands, arms & feet to ensure the rapid destruction of an aggressor. TKD is renowned throughout the world for it’s dynamic kicking style, with fast & powerful jumping & spinning kicks used to create a beautiful but dangerous art.

Translated from Korean:

 

“Tae” literally means to jump, kick or destroy with the foot.

 

“Kwon” means a fist –to punch or destroy with the hand, or fist.

 

“Do” means art, path or way.

It is commonly known as “The Art of Foot & Hand”.

The Taekwon-Do Grading Syllabus

There are many aspects to the training, these include; self-defence, patterns (traditional forms), fitness & flexibility, competition sparring, set sparring drills & power testing.

For the adult student the testing of power & skill by breaking wood is introduced at blue belt level. Black belt students also undertake advanced studies, such as pressure-points applications & pattern movement analysis.

There are ten coloured belt grades in TKD, and six colours of belt that signify the wearer’s rank. The coloured belt grades are known as "kup" grades and the black belt is called a "Dan" grade. The beginner starts their training as a 10th kup and will take their first grading after approximately 3 months (training twice a week), progressing to 9th kup. This is indicated by a yellow stripe on the (white) belt, as this is an intermediate grade between white and yellow belt.

The colours of the belts have a significance and this can be compared to the stages in life of a growing plant or tree, which symbolises the knowledge of TKD growing within the student.

The belt system progresses as follows; white –yellow –green –blue –red –black.

White belt symbolises innocence, the wearer having little or no knowledge of Taekwon-Do.

Yellow belt symbolises the earth, from which a plant grows & takes root. This represents the students progress as the foundation of Taekwon-Do is being laid.

Green belt symbolises the growth of the plant, as the Taekwon-Do skills begin to develop.

Blue belt symbolises the colour of the sky, towards which the plant grows into a towering tree, as training in Taekwon-Do progresses.

Red belt stands for danger, the opponent should be wary. In turn the wearer has the responsibility to use their skills wisely, and to exercise great self control.

Black belt is the opposite to white, therefore signifying the maturity and proficiency in Taekwon-Do. It also indicates the wearers imperviousness to darkness and fear.

Global Taekwon-Do International (UK)

The Wells club forms part of the GTI & has been running since May 1996. The club instructor, Mr Jason Burgess, is currently the Press Officer for the association. The GTI was founded in March 1993 and is at the forefront of professional martial arts in the UK. It is run by a committee of high ranking instructors who have been democratically elected by the instructors from their respected geographical areas to represent their interests. The business of the Association is conducted in a democratic fashion and is governed by the rules of the GTI’s constitution.

Today in TKD there are two world governing bodies, the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and the World Taekwon-Do Federation (WTF). The WTF was formed in the early 1970's out of a desire to spread TKD & to put Korea on the global stage. WTF stylists redesigned the forms & pushed the sporting aspect of the Art, which has somewhat resulted in the diluting of this fighting art into a sport. The benefits of this was the eventual acceptance of TKD as an officially recognised Olympic sport (at the Sydney Games in 2000), however, this divergence has caused a major split between TKD stylists in both camps, which seems to be irreconcilable. 

GTI Taekwon-Do is based on the ITF system, which is the oldest & the original style (also known as the Ch'ang-Hon style) developed by Major Choi in the 1940s.

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