Tae Kwon-Do is a form of empty hand combat that entails the use of the whole body. Tae means “to Kick” or “to Smash with the foot”; Kwon implies “punching” or “destroying with hand or fist”; and Do means “way” or “method”.  Thus, Tae Kwon-Do is the technique of unarmed combat for self-defense that involves the skillful use of punching, jumping kicks, blocks, parrying moves and dodges with hands and feet.

Tae Kwon-Do is known for its flying kicks and jumping kicks. These techniques were invented to combat an enemy that was riding on horseback – kicking the enemy off his horse. Tae Kwon-Do is a spectacular style of martial arts to watch and is appreciated by all martial artists as one of the leading styles in the world.

Tae Kwon-Do can be traced back to about 50 B.C. Korea then was divided into 3 kingdoms: Silla which was the smallest and was founded in 57 B.C.; Koguryo which was founded in 37 B.C. Although the people of Koguryo was using techniques that are very similar to the ones used by Te Kwon-Do today, it is Silla’s Hwarang warriors that are credited with the growth and spread of Tae Kwon-Do throughout Korea. Silla was the one that won the war to unify Korea into one country. The 3rd kingdom was known as Bakjai.

The Five Codes of Human Conduct that was part of the education of the Hwarang-Do have been correlated into the known Eleven Creeds of Tae Kwon-Do of modern day Tae Kwon-Do, which is:
Loyalty to your country. 
Loyalty amongst friends.
Faithfulness to you spouse.                                                       
Loyalty to your school.
Respect your parents                                                               
Never take a life unjustly.
Respect your brothers & sisters.                                              
Never retreat in battle.
Respect your elders.                                                                
Respect your teachers decisions with action &  always finish what you start.

During the early years in Korea martial arts went under a lot different names. It was in Genl. Choi who spearheaded the unification of the martial arts and in 1954 the name “Tae Soo Do” was adopted by the majority of masters. Two years later the name was changed again. Genl. Choi suggested Tae Kwon-Do because it described both hand & foot techniques.

September 14, 1961 under official decree by the government, the kwans were ordered to unify under the umbrella of the Korean Tae Kwon-Do Association (KTA) with Genl. Choi as the elected first president. In March 1966 Choi founded the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation (ITF) which he also served as president. He resigned as president of KTA and moved the ITF headquarters to Montreal, Canada.

Young-wum Kim was elected president of KTA. He felt that Korea was the mother country of Tae Kwon-Do and that the world headquarters should be in Korea. He dissolved the ITF connection with KTA and created a new international governing body called World Tae Kwon-Do Federation (WTF).

In the USA, Jhoon Rhee is considered the father of American Tae Kwon-Do and was one of the first to form a public Tae Kwon-Do club. Under his teaching martial artists in the USA learned that Tae Kwon-Do is a way of life.

The official date of birth of modern-day Tae Kwon-Do is April 11, 1955. Its growth was phenomenal and over 30 million people practice Tae Kwon-Do in more than 156 countries.

TENETS OF TAE KWON-DO.
Courtesy.
Integrity.
Perseverance
Self Control
Indomitable Spirit.