Taekwondo pictures

History.

History of Taekwondo.

The earliest records of Martial Arts practice in Korea date back to about 50 B.C. These earliest forms of korean martial arts are known as 'Taek Kyon'. Evidence that Martial Arts were being practiced at that time can be found in tombs where wall-paintings show two men in fighting-stance. Others reject this evidence and say that these men could be simply dancing.

Back then, time there were three kingdoms:

1. Koguryo (37 B.C. - 668 A.D.)
2. Paekje (18 B.C. - 600 A.D.)
3. Silla (57 B.C. - 935 A.D.)

Silla unified the kingdoms after winning the war against Paekje in 660 A.D. and Koguryo in 668 A.D. The Hwa Rang Do played an important role at this unification. The Hwa Rang Do was an elite group of young noble men, devoted to cultivating mind and body and serve the kingdom Silla. The best translation for HwaRang would probably be "flowering youth" (Hwa ="flower", Rang="young man"). The HwaRang Do had an honor-code and practiced various forms of martial arts, including Taekyon and Soo Bakh Do. The old honor-code of the HwaRang is the philosophical background of modern Taekwondo.

What followed was a time of peace and the HwaRang turned from a military organization to a group specialized in poetry and music. It was in 936 A.D. when Wang Kon founded the Koryo dynasty, an abbreviation of Koguryo. The name Korea is derived from Koryo.

During the Koryo Dynasty the sport Soo Bakh Do, which was then used as a military training method, became popular. During the Joseon-dynasty (also known as the Yi-dynasty. 1392 A.D. - 1910 A.D.) this emphasis on military training disappeared. King Taejo, founder of the Joseon-dynasty, replaced Buddhism by Confucianism as the state religion. According to Confucianism, the higher class should study the poets, read poems and and play music. Martial arts was something for the common, or even inferior, man.

Modern-day Taekwondo is influenced by many other Martial Arts. The most important of these arts is Japanese Karate. This is because Japan dominated Korea during 1910 until the end of World War II. During WWII, lots of Korean soldiers were trained in Japan. During this occupation of Korea, the Japanese tried to erase all traces of the Korean culture, including the martial arts. The influence that Japan has given to Taekwondo are the quick, lineair movements, that characterize the various Japanese systems.

After World War II, when Korea became independant, several kwans arose. These kwans were:

• Chung Do Kwan
• Moo Duk Kwan
• Yun Moo Kwan
• Chang Moo Kwan
• Oh Do Kwan
• Ji Do Kwan
• Chi Do Kwan
• Song Moo Kwan   
• 
  

The Kwans united in 1955 as Tae Soo Do. In the beginning of 1957, the name Taekwondo was adopted by several Korean martial arts masters, for its similarity to the name Tae Kyon.

General Choi Hong-hi required the army to train Taekwondo, so the very first Taekwondo students were Korean soldiers. The police and air force had to learn Taekwondo as well. At that time, Taekwondo was merely a Korean version of Shotokan Karate. In 1961 the Korean Taekwondo Union arose from the Soo Bakh Do Association and the Tae Soo Do Association. In 1962 the Korean Amateur Sports Association acknowledged the Korean Taekwondo Union and in 1965 the name was changed to Korean Taekwondo Association (K.T.A.). General Choi was president of the K.T.A. at that time and was asked to start the I.T.F. as the international branch of the K.T.A. The southern government was overthrown in 1961. General Choi Hong-hi left for America and established I.T.F. (International Taekwondo Federation) Taekwondo, as a separate entity, two years later.

Demonstrations were given all over the world. It took a while before real progress was made, but eventually, in 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation (W.T.F.) was founded. In 1980, W.T.F. Taekwondo was recognized by the International Olympic Commitee (I.O.C.) and became a demonstration sport at the Olympics in 1988. In the year 2000 taekwondo made its debute as an official olympic sport. There were several attempts to unify I.T.F. and W.T.F. Taekwondo, but unfortunately, these failed.

I.T.F. vs W.T.F.

As mentioned earlier, Gen. Choi established ITF-Taekwondo (which practices a more traditional form of taekwondo) while WTF-Taekwondo (which has a strong emphasis on sparring) became an olympic sport in 2000.

A good-will trip to North-Korea in 1966 caused General Choi to fall in disgrace in the eyes of the South-Koreans. Choi resigned as president of the K.T.A. and founded the I.T.F. on March, the 22nd of that same year. The headquarters of ITF were established in Canada.

ITF started concentrating on the forms developed by General Choi, while the KTA (which later, on May 28, 1973, became the WTF) concentrated on the Palgwe's. Later the WTF abandoned the Palgwe's and started concentrating on Taeguks. Slowly, the WTF emphasis turned to sparring. This is also the reason why a lot of people rather call (WTF) Taekwondo a martial sport than a Martial Art.

The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) is a smaller organization, and has many similarities to the ITF. The ATA has a copyright on the forms of the organization, so these forms cannot be used on competitions by non-members. There are many organizations, but the three mentioned above have the most members.

ITF practices the so-called 'semi-contact' part of Taekwondo, while WTF practices the so-called 'full-contact' part. ITF focuses more on the traditional way of taekwondo. Since the break-up, there have been many attempts to reunite WTF and ITF, so-far without success. There probably will never be a union within Taekwondo.

                                            Taekwondo Hand attacks

Taekwondo hand strikes are performed as a close distance alternative to kicks. They are executed in a number of ways - from standing, jumping, spinning and rushing forwards. Hand strikes make up fast combinations of strikes which can leave an opponent stunned and unable to defend himself. Taekwondo hand strikes can be separated into two distinct styles.                                                                                              

Various surfaces of the hand may be engaged as the striking surface depending on which area of the opponents body which is being targeted. This leads to a large array of hand positions.

• Forefist - A closed fist may be jabbed out directly to strike with the forefist knuckles. This is a suitable position for general punches to soft areas of the body. Without protection, it is inadvisable to strike the bony face as fingers are likely to get broken on the hard temple and jaw bones.
• Hammer fist - A closed fist may be brought down in a hammering motion to strike with the underneath. Such a strike can obliterate an opponent's nose, making it near impossible for him to retaliate.
• Backfist - A Son Deung clenched hand is swung backwards into the face of an opponent. The back of the hand makes contact and the momentum garnered in the swing makes this a powerful strike. Spinning backfists are a knockout punch and banned in most Taekwondo competitions.
• Knife Hand - 'Sonkal' is the Taekwondo name for a move similar to the 'Karate Chop', i.e. where an open hand is hammered down to make impact with the underside. A Ridge Hand is the opposite, where the top of the open hand strikes. These are commonly made to the side of the neck.
• Fingertips - Jumeok can be used to strike vulnerable areas of the body such as pressure points. Four finger strikes engaging the tips of the outstretched hand (known as Spear hand) can be made to vital points in the neck.
• Thumb - Eomji is a fist with the thumb protruding over the top. This is a formidable weapon in pressure point striking. Vulnerable areas can be targeted all over the body such as the sternum, the spaces in between the ribs and other nerve clusters.
• Palm Heel - a classic self-defence strike where the hand is pulled back to engage the base of the palm in an upwards thrusting strike. This is particularly dangerous if applied to the base of the nose or chin and can result in death. Obviously banned in competition Taekwondo.
• Elbow Strike (palgup chigi)- Forearm is folded inwards towards the body and the strike is delivered with the outside of the forearm or elbow.
• Four-knuckle strike - This is a fist shape particular to the Asian martial arts. Instead of closing the fist completely, the fingers are held out and only the knuckles are bent, thereby presenting the upper set of knuckles as the striking surface. This fist is used for breaking boards as the smaller surface area concentrates the punches power. In self-defence, it may be used to purposefully break an attacker's jaw.
• Eagle strike - In this strike, the fingers all touch together, and the hand is pointed down, exposing the top of the wrist,which is then swung upward to strike the underside of the jaw. If done properly, this strike can easily fracture the jawbone, and is usually banned from competitions due to the extreme danger. If done improperly, however, the practitioner may well break his wrist.
• Tiger Claw - A strike using the space between the index finger and thumb. Fingers are made rigid, and the attack is usually directed towards the neck/trachea. Serves as a way to incapacitate an opponent for a few seconds.
• Pincer Hand - A strike which uses thumb and forefinger to strike opponent's throat. In this technique a fist is closed except thumb and forefinger which are fully extended outwards.
• Scissor Finger - A fist in which forefinger and middle finger is extended out as if to dig someone's eye. Similar to Pincer hand except that the forefinger and middle finger is extended outwards.
• Chestnut Fist - Similar to normal fist except that first three knuckles are pushed outward slightly with thumb.

Tae Kwon Do also makes use of reverse and front elbow strikes.

Taekwondo players vow to win golds for Pakistan.
RAWALPINDI : Pakistan produced so many international stars in almost every sporting field and Taekwondo is also one of the sports in which Pakistan male and female athletes, despite limited resources, earned laurels for the country.
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, country's brightest future and international medal hope Najia Khan, who represented country in -73kg middleweight category both at national and international levels, was full of confidence that females were not less than males, when it came to winning laurels for the country.
Najia, against the advice of the doctors, participated in the 9th Korean Ambassador Taekwondo Championship and won gold medal for her department Army and was also declared the best female athlete.
Sharing her views, Najia said: “I had a severe problem in my leg and the doctors advised me to take complete bed rest for four months, but it was my dream to not only to participate in the main events but also try to win medals for my department. I was playing with one leg in the entire event, but self belief and hard work paid dividend and I managed to fulfill my dream.” She said there were five to six very talented female players and if they were given international exposure and training and provided with proper facilities, they could in return bring laurels for the country at international level.
Najia, 23, who have participated in five international events and also attended a training course in Korea, has won one silver and two bronze medals for her country at Korean and Commonwealth Games in India. She also has won seven gold medals in national championships. “It is my wish to win gold medal for the country in the 2014 Asian Games, but this dream can come true only if I will be provided with six-month training in Scotland under the worlds best coach TK Low of Indonesia and it is my promise if the POA, the PSB and Army Sports Directorate manage my training at Scotland, I will not disappoint the country and win a medal at the Asian Games.”
Sharing his views, Shah Adil, 25, who represented country in -87 middle weight category and was deprived by the Iranian officials of the bronze medal in Asian Games in 2012, was very optimistic about the male players chances in the Asian Games. Adil won bronze medal in SAF Games in 2010 and also wanted to win more medals for the country. But he also needs special attention of the POA and the PSB to acquire training in Scotland. “If provided with an opportunity to train there, I will win medal in Asian Games.”
Another young lad from Fata Syed Afnan Shah, 23, had won two gold medals in the national championships and also represented Army at SAF Military Games in Nepal and Vietnam. Unfortunately, he failed to win any medal but his performances were eye-catching.
“Fata is blessed with natural talent and there is an urgent need to pay attention to that region, as sports can play a significant role in curbing the militancy and youth could be utilised in healthy sporting activities,” Afnan said.
“We have requested provincial Fata associations to arrange training camps but no heed was paid. It is my humble request to governor KPK to play his due role in arranging sporting activities in Fata. I have detailed conversations with the youth of my area and they are willing to turn their attentions to sports, but the non-active role of the associations is the big hurdle in their way,” he added.
PTF secretary Col Waseem Ahmed Janju said: “I have talked to the Fata Taekwondo Association (FTA) secretary to arrange camps. I will personally visit the camps and also take top players with me. I have donated a mat to the FTA worth Rs five million and I am quite hopeful that Fata posses great talent but the only need is to provide them proper platform where they may showcase their skills and play their due role in helping the country winning laurels at international level.”
“The PTF despite a meager annual grant and limited recourses has done a really wonderful job keeping in mind how expensive this sport is, but it is the time government should think seriously about other sports too. This individual sport can guarantee at least five to six medals from single individual unlike of other sports, which can only ensure one medal. Neglected sports need urgent attention of authorities concerned otherwise youth will only prefer to play cricket or to some extent hockey while all the other sports will die due to lack of interest,” Waseem concluded.
Rana Usman .

Army retain National Taekwondo Championship.

ISLAMABAD -

Pakistan Army retained the title of the 9th Korean Ambassador National Taekwondo Championship which concluded here at the Liaquat Gymnasium on Friday.
Army retained the title by winning 21 gold, three silver and two bronze medals while Wapda secured second position with one gold, six silver and two bronze medals and HEC grabbed third slot with one gold, three silver and seven bronze medals. Sindh with three silver and 10 bronze medals was on fourth, KPK with five silver and four bronze medals was on fifth and Punjab with one gold, one silver and 10 bronze medals was on sixth position.
The Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) also invited Korean international demonstration team to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pakistan-Korea diplomatic relationship, which is really a great honour for Pakistan.
The teams from all provinces, departments and affiliated units of the PTF participated in this mega event which was being sponsored by Samsung. PTF secretary Col Waseem Ahmed Janju was full of praise for Director General Pakistan Sports Board Syed Amir Hamza Gilani for helping the federation in conducting the event in a befitting manner.  For the first time in the history of Pakistan, electronic sensors were used during the event, which were acquired by the support of government, ministry of sports IPC and Pakistan Sports Board. Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) president Lt Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hassan was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony and distributed the equipments among all affiliated provinces and departments. He also gave away a complete taekwondo mat to Fata.
At the end, the chief guest distributed medals among the top performers. Public Service Commission member Mansoor Sohail and Fata Olympic Association secretary Shinwari were the guests of honour.
Talking to The Nation, Col Waseem said: “Keeping in mind excellent arrangements to conduct the event in a superb fashion, I hope it will help the players to get boost and motivation to do well in the local, national and international events. It is very helpful for bringing the new talent and introducing new faces in sports arena.”

Pakistan Army Maintain Dominance in National Taekwondo.

Pakistan Army continued their dominance on the second day in the 9th Korean Ambassador National Taekwondo Championship here at the Liaquat Gymnasium. Pool fights of 4 X Khyorugi male/female events in fin and fly weight categories were completed.

DG PSB Syed Amir Hamza Gillani was the chief guest on the occasion and distributed medals among the top players. Army clinched three gold medals on second day of the championship while Railways earned one gold. In fin weight male category, Ghazanfar Ali of Army claimed gold, Hidayat Ullah of Fata silver and Abdul Raheem Sindh clinched bronze. In fly weight male category, Taufeeq of Railways received gold, Umar of Army silver and Nadeem of Sindh bronze, in fin weight female category, Kiran Bano of Army notched up gold, Tanzeela of Sindh silver and Simra of Railways bronze, in fly weight female category, Maham Aftab of Army grabbed gold, Faiza of Railways silver and Marrayum of HEC bronze.

Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) secretary Col Waseem Ahmed Janju said: “I am delighted to watch such amount of spectators turning up to watch players in action. I was not expecting such a huge crowd but the event has been getting such a overwhelming response which is a good omen towards the promotion of sport.”“I am grateful to Pakistan Sports Board DG Amir Hamza Gilani for providing us all the facilities at Liaquat Gymnasium.

The Korean Ambassador was personally present here last night and he was of full praise for excellent arrangements being made to facilitate the players and especially the visiting international Korean team, who performed in front of the spectators and got standing ovation from the pack to capacity crowd,” he concluded.  He said that the purpose of holding the events was to promote taekwondo among youth and provide them much-needed experience which would not only groom them as professional player but also provided them opportunity to exhibit their skills.

 

Golden moment for Tae Kwon Do octogenarian.

VIRGINIA BEACH.
Freshly earned, the fourth gold stripe on Joseph Gerald Caplan's black belt measures mere inches but holds huge significance in the measure of a man.
In late November, Caplan, 82, accepted his fourth-degree black belt from Master Kyung Soo Bae at the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center in Virginia Beach. The award reflected three years of training at the dojang or gymnasium, the successful completion of a series of 33 black belt tests, and mastery of 350 forms, or movements.
For Caplan, the degree marks a continuing chapter in a long story.
The native Londoner refers to himself as "an all-American kid," who "started a new life here" with his late wife, Valerie Caplan, in 1977. He lost Valerie to cancer in 1993, but from the sorrow, sweet solace emerged in a family friend, whom he eventually married. He and Elaine Caplan live in Portsmouth, where she runs interior design business Ma Maison.
At U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center, Caplan moves lightly across the mats and nods a greeting at classmates who hail him as "Mr. Joseph." He is something of a fixture, beginning his training there 14 years ago at the tender age of 69.
The center has been at Haygood Shopping Center for 25 years and is recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation, based in Seoul, South Korea. Master Bae, a sixth-degree black belt, holds a bachelor's degree in taekwondo from Yong In University, one of South Korea's premier martial arts universities.
Director Gail Theriault said the center places a strong emphasis on the development of character, along with physical skills.
"Our students are accountable here for what they do at home, at school, at work," she said. "We train together but develop individuals."
Caplan is less interested in his stripes than the chance to promote martial arts philosophy.
"Taekwondo forms character, integrity and self-control in its practitioners, particularly children," he said.
A former London barrister with several university degrees, Caplan holds Master Bae as the finest of teachers. "He understands each student as an individual person with strengths and weaknesses, and he teaches us to discipline mind and body from a place of respect and gentleness."
A survivor of two open-heart surgeries, Caplan said the Olympic sport is the perfect synthesis of body and spirit, with understanding and self-knowledge governing the practice.

 

Taekwondo Training – 5 Tips to Training Harder, Longer and More Often. Rana Usman

Taekwondo is perhaps one of the hardest Martial Arts sports there is, and Taekwondo Training is one of the hardest training types you are going to find in with world of Martial Arts sport. Being an Olympic Sport has meant that the level of Taekwondo all over the world has improved, as every country, big and small, as looked to increase their chances of winning medals at World and Olympic Level.

If you are an aspiring international Taekwondo Athlete, you need to be able to train hard, train for long times and train often. Here are 5 top tips for you to be able to do that at any level you want to.

1. Improve Sprint Fitness
   Improving your fitness is necessary in all sports, not just Taekwondo. But what most people do not realize is that Taekwondo is a Sprint Sport, not an endurance sport. Instead of running for hours and hours, you need to concentrate on your sprint speed. Running 100m, 200m and 400m sprints not only make you fitter, they also make your kicking faster. Once you become good at sprinting these distances, your fitness will improve, your bodyfat will drop even more and your kicking speed will also increase. All good things for a Taekwondo athlete.
2. Take Enough Protein
   Taking protein, either in the form of meat or in a protein shake, is necessary for all Taekwondo athletes. Protein is the building blocks for muscle. When you train, you break down your muscle and in order to train harder, longer and more often, you need to repair your muscles quickly and recuperate fast.A protein drink after training is ideal. Also having a higher protein meal an hour or 2 after that is good for you too. You need to have enough protein in your system for your body to be able to repair itself. If there is not enough protein, then your body starts to eat itself, taking protein from muscles in your own body.
3. Stretch
   Now this might seem a bit obvious for Taekwondo athletes, but many do not realize the importance that stretching has for recuperation. When you stretch, you not only get the blood into your muscles to flush away all the waste products of your training, but it also brings in nutrients and protein to help it recuperate even quicker. Tight muscles take longer to recover from training. By stretching them you improve the blood flow to them, making it easier to get good stuff in, and bad stuff out.
4. Visualize Yourself Fitter
   Now this may seem a bit Woo Woo, but it has actually been proven that people who visualize themselves successfully training and winning actually increase the likelihood of doing it dramatically. When you visualize at night time, just before going to sleep, you are actually telling your subconscious mind what to do your body while you are sleeping. If you have trained a lot, you are programming your mind to repair your body and muscles quicker because you are expecting what it is you visualized. If you visualized winning a championships or tournament, or even a sparring session in your Taekwondo School, you mind will be programmed to recuperate your body quicker because you told it to.
5. Get Quality Sleep
   We all need sleep. When we sleep we recuperate and repair our bodies from training. Sleep is necessary for your success in training. If we do not recuperate we over train and we are not effective in training or competition. By getting quality sleep, we give our bodies that extra boost it needs to be able to train harder, longer and more often. By visualizing before we go to sleep, we also increase our chances of getting quality sleep.So these two combined have an even better effect together than if we did them separately. The higher the quality of sleep, the less need we have for spending time in bed. That means we can do more in the day, and we are actually refreshed when we wake up. Quality sleep also makes us happy too, so it is very important indeed!
   

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With these simple steps you can improve your training performance a lot. This overview will help you get an understanding of what you need to do.
There are many training suggestions you can take from this site. Feel free to explore them and use them to your advantage.
Let us know you’re alive and let us know what you think. Just put a comment in the form below and share you thoughts…

How to Fight Well (Tae Kwon Do)

1. Once you are in a good school of martial arts, follow what the teacher says. They should know what they are talking about.

1. Be motivated and yell even if no one else is. Especially when striking. This will help you focus your breathing to exhale and maximize the force of your strike.

 

3.

When sparring, use varying combinations. Avoid developing a pattern that your opponent may learn and counter.

4. Try to use as many kicks as possible to the head if allowed. Most useful kicks are: Axe kick to the face if you can reach and spinning hook kick to the temple.

5.

Try to stay grounded while sparring. No flying side kicks unless you know what you are doing really well.

6. Use the jab to measure the distance. If your fist just touches, perfect, then use your hips to twist on your main punch to deliver more power.

7. Try to move to counter to the direction of the other person's stance. If the have their right leg back. Move towards THEIR right in a circle. This way they cannot surprise kick you.

8. Change up the direction of your kicks quickly. 
                                                  (Rana Usman)
                                    (ranataekwondo.blogspot.com)

Start to master your taekwondo roundhouse kick here!

Taekwondo roundhouse kick. Turning Kick. Angle Kick.
So many names.
So many variations.
Turning kick has to be the most versatile taekwondo kick.
Here's some tips to help you nail the basics and improve your technique and power.

Start to master your taekwondo roundhouse kick here!

Taekwondo roundhouse kick. Turning Kick. Angle Kick.
So many names.
So many variations.
Turning kick has to be the most versatile taekwondo kick.
Here's some tips to help you nail the basics and improve your technique and power.

Taekwondo beginner? Start to learn your taekwondo turning kick here

Your instructor will teach you one maybe two variations of roundhouse kick.
The Korean name for turning kick is Dollyo Chagi.
Whatever the variation of taekwondo turning kick you learn first, some basics are the same.
Your kicking foot comes round in a horizontal arc. So the impact on the target is sideways. Not up or down.
To let this arc happen your top hip has to rotate up and over your bottom hip. And then extend forwards towards the target.
And your standing foot has to turn. If you look at the photo of Leah her toes are pointing away from the target area.
If you don't turn your standing foot your knee will rotate - something it's not designed to do!

Improving your taekwondo turning kick

Your hip flexibility is important if you want to improve your taekwondo roundhouse kick.
You need flexible muscles around your hip joint. And the hip joint itself needs to be flexible.
Don't worry too much at the beginning. Just training each week will help your flexibility.
And later as your martial arts skills improve and you want to push yourself more.
You can consider hip stretching outside of class to help you to move forwards.

Over time training your turning kick will become more powerful.
But for quick progress you can also do separate hip strengthening exercises.
And once you're got the strength and flexibility?...You need to relax!
If you watch great taekwondo players they are totally chilled.
Their shoulders are relaxed.
They seem to be making no effort. And yet the speed and power they generate are awesome!

Traditional taekwondo turning kick - 'the powerhouse roundhouse'

Traditional taekwondo turning kick is great for breaking.
You hit the target with the ball of your foot. With your toes pulled back.
First lift your knee behind you. Then bring it round in a large arc with your foot and knee level.
Your hip and knee move together. So as your knee goes round. Your hip comes with it.
Your knee extends at the last minute. And the result is a powerful horizontal strike through the target.
If you've worked on your hip strength. And you combine this with relaxation and determination.
You can break some pretty big bits of wood with this taekwondo kick.
Very satisfying!
(Rana Usman)

Taekwondo kicks! Are you ready to master yours?

Do you love taekwondo kicks?
Do you want to learn to kick with speed, power and good technique?
And yet still stay relaxed and graceful?
Here's our guide to great tkd kicks.

Taekwondo kicks! Are you ready to master yours?

Do you love taekwondo kicks?
Do you want to learn to kick with speed, power and good technique?
And yet still stay relaxed and graceful?
Here's our guide to great tkd kicks.

Taekwondo roundhouse kick - Your versatile weapon

You have to learn this one!
With a good taekwondo turning kick.
You can break boards with power.
You can show great control in poomse.
And you can score lightning fast points in sparring.
It really is the most versatile of the tkd kicks!
And if your turning kick is already good?

Start to master your taekwondo roundhouse kick here!

Taekwondo roundhouse kick. Turning Kick. Angle Kick.
So many names.
So many variations.
Turning kick has to be the most versatile taekwondo kick.
Here's some tips to help you nail the basics and improve your technique and power.

Taekwondo - What Do You Want To Know?

...Does taekwondo make you jump for joy?
We love it!
It's our passion!
And through this site we share our passion with you.
Who are we?
We are a tae kwon do family.
And if you are just starting your martial arts journey...
... we know how it feels! Because we are walking the same path as you.
We have trained in UK, Australia and Korea.
And through this site we pass on to you what we've learned since we first stepped onto the mats in 2004... Rana Usman

Taekwondo

This Taekwondo page contains information about the various styles of taekwondo that exist today and focuses on the two biggest: ITF (International Taekwondo Federation) and WTF (World Taekwondo Federation).
Taekwondo (also written as "tae kwon do", "taekwon-do" or "t'aegwondo") is a modern martial art from Korea that is characterised by its fast, high and spinning kicks. 
 
(1) Besides explanations on the organizations, there is information about techniques and ethical backgrounds of taekwondo. Korean terms, including sound-files, are provided, belt explanations are provided and there is a photo-gallery and much, much more. In short: (almost) everything you need to know about this great martial art.
Use the menubar on the left to navigate through this site or use the search option below.


(2)I invite you to write any comments or ask any questions, but before you ask a question, please check the link 'Q and A' to see if your question is not already answered in that list.
The photo on the left is Pavel Bares. He has some excellent photos (taken by Ondrej Vrabel) at the following location, some of these photos are also used for the banner. (Photos used with permission).

Taekwondo Shuffle in Korea

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Ap chagi / Front kick

Starting phase	Execution

Name: Ap Chagi

Description: Front kick

Starting phase: The attacking foot is bent in the knee upon the waste level and simultaneously moved closely to the body

Execution: The foot is stretched forward by a shoving movement. The hit is executed by the foot pillow

Closing phase: The foot is moved back by the same way.

Dollyo chagi / Round kick

Name: Dollyo Chagi Description: Round kick Starting phase: The foot is moved upward upon the waist level bent in the knee and standing on the other foot the practitioner turns his body round. Execution: When the knee of the attacking foot is in the same line pointing to the target with the heel of the other foot the round movement continues into a rapid stretching of the hiting foot Closing phase: The foot is taken back by the same way

Starting  Dwi chagi / Back kick Starting phase Execution Name: Dwi Chagi Description: Back kick Starting phase: The foot is bent in the knee backwords. Execution: The foot is stretched backward and slightly upward. Closing phase: The foot is moved back by the same way. phase

Execution Yeop chagi / Side kick Starting phase Execution Name: Yeop Chagi Description: Side kick Starting phase: The foot is arranged by the side of the body. Execution: The food is stretched rapidly forward. Closing phase: The foot is taken back by the same way. Nerio Chagi / Axe kick Nerio Chagi Name: Nerio Chagi Description: Axe kick Starting phase: The foot is moved up forward Execution: The attacking foot strickes the target from above. Closing phase: The foot is moved back by the same way. Mom-dollyo Chagi / Turning kick Starting phase Execution Closing phase Name: Mom-dollyo Chagi Description: Turning kick Starting phase: The body is turned round and at the same time the foot is directed upward Execution: The foot is stretched up aiming at the opponent's face. Closing phase: The body makes a whole circle.