What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and Olympic sport. It is a system of self-defence that utilises kicking, blocking and striking techniques, with an emphasis on high, fast spinning kicks. Early Taekwondo was influenced by other styles of unarmed combat and at one point was referred to as Korean Karate. Multiple styles of Taekwondo exist, however World Taekwondo (WT) is the international federation governing sport Taekwondo, and has its headquarters in South Korea, known as the Kukkiwon.
The literal translation of Taekwondo is ‘the art of hand and foot fighting’ and it differentiates itself from other forms of self-defence by its emphasis on kicking techniques.
Grades & Ranking
Like many martial arts, Taekwondo uses a grading system to measure student progress. There are ten coloured belt grades known as Kup grades, which a student must progress through to reach black belt. A black belt is known as a first Dan, or first poom if under 15 in some organisations. Afer first dan, students can continue to progress up to 10th dan, however the required time between gradings expands a lot and many higher-level dan grades require students to give back to the martial art through teaching etc. Often, there are minimum age requirements for dan grades though this varies across styles and organisations, as do the requirements to reach a certain grade. Below you can see the grades available in Taekwondo. Please note, the coloured belts used for Kup grades is based on the most common colours used – some clubs may vary this.
South Korean Flag
The Taeguki is the national flag of South Korea and is a symbol you will come across a lot in Taekwondo settings.
Although Taekwondo is a Korean martial art form, it took influence from Chinese martial arts like many modern martial arts. Within Taekwondo, the two main schools are World Taekwondo style and ITF. Although they follow the same principles there are numerous differences between the styles, however, WT is the style of Taekwondo used in the Olympics.
Tenets of Taekwondo
There are five tenets of Taekwondo, which are the five principles or values practitioners should strive for in training and their everyday life. This may vary between styles and organisations, but the ideals behind the tenets remain broadly the same. A further breakdown of each tenet can be found below.
Courtesy
This tenet is sometimes known as etiquette, but despite which word is used it refers to treating others with respect. This can take many forms such as showing consideration for others and having good manners.
Integrity
Integrity means honesty. An alternative word used for this tenet is modesty, and the two are closely linked. Integrity means being honest with yourself and others, and not being vain or boastful.
Perseverance
This is the spirit of never giving up, even if things are going wrong. Perseverance means focusing on your goals and not surrendering at the first sign of difficulty. It is a difficult tenet to put into practice as it is regularly tested in life and training.
Self Control
In any martial art, self-control is vitally important. As you learn skills that could be dangerous it is equally important to learn restraint. This could refer to controlling your temper or adjusting your power when training with other students.
Indomitable Spirit
indomitable spirit is about willpower. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, a person with an indomitable spirit will persevere until the end. This tenet links in closely with the others, and is centred around confidence and self-belief.