A Run-Through Of Taekwon-do by Khaldun - Classic Taekwondo ...

2. DEFINITION OF TAEKWON-DO
� Taekwon-do is a Korean martial art and national sport.
� It is the world’s most popular martial arts in terms of
number of practitioners. It is practiced in 188 countries
by 70 million exponents and 4 million individual
black belts throughout the world.
� Though Taekwon-do is one word in Korean, the English
spelling breaks it into 3 parts which literally means,
Tae … foot, leg, to step on, jumping or flying, to kick or smash with the foot;
Kwon… fist or fight i.e. to punch or destroy with the hand or fist;
Do… art, way or discipline.
� Collectively the word means “The Way or
Art of the Foot and Fist” and the concept
denotes:-
i. “...the mental training and the techniques
of unarmed combat for self-defense as
well as health involving the skilled
application of punches, kicks, blocks, and
dodges with bare hands and feet to the
rapid destruction of the moving
opponent/s.” - Encyclopedia of
Taekwon-Do.
ii. “…the right way of using the fists and
feet, or all parts of the body represented
by fists and feet…to control or calm
down fights and keep the peace.” In
other words “…to put fists under control
or to step on fist” in order “… to stop
fights and help to build a better and more
peaceful world. “ -
www.worldtaekwondo.com
iii. “..an empty-hand combat form that entails
the use of the whole body... It is more than a mere physical fighting skill, representing as
it does a way of thinking and a pattern of life requiring strict discipline. It is a system of
training both the mind and the body in which great emphasis is placed on the
development of the trainee's moral character." - Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts
‘TKD in A Hurry’ by Khaldun Redza as at Dec 2008. Reproduction and circulation is at express
consent of Classic Taekwon-do only.