Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is the world’s most popular martial art in terms of number of practitioners. In Korean, tae means “foot”; kwon means “fist”; and do means “way” or “martial art”; so Taekwondo is loosely translated as “the way of the foot and fist”
Taekwondo training involves:
- Techniques and curriculum of taekwondo
- Anaerobic and aerobic workout, including stretching
- Self-defense techniques (hosinsul)
- Forms (also called patterns, pumsae, teul, hyeong)
- Sparring
- Relaxation and meditation exercises
- Throwing and/or falling techniques
- Breaking
- Martial arts demonstrations
- Power breaking
- Special techniques
- Speed breaking
- Focus on mental and ethical discipline, justice, etiquette, respect, and self-confidence
- Some taekwondo instructors also incorporate the use of pressure points, known as jiapsul, as well as grabbing self-defense techniques borrowed from other martial arts, such as Hapkido and Judo.
Debbie Spiegel, Enrollment Director