Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the art of the foot and fist" or "the art of kicking and punching."

In 1989, taekwondo was the world's most popular martial art, as measured by the number of practitioners. Its popularity has resulted in the varied development of the martial art into several domains: as with many other arts, it combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation, and philosophy. Taekwondo is also used by the South Korean military as part of its training. Sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000.

Separate from the various taekwondo organizations, there have been two general branches of taekwondo development: traditional and sport. The term "traditional taekwondo" typically refers to the martial art as it was established in the 1950s and 1960s in the South Korean military forces; in particular, the names and symbolism of the traditional patterns often refer to elements of Korean history. Sport taekwondo has evolved in the decades since then and has a somewhat different focus, especially in terms of its emphasis on speed and competition (as in Olympic sparring WTF), whereas traditional taekwondo (ITF)tends to emphasize power and self-defense. The two are not mutually exclusive, and the distinctions between them are often blurred.

Although there are doctrinal and technical differences between the two main styles and among the various organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, employing the leg's greater reach and power (compared to the arm). The greatest difference between various styles, or at least the most obvious, is generally accepted to be the differing styles and rules of sport and competition. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks. 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.

Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, which distinguishes it from martial arts such as karate or southern styles of kung fu. The rationale is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes without successful retaliation. Historically, the Koreans thought that the hands were too valuable to be used in combat.

Taekwondo as a martial art is popular with people of both genders and of many ages. Physically, taekwondo develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of wooden boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's power.

A taekwondo student typically wears a uniform (dobok), often white but sometimes black (or other colors), with a belt tied around the waist. There are at least three major styles of dobok, with the most obvious differences being in the style of jacket: the cross-over front jacket that resembles traditional Asian clothing, the V-neck jacket (no cross-over) typically worn by WTF practitioners, and the vertical-closing front jacket (no cross-over) typically worn by ITF practitioners. The belt colour and any insignia thereon (if any) indicate the student's rank. In general, the darker the colour, the higher the rank. The school or place where instruction is given is called the dojang.

Although each taekwondo club or school will be different, a taekwondo student can typically expect to take part in most or all of the following:

Learning the techniques and curriculum of taekwondo
Both anaerobic and aerobic workout, including stretching
Self-defense techniques (hosinsul)
Patterns (Tul) , Sparring , which may include 3-, 2- and 1-step sparring, free-style sparring, arranged sparring, point sparring, and other types
Relaxation and meditation exercises. Throwing and/or falling techniques. Breaking, using techniques to break boards for testing, training and martial arts demonstrations. Demonstrations often also incorporate bricks, tiles, blocks of ice or other materials. Can be separated into three types:
Power breaking – using straightforward techniques to break as many boards as possible
Speed breaking – boards are held loosely by one edge, putting special focus on the speed required to perform the break
Special techniques – breaking fewer boards but using jumping or flying techniques to attain greater heights, distances, or to clear obstacles
Exams to progress to the next rank
A focus on mental and ethical discipline, justice, etiquette, respect, and self-confidence.

 

Welcome to Tiverton TAGB Taekwon Do

My name is Karen Daniels(2nd dan black belt) and I am the joint instructor at the Tiverton Taekwondo club with my husband Ian (3rd dan black belt). Together we have over 25 years experience in the art of Taekwondo and between us, have also studied Tai Chi, Karate and Kung Fu. All TAGB Taekwondo instructors are fully qualified and Enhanced CRB checked.

Our aim is to offer professional instruction in this dynamic, fast-paced Korean Martial Art in a friendly, fun, no-pressure environment.

Our classes are suitable for most ages between 4 and 74! The site is meant as a resource to allow existing students to check on the grading syllabus and the latest news and events. It also answers frequently asked questions for potential students.