| Taekwondo...The art of kicking and punching
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| Originated in South Korea, Taekwondo is both a martial art and a sport, which without the use of weapons teaches the practitioner techniques using the hands and feet for any defensive situation. These techniques are taught under the Taekwondo philosophy of respecting peace and justice. Taekwondo teaches practitioners the attitude of self-discipline to defend one self and never to attack or defeat others.
Taekwondo is often translated as 'the way of hand and foot':
- Tae: means "to strike or break with foot".
- Kwon: means "to strike or break with fist".
- Do: means "way", "method" or "art".
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| Taekwondo is divided into 4 main disciplines:
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| 1. Sparring "Kyorugi":
With international law being applied, it refers to the engagement of two Taekwondo practitioners in a fight using bare hands and feet. |
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| 2. Poomsae: Comprises the various fundamental stances, blocks, punches and kicks logically arranged in a meaningful order, in response to attacks from one or multiple imaginary assailants attacking from different directions.
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| 3. Self Defense "Ho- Sin-Sul": Restricted to advanced belts only, it refers to the use of the various skills of Taekwondo as well as the use of the different body parts (elbow, knee, foot, forearm, and fist) in a self defense fight without being bound by the game law.
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| 4. Breaking Boarders "Kyuk Pa": One of the main Taekwondo disciplines, where Taekwondo practitioners show off their Taekwondo techniques, combined with concentration, focus and physical fitness by breaking boarders using kick, strikes or punches. Kyuk Pa is mainly performed in international Taekwondo championships as well as Olympics as a way of spreading Taekwondo, and is usually accompanied by music.
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| Taekwondo Belts:
- Yellow 8 belt.
- Orange belt.
- Green belt.
- Blue 5 belt.
- Blue 4 belt.
- Red 3 belt.
- Red 2 belt.
- Red 1 belt.
- Black belt ( 1-10 Dan).
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| Taekwondo Equipment:
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| 1. Uniform "Do-Bok": which is the official uniform for Taekwondo as determined by the World Taekwondo Federation "WTF".
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| 2. Contest area: The Taekwondo competition area is a two-color mat measuring 8 X 8 meters square. Competition takes place in the inner square, while the outer part of the mat is called the alert zone.
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| 3. Safety supplies:
- Head Guard.
- Chest Guard "Hogu".
- Male groin guard.
- Legs and forearms guard "Shin guard".
- Mouth guard.
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| Training Essentials:
- Punching bag (various types and sizes).
- Kick mitts.
- Punching mitts.
- Hogu (chest guard is also used in trainings).
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| Taekwondo joining terms:
- Children as young as 5 years old are welcome to join.
- Participant should not be suffering from a chronic physical disability.
- Participant should not be suffering from an intellectual disability.
- Never experienced a heart disease or high blood pressure.
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| Taekwondo Levels:
- Level 1: comprises white belt to yellow 8 belt.
- Level 2: comprises orange and green belts.
- Level 3: comprises blue, red and black belts.
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