In modern times, hand techniques have become increasingly more important in this art. The use of the feet, however, remains the trademark and beauty of tae kwon do. When a new student enters a dojang (practice gym), he becomes part of a family in which he is the youngest member. This concept applies to everyone, regardless of sex. The instructor is the head of the family and all who study with him or her are children at-different levels of development, designated by means of colored belts: white, yellow, green, blue, red, and 1st black through 9th black. All grade levels below black belt are called gup or kup; black belt ranks are called dan.

     Since tae kwon do is basically a kicking art, every practitioner must devote substantial time developing the legs, hip and back. The first step in training is a lengthy period of stretching exercises designed to make the practitioner limber and able to kick head high. The stretching varies in position and direction.

     The tae kwon do student also uses wide stances to develop strength in the thighs, a. common practice in most martial arts. The length of time the student maintains these stances while practicing techniques increases as the individual’s strength becomes greater.

     Tae kwon do kicking techniques are divided into direct and circular. The direct kick travels in a straight line from the kicker to the target area as with the side kick or back kick, etc. The circular kick travels in any direction other than a straight line for example the crescent kick, roundhouse kick, etc.

     Both direct and circular kicks can be delivered in any number of ways, from one foot planted firmly on the ground to jumping with the entire body in the air, to spinning 180 degrees. Most commonly, tae kwon do kicks are delivered from the back stance with the body’s weight distributed anywhere from 60-80 percent on the back leg. The front foot points toward the target; the toes of the rear foot angle outward from 45-90 degrees. Unlike Okinawan and Japanese karate systems, tae kwon do advocates a broader array of kicks with an emphasis on spinning kicks. Many tae kwon do kicks are aimed at head levels, which is relatively rare in other martial arts.

     Tae kwon do is famous for its flying kicks, a spectacular assort­ment of techniques which, when executed by an expert, are devastating. All of the basic: tae kwon do kicks can be delivered in a jumping of flying motion. Flying kicks are considered the ultimate in the tae kwon do practitioner’s arsenal of weapons. Although noted for its kicks, tae kwon do practitioners also use large array of hand techniques to punch, strike or block. As in karate, all parts of the hand and arm are used in attacking as well as defending.

     The Yi dynasty rulers held scholarship and learning in high esteem and military related pursuits fell into disrepute. Examples of martial arts training are therefore rare during this period. The martial arts for the most part were practiced secretly and passed on by forms from father to son. The final blow came in 1909 with the Japanese annexation of Korea. During the Japanese occupation, which spanned 36 years until 1945, the Resident General banned the practice of martial arts and im­prisoned many patriots.

     Patriotic young men secretly visited Buddhist temples in remote mountain and rural areas to learn the martial arts and organize underground revolutionary groups. Other Koreans went to China and Japan to work and study, where no restrictions on martial arts training existed. There they were exposed first to kung-fu and in the 1920’s to karate in Japan. They became the first to blend Korea’s style with others in over one thousand years. Back in Korea, Duk Ki Song and Ii Dong Han managed to keep taekyon alive.

     In 1943, rapidly following judo, Japanese karate and Chinese kung­fu were introduced to Korea and enjoyed temporary popularity until Korea’s liberation in 1945. That Sept., the Korean Judo Association (also called the Korean Yudo Association) was formed. The end of World War II saw thousands of post-occupation Korean emigrants, fired by intense patriotism and nationalistic pride, return home form other parts of the Orient. As part of the national movement to restore Korean traditions, the martial arts were revived and many experts established schools. According to one scholar, the martial arts at this time were often used as an excuse to cover up unrelated business enterprises.

     Various names which emphasized one part or another of taekyon became common: kwon bop, bang soo do, kong soo do, soo bahk gi, and tae soo do. Dojang (gymnasium), or schools, also adopted different names. The teachings differed in each of them; some founders who had trained in China or Japan taught a synthesis of karate, kung-fu, and earlier Korean self-defense methodology. Thus were born the kwans (schools) of Korean martial arts.

     The kwans were the most important institution in the post-World War II status and evolution of Korea’s fighting arts between 1945-55. Much confusion reigns over the names, the number, and the subsequent roles of these kwans in the formulation of tae kwon do. The two most reliable information sources appeared in magazine articles: the first was written by Jhoon Rhee, the father of American tae kwon do, for Action Karate in 1969; the second by editor D.W. Kang for the Traditional Taekwon-Do 1977 yearbook.

     Master Won Kook Lee opened the first post-war -dojang in 1945 in Yong Chun, Seoul; he called it the chung do kwan. Soon after, Hwang Kee established the moo duk kwan in Seoul, teaching tang soo do. Later that year, Sup Chun Sang (aka Sup Jun Sang) established the yun moo kwan in Seoul. In 1946, In Yun Pyung (aka In Yoon Byung) founded the chang moo kwan at a YMCA. And, finally, Yon Kue Pyang founded the chi do kwan in 1946. These were the five original kwans. Three more, all major, followed after 1953, and in the early 1960s, at least another four were established. Fragmented by the pre-war secrecy of their teachings and the post-war confusion of reconstruction, it took some ten years before these stylistic spinoffs and adaptations were able to consolidate into a single martial art, tae kwon do. Actually, there never did completely consolidate.

     The Korean Armed Forces were formed in 1945, and in January 1946, Choi Hong Hi, a second lieutenant in the Korean Army, began teaching taekyon to the Korean military in Kwang Ju. Americans were first introduced to taekyon when Choi later instructed Korean Army troops and some American soldiers stationed with the 2nd Infantry Regiment. In 1949, Choi, now a lieutenant colonel, attended Ground General School at Ft. Riley, near Topeka, Kansas, in the U.S. There he gave a public taekyon demonstration for the troops, the first display of this art in America.

     The Communist forces in North Korea and non-Communists in the south erupted into civil conflict, bringing about the Korean War from June 25, 1950 to June 27, 1953. In the south, martial arts-trained commandos were dispatched across the lines to spy and occasionally to execute. The cost to the arts was high. By war’s end Sup Chun Sand and In Yun Pyung, respective founders of the yun moo kwan and chang moo kwan, were missing. Nam Suk Lee took over Pyung’s school in Seoul and for some time chang moo kwan was the leading self-defense method. Woo Lee Chong succeeded Sang in the yun moo kwan.

     In 1953-54, three more kwans emerged. Gae Byung Yun founded the ji do kwan (aka jee do kwan), Byung Chik Ro the song moo kwan (sometimes translated as sang moo kwan) at Kae Sung, and Choi Hong Hi, with the help of Tae Hi Nam, the oh do kwan. Counting the original five schools, there were now eight kwans, all apparently espousing a different style.

     The origins of tae kwon do can be traced to the Koguryo dynasty, founded in 37 BC. The ceiling of the Muyong-chong (a royal tomb) bore a painting depicting two men facing each other in tae kwon do practice, while the mural paintings of Kakchu-chong (another royal tomb) depict two men wrestling. In reference to this particular painting, Tatashi Saito, a Japanese historian, in the Study of Culture in Ancient Korea wrote: “The painting either shows us that the person buried in the tomb practiced tae kwon do while he was alive or it tells us that people practiced it, along with dancing and singing, for the purpose of consoling the soul of the dead.”

     The construction of these tombs dates to the period between AD 3 to 427, during which historians maintain that Hwando province was the capital of Koguryo. It can be inferred that the Koguryo people began practicing tae kwon do during that period.

     Tae kwon do was also practiced during the Silla Dynasty (668-935). Silla was a kingdom founded in the southeastern part of the land some twenty years before Koguryo in the north. At Kyongiu, the ancient capital of Silla, two Buddhist images are inscribed on the Keumkang Ginat Tower at Sokkuram in Pulkuk-Sa Temple, portraying two giants facing each other in a tae kwon do stance.

     Silla was famous for its hwarancT warriors. These knights trained their bodies and. minds by devoting themselves to hunting, studying, and the martial arts. Hwarang-do (way of the flower of manhood) was an essential part of Silla’s struggle to unify the country. Scattered references in the Samguk Yusa, the two oldest documents of Korea’s history, show that the hwarang practiced tae kwon do in their basic training.

     Tae kwon do maintained its popularity after the Koguryo and Silla dynasties through the Koryo dynasty (935-1392). During this dynasty, tae kwon do, as subak, was practiced not only as a skill to improve health and as a sports activity, but encouraged as a martial art.

     Subak is believed to have peaked in popularity during the reign of King Uijong, between 1147 and 1170. This period includes part of the Chinese Sung and Ming dynasties, during which Chinese kung-fu became widely popular after developing into two advanced systems, namely nei­chia (internal school) and wai-chia (external school). (These two systems differ chiefly in that the one employs more defensive skills than the other.) The above fact is worthy of attention since it further shows that tae kwon do is not only of pure Korean origin, but has achieved independent development throughout Korea’s long history.

     During the Yi dynasty (1392-1907), there is some speculation that envoys from Okinawa learned subak and introduced it to their people. The Historical Record of Chosun (Chosun is another name for the Yi dynasty) mentions these envoys and their frequent visits to bring tribute to the kings of Chosun. The speculation that subak, then, could be the forerunner of Okinawa-te is not altogether unlikely, especially since “Nul,” the Korean see-saw game, was also adapted from Korea by Okinawans.

     A book about subak, written in the Yi dynasty, was published to teach the sport as a martial art. The art became more popular among the general public, whereas it had been to a certain degree monopolized by the military during the preceding Koryo era. An historical record indicates that people from both Chung-chung and Cholla provinces once gathered at the village of Chakji, located along the provincial boundary, to compete in subak.

     People who aspired to be employed by the military department of the royal government: were eager to learn subak because it was one of the major subjects of the test taken by applicants. Meanwhile, King Chongjo published Muye Dobo Tongji, an illustrated textbook on martial arts, which included tae kwon do as one of the major chapters. During the latter half of this era, subak, as martial art, began to decline due to the negligence of the royal court, which was constantly torn by strife between feuding political factions. Subak survived merely as a recreational activity for the masses.

     In 1943, rapidly following judo, Japanese karate and Chinese kung­fu were introduced to Korea and enjoyed temporary popularity until Korea’s liberation in 1945. That year, a move was made to unify the fighting arts of’ Korea under one name in an effort to revitalize the traditional Korean art of subak. Ten years later, in 1955, a conference of chung do kwan masters decided to standardly adopt the term "tae kwon do,” which had been created and  submitted for acceptance by Gen. Choi Hong Hi. The name was chosen for its resemblance to taekyon.

     In 1952, during the Korean War, a demonstration before President Syngman Rhee evolved into the most significant turning point for Korean martial arts. R.hee watched a 30-minute performance by Korean martial arts masters, and was especially impressed when Tae Hi Nam broke 13 roof tiles with a single punch. When the demonstration ended, Rhee asked Choi Hong Hi some questions about the martial arts. So impressed was Rhee he immediately turned to his military chiefs of staff and ordered that all Korean soldiers receive training in these arts. This dictate ultimately accounted for a tremendous surge in schools and students. Later that year, Nam, who had impressed the president with his tile breaking, was assigned to Ft. Benning, Georgia for radio communications training. There he demonstrated before military troops and the public, receiving considerable media publicity.

     In 1954, Gen. Choi Hong Hi organized the 29th Infantry on Che Ju Island, off the Korean coast, as a spearhead and center for taekyon training in the military.

     On April 1.1, 1955, at a pivotal conference of kwan masters, historians, and taekyon promoters, it was decided to standardly adopt the term “tae kwon do,” which had been created and submitted by Gen. Hi. The name was approved because of its resemblance to taekyon, and so provides continuity and maintains tradition. Further, it describes both hand and foot techniques. The number of kwans which then consolidated into tae kwon do is the subject of much debate and historical confusion. Not all of the eight major kwans existing at that time merged, and to this day they still have not.

     According to Jhoon Rhee, dissension among the various kwans carried on for six years, and it wasn’t until Sept. 14, 1961 that the groups once again organized into a single association, as ordered by an official decree of the new military government. It was called the Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA), with Gen. Hi elected its first president. The new association soon gained official recognition by the major kwans, but not for long. Hwang Kee, the founder of tang soo do, maintained the Korean Soo Bahk Do Association and became a competing body to the KTA. The Chi Do Kwan Association also seceded. By 1962, however, many of the individual instructors rejoined the KTA, possibly because that year the KTA re-examined al of the black belt ranks to determine national standards, and they did not wish to be omitted.

     As KTA president, Hi dispatched many demonstration teams and instructors throughout the world. Jhoon Rhee introduced tae kwon do in America when, in 1956, he attended San Marcos Southwest Texas State College. He was called back to Korea for one year of remaining active duty with the army, after which he returned again to San Marcos in 1957, where he taught a non-accredited tae kwon do course at the college. Rhee founded his first public tae kwon do club in San Marcos in 1958.

     Meanwhile, in Korea, tae kwon do spread from military posts to universities and high schools. Public dojangs proliferated, all with abundant student enrollment. In their war against Communism, South Vietnam requested tae kwon do instructors to teach their troops. On March 22, 1966, Hi founded the International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF), for which, he also served as president. He later resigned as KTA president and moved his ITF headquarters to Montreal, Canada, from where he has concentrated on organizing tae kwon do internationally. His emphasis is on self-defense methodology, not particularly on the sport.

     Tae kwon do’s international expansion started with the Republic of Vietnam in 1962 when four instructors, headed by Tae Hi Nam, began teaching 50 hand-picked soldiers from various Vietnamese Armed Forces branches. After six months, two of these instructors returned to Korea; Nam and Seung Kyu Kim remained for six more months, returning on Dec. 24, 1963. Tae kwon do next migrated to Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong in 1962-63.. It was pioneered in Canada by Chong Lee in 1964, the same year it hit Singapore. The art was introduced to Europe by Park Jong Soo in 1965, first in West Germany, then in the Netherlands in 1966. Tae kwon do entered the Middle East in 1966, and Taiwan in 1967.

     Mass expansion to the U.S. started in the early 1960s. In 1963, a tae kwon do demonstration was performed at the United Nations headquar­ters in New York City, and on Nov. 26, 1967 the U.S. Taekwon-do Association was formed (superseded in 1974 by the U.S. Taekwon-do Federation).

     Thousands of tae kwon do demonstrations were performed internation­ally in the late 1960s, and more ITF and KTA instructors were exported to foreign countries than at any other period. These demonstrations were normally the first step in spreading tae kwon do to a new country. Following such exhibitions were invitations from governments to send qualified instructors. The plan worked brilliantly. In 1968, the United Kingdom Taekwon-do Association was formed, followed by organiza­tions in Spain, Canada, Belgium, India, Yugoslavia, and Hungary. By 1974, Gen. Hi reported that some 600 qualified international instruc­tors, all affiliated with the ITF, were distributed throughout the world.

     Young-wun Kim was elected the new KTA president. Feeling that Korea was the mother country of tae kwon do and that the world head­quarters should be located there, he dissolved the ITV ‘s connection with the KTA and on May 28, 1973 created a new international governing body called the World Taekwon-do Federation (WTF). Since the official birth of tae kwon do in 1955, and especially in the 1960s under Gen. Hi’s expansionistic vision, the art has spread to almost every country in the world and in 1980 claimed a reported 15 million practitioners, more than any other martial art, in 62 countries. By 1975, more than 700,000 were reportedly practicing tae kwon do in the U.S. alone. Furthermore, under the supervision of the WTF, its evolution and development as a sport has been rapid. In 1962, tae kwon do became one of the official events in the annual National Athletic Meet in Korea. This development, as far as can be determined, was the first truly national tae kwon do championship in Korea. The first World Tae Kwon Do Championships were conducted in Seoul in May 1973, which led to the formation of the WTF. The WTF is the body officially recognized by the Korean government. Today, tae kwon do, tang soo do and hapkido are the three major kicking and punching arts in Korea.

     Tae kwon do develops in a practitioner the power to disable an antagonist with the bare hands and feet. But it is also a study in discipline. A tae kwon do master can make a punch, forcible enough to smash boards, touch a sheet of fragile rice paper without breaking it.

     The Korean word do (also do in Japanese, tao in Chinese), trans­lated “art,” more literally “way.” Thus, tae kwon do can be interpreted as “way of being in the world,” as opposed to simply a method one practices or a proficiency in self-defense.

     The mind must be relaxed and open to perceive an opponent’s intentions clearly, and one must practice the techniques relentlessly to develop a responsiveness that is instantaneous and correct, an intuitive reflex, requiring no thought or preparation. Response should be synchronized with perception; defense should begin as the opponent’s attack begins. A practitioner must realize and accept the fact that to stand and defend his life means to risk losing it. Accepting the likelihood of death, fear cannot distract him, an opponent cannot intimidate him, and he is free to perceive and concentrate on the opponent’s weaknesses, rather than on his own.

     Tae kwon do is a method of self-defense without weapons. Flesh and bone, the natural, vulnerable equipment of the body, are the only resources of the tae kwon do practitioner. What is “soft” is pliable and is therefore not used to resist an attack so much as to give way before the onslaught, allowing the opponent’s own momentum to carry him off balance. What is “soft” is also movable and is therefore trained to react with speed and agility. What is “hard” is naturally resistant and is therefore used to fend off blows to which the soft parts of the body should be vulnerable. What is “hard” is also forcible and is thus a logical striking point.

     The center of force is in the abdomen, and it is at this point that the flow of energy begins, and it is from here that it goes outward, through the body to the extremities. Thus, concentration-the integra­tion of strength,, speed, and muscular coordination-begins at the center.

     History: Korean ancestors who settled in several tribal states in the kingdom of Koguryo, after the neolithic age, enjoyed various games, especially in the form of religious rites. Yongko in Puyo state, Tongmaeng in Kocruryo, Muchon in Ye and Mahan, and Kabi in the Silla dynasty are examples of “sports activities” that ancient Koreans practiced as part of their religious rites. These eventually were developed into exercises to improve health or martial abilities. The long, intense experience of ancient people in defending themselves against animal attacks, as well as their imitation of the offensive and defensive positions assumed by animals, slowly led them to develop more effective skills of their own, creating a primitive form of combat called taekyon, an early name for tae kwon do.

     Since its official birth on April 11, 1955, tae kwon do has spread to almost every country in the world and in 1980 claimed a reported 15 million students. Furthermore, its evolution of development has been rapid. In 1962, tae kwon do became one of the official events in the annual National Athletic Meet in Korea. The first World Tae Kwon Do Championships were conducted in Seoul in May 1973, leading to the formation of the World Taekwon-do Federation (WTF), which has worked to make tae kwon do a modern world sport. A second faction exists, Gen. Hi Is International Taekwon-do Federation (ITF), overseen by Hi from his headquarters in Toronto. The WTF is the body officially recognized by the Korean government.

     In the short space of a few years, tae kwon do has made major progress toward official status as an international amateur sport, both in the U.S. and other countries. Since the formulation of the WTF, a major effort has been made to standardize tournament rules and organize world class competitions. The inaugural meeting elected Un Yong Kim as president and drafted a charter for the federation.

     Two years later, in 1975, after conducting the 2nd World Champion­ships in Seoul, the .WTF became an affiliate of the General Assembly of the International. Sports Federation (GAIF). The International Military Sports Council (CISM) recognized tae kwon do as an official sport in 1977. In 1980, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized tae kwon do as a sport worthy of Olympic competition, which made it eligible for selection into the Olympic Games. This development made it possible for tae kwon do to become a part of the 1988 Olympics.

     Further reading: The Making of a Martial Artist, San Kyu Shim, 1981; Promise and Fulfillment in the Art of Tae Kwon Do, San Kyu Shim, 1974; Taekwon-do, Gen. Choi Hong Hi, 1972; Tae Kwon Do, The Art of Self­Defense, Gen. Choi Hong Hi, 1965; Tae Kwon Do: The Korean Martial Art and National Sport, Richard Chun with Paul Wilson, 1976; Traditional Taekwon-do, 1977 Yearbook.