What is Tae Kwon-Do?
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"Tae Kwon-Do" literally means, "Way or Art of hand and foot".
Tae means "to smash, kick or destroy with the foot"
Kwon means "to smash or destroy with the hand"
Do means "way or art".

It is, however, more than this it is the scientific use of the body in a method of self-defence,
conditioning the body, both physically and mentally, to gain maximum uses of its facilities.

Myles MacRae teaches ITF Tae Kwon-Do, which is the original Tae Kwon-Do as taught
by the late founder of the art, General Choi Hong Hi (1918-2002).

An average Tae Kwon-Do class lasts for around 1hour, and can include:

* Warm up and stretching
* Pattern training
* Destruction
* Sparring - free sparring and set-sparring
* Close Combat - Self defence

It is a common mistake for people to assume that Tae Kwon-Do is 'all kicking'. However there
are many more hand techniques (blocks and strikes) in Tae Kwon-Do than kicks.

To get the best idea about Tae Kwon-Do we recommend coming along and watching a class -
or joining in.

The History of Taekwondo
On April 11th, 1955, the name Taekwon-Do was officially adopted for the martial art
General Choi Hong Hi had developed using elements of the ancient Korean martial art of
Taek Kyon and of Shotokan karate, a martial art he had learned while studying in Japan.

The philosophical values and the goals of Taekwon-Do are firmly rooted in the
traditional moral culture of the Orient. On the technical side, defensive and offensive tactics
are based on principles of physics, particularly Newton's Law, which explains how to generate
maximum force by increasing speed and mass during the execution of a movement. Wanting to
share the results of his philosophical reflections and his technical experiments, General Choi
planned and wrote a unique reference work, the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do. In its fifteen
volumes, he explained in detail the rules and practices of this art. Always striving for
excellence, General Choi presented Taekwon-Do as in a state of continuous evolution,
open to changes that would improve its effectiveness.

He wrote that anyone who believes he has fully discharged his duty will soon perish.
Likewise, any undertaking that is perceived to have reached its objectives is likely to
lose momentum, stagnate, and die. Since the beginning, Taekwon-Do has never stopped
evolving, driven by the strong will and a lot of hard work by its Founder. The leaders of
the ITF today also recognize the need to evolve and they are equally passionate about the
future of the organization.

The Founder of Taekwondo General Choi Hong Hi
was born on November 9th, 1918, in the Hwa Dae Myong Chun District of Korea.
At the age of twelve he started to study Taek Kyon, an ancient Korean method of fighting
with the feet. Later, when he was studying in Japan, he met a Karate teacher who helped
him earn his first degree Black Belt in less than two years. He then intensified his
training, striving to earn his second degree. Around the same time, he started teaching.
Conscripted into the Japanese army during World War II, he was posted to Pyongyang
where he was imprisoned. Wanting to maintain his good physical and mental health
during his imprisonment, he practiced karate, alone at first, then by teaching it to the
staff of the prison and the other prisoners.

Becoming an officer in the new Korean Army after the end of the war, he continued to
teach his martial art to his soldiers as well as to American soldiers serving in Korea.
His beliefs and his vision of a different approach to teaching martial arts led General Choi
to combine elements of Taek Kyon and Karate techniques to develop a modern martial art.
He called it Tae Kwon Do, which means "the way of the feet and the hands", and this name
was officially adopted on April 11th, 1955.In 1959, General Choi was named President of
the Korean Taekwon-Do Association. Seven years later, on March 22nd,1966,
he created the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). As the Founder of Taekwon-Do
and President of the ITF, he had the ability to share his art with students everywhere.
Today, Taekwon-Do training is available around the world. After a life dedicated to the
development of Taekwon-Do, a modern martial art based on traditional values, philosophy,
and training, General Choi, Founder of Taekwon-Do and President of the International
Taekwon-Do Federation, died of cancer on June 15th, 2002, in the country of his birth.

Tribute to General Choi

General Choi Hong Hi
Father of Taekwon-Do
Born 1918, Kilju
Died 2002, Pyongyang, Korea
Aged 84

General Choi is recognized around the world as the Father of Taekwon-Do and the Founder of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and he created the ITF system that we know today.