About Taekwondo

The word Taekwondo, comes from the Korean word consisting of three Chinese characters: "Tae" means a stepping or playing a game of shuttlecock kick, thus representing the foot; "Kwon" means the fist or striking by the fist; and "Do" means a way or road to walk on signifying the righteous way of human life.

The objective of training in Taekwondo is to seek the perfection of self, i.e. perfection of personal character which occurs through the strengthening of both mind and body. Improving self-control and endurance during the course of training will allow us to acquire tolerance and modesty. Qualities the stronger can show the weaker.

Taekwondo, is a whole-body exercise, which has developed various techniques to turn all parts of the muscles and joints into protective weapons to use in defending oneself.

Basically, all movements of Taekwondo start from the instinct of self-defense, then shift instantly from a defensive posture to an offensive posture in order to overpower an enemy and if necessary ...deliver a fatal blow.

It must be emphasized that the true value of training in Taekwondo can be found in the philosophical aspect which aims at reaching the stage of complete self-control and higher self through mastery of the art. It is attained by profound practice, thereby elevating one's person to the highest level of excellence.

In short, Taekwondo aims to make a person into a better human being.

Belt Ranks Forms and Meanings

Belt	Name	Moves	Meaning
White Belt	Chon-Ji	19	Heaven and Earth
Representing the innocence of the beginner.
Orange Belt	Dan-Gun	21	Holy Dan Gun, the legendary founder of Korean in the year 2333 B.C.
Student receives his first reward and, like the first glimpse of a sunrise, the future seems bright and unlimited.
Yellow Belt	Do-Sun	24	pseudonym of the patriot Ahn Ch'ang Ho (1876-1938) who devoted his entire life to furthering the education of Korea and its independent movement
Representing the Earth from which the plant sprouts as Tae Kwon-Do skill develops under the heat of the sun.
Low Green Belt	Won-Hyo	28	the noted monk who introduced Buddhism to Korea during the Silla Dynasty in the year of 686 A.D.
Signifies the plants growth as the Tae Kwon Do skill begins to develop.
Green Belt	Yul-Gok	38	the pseudonym of the great philosopher and scholar Yi I (1536-1584 A.D. nicknamed the "Confucius of Korea")
Signifying the plant's growth and development.
Purple Belt	Joong-Gun	32	named after the patriot An Joong-Gun who assassinated Hiro-Bumi Ito, the first Japanese governor-general of Korea, known as the man who played the leading part of the Korea-Japan merger
Though slightly bruised, what once seemed like a mountain has now become only a small hill which the plant matures into a towering tree.
Blue Belt	Toi-Gye	37	the penname of the noted scholar Yi Hwang (16century A.D.) and authority on neo-Confucianism
Representing the Heavens toward which the maturing plant grows.
Brown Belt	Hwa-Rang	30	named after the Hwa-Rang youth group which originated in the Silla Dynasty about 1350 years ago. This group became the actual driving force for the unification of the three Kingdoms of Korea.
The ground surrounding the student has proven to be solid and the tree is firmly rooted in the earth.
Red Belt	Choong-Moo	32	The given name of the great Admiral Yi Sun-Sin of the Yi Dynasty. He was reputed to have invented the first armored battle ship (kobukson) which was the precursor of the present day submarine in 1592 A.D.
Warning the student to master self-control, and opponents to stay away.
Red-Black Belt (Recommended Black)
A wonderful feeling of accomplishment is over-shadowed only by the enthusiasm for the next journey. The student must begin a new phase of training.
Black Belt	The opposite of white, signifying maturity and proficiency in Tae Kwon-Do. It indicates the wearer's imperviousness to darkness and fear.