What is Taekwon-Do?

General Choi Hong Hi
Taekwondo was founded in 1955 by General Choi Hong Hi 9th Dan. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is a version of an ancient form of unarmed combat practiced for many centuries in the orient. Taekwondo came into its present form in Korea.
In Korean, tae (태) means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon (권) means "to strike or break with fist"; and do (도) means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, "taekwondo" may be translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching.“ or the method of unarmed combat for self defence, involving both hands and feet.
To the people of Korea Taekwondo is a way of life that is rich in tradition, philosophy, discipline and spirit. The art has something for everyone to gain from not matter what background, ability or fitness.
At the present in the world of Taekwondo there are two world bodies, the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).
Taekwondo was founded in 1955 by General Choi Hong Hi 9th Dan, Between the founding and the present day there have been many fundamental changes applied to develop Taekwondo into the amazing Martial art, self defence and way of life it is today.
Taekwondo was introduced to the UK in 1967 by Master Rhe Ki Ha. Today throughout the UK there are many practicing schools and associations of Taekwondo. The association Global Taekwondo International (GTI) to which this School belongs to was founded in March 1993 and is based on the ITF style. The association is building on the talents of its many black belts to increase the standards and abilities of its students in Taekwondo by practicing the traditional style and not the newer less effective style.
In Korean, tae (태) means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon (권) means "to strike or break with fist"; and do (도) means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, "taekwondo" may be translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching.“ or the method of unarmed combat for self defence, involving both hands and feet.
To the people of Korea Taekwondo is a way of life that is rich in tradition, philosophy, discipline and spirit. The art has something for everyone to gain from not matter what background, ability or fitness.
At the present in the world of Taekwondo there are two world bodies, the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).
Taekwondo was founded in 1955 by General Choi Hong Hi 9th Dan, Between the founding and the present day there have been many fundamental changes applied to develop Taekwondo into the amazing Martial art, self defence and way of life it is today.
Taekwondo was introduced to the UK in 1967 by Master Rhe Ki Ha. Today throughout the UK there are many practicing schools and associations of Taekwondo. The association Global Taekwondo International (GTI) to which this School belongs to was founded in March 1993 and is based on the ITF style. The association is building on the talents of its many black belts to increase the standards and abilities of its students in Taekwondo by practicing the traditional style and not the newer less effective style.
What you will learn
Every lesson you participate in will be different, however some of the aspects we train in are:
Patterns (Tul): Known as Kata in Karate and Forms in most Chinese arts, patterns are a set of attacking and defensive movements against imaginary opponents. This is the aspect in which the "Art" side of Taekwon-Do is shown.
Fitness: Every lesson will have some aspect of fitness work in, mainly cardio work. Martial arts is garunteed way to lose weight and tone up faster than ever.
Sparring: This is considered the sport side of Taekwon-Do although it is an art in itself. Sparring is practiced under controlled conditions with full safety equipment. We also offer all students the opportunity to test and hone their skills in tournaments (both national and international), many of which are offered to our students throughout the year. Master Wolf's Taekwon-Do academies are very successful on the tournament circuit, boasting many numbers of British, European and World Champions.
Traditional Movements: Since Taekwon-Do is a Military Martial Art, the traditional moves are parcticed in line work, we use this method to teach students how to create maximum power from their techniques.
Padwork: Using strike shields, focus pads and Thai pads, we practice both sparring and traditional techniques to enable to student to bring out maximum power and speed in their movements, without the risk of hurting eachother.
Self-Defence: We also teach close quarters self-defence to do with grappling and groundwork. For ladies, personal safety, self-defence, defence from hair and bag grabs and rape defence is also taught.
Patterns (Tul): Known as Kata in Karate and Forms in most Chinese arts, patterns are a set of attacking and defensive movements against imaginary opponents. This is the aspect in which the "Art" side of Taekwon-Do is shown.
Fitness: Every lesson will have some aspect of fitness work in, mainly cardio work. Martial arts is garunteed way to lose weight and tone up faster than ever.
Sparring: This is considered the sport side of Taekwon-Do although it is an art in itself. Sparring is practiced under controlled conditions with full safety equipment. We also offer all students the opportunity to test and hone their skills in tournaments (both national and international), many of which are offered to our students throughout the year. Master Wolf's Taekwon-Do academies are very successful on the tournament circuit, boasting many numbers of British, European and World Champions.
Traditional Movements: Since Taekwon-Do is a Military Martial Art, the traditional moves are parcticed in line work, we use this method to teach students how to create maximum power from their techniques.
Padwork: Using strike shields, focus pads and Thai pads, we practice both sparring and traditional techniques to enable to student to bring out maximum power and speed in their movements, without the risk of hurting eachother.
Self-Defence: We also teach close quarters self-defence to do with grappling and groundwork. For ladies, personal safety, self-defence, defence from hair and bag grabs and rape defence is also taught.