TAE
“Foot” or “to kick” or “to jump”
KWON
“Fist” or “to strike or block with hand”
DO
“The way of” or “art”
Put this together and Tae Kwon Do means: “The art of kicking and punching;” or, more generally: “The art of unarmed combat.”
Benefits of Traditional Tae Kwon Do: Full Body Workout
When practiced as it is intended, Tae Kwon Do is a rigorous, balanced, full-body workout, emphasizing intelligent use of the body’s resources through mechanically sound movements. These movements include numerous methods of striking, kicking and blocking, in addition to sweeps, rolls, falls, traps and releases. When taught, understood and properly executed, it is a powerful, energizing and beautiful art and organized self-defense system – all at the same time.
About Modern Tae Kwon Do
Modern (Olympic style) Tae Kwon Do is characterized by a disproportionate emphasis on high spinning and jumping kicks. The Traditional Tae Kwon Do taught at Asheville Sun Soo, as the art was originally conceived, is a multi-faceted, comprehensive and effective form of self-defense. Traditional Tae Kwon Do incorporates the explosive linear movements of Shotokan Karate and the flowing, circular patterns of Kung-fu with native kicking techniques, primarily derived from the ancient Korean art of Taekkyon, the sweeps/take-downs/throwing/falling/joint locks of Judo, the joint locks/manipulations/submissions of Hapkido, the redirection of force and energy from Aikido, and the breathing techniques of Qigong.
Traditional Tae Kwon Do is so rich in content and context that it can take a lifetime to master.