A General Introduction
Tae Kwon Do literally means "the way of kicking and punching" (Tae = 'To kick', Kwon = 'to punch' and Do = 'art, or the way'). Its techniques were devleoped and perfected over many centuries out of the basic need for protection against enemy attacks. Humankind's most basic instinct is that of survival, and at a time when no other means of defense existed, bare hands skills were the difference between life and death. As human-kind developed tools, weapons were also developed (many based on farm tools), but even then people devoted themselves to developing physical strength and skills. Tae Kwon Do developed from this basic need of survival into a complete system of self-defense and personal improvement whose sharp strong angular movements combined with smooth circular movements produce a balance of beauty and power.

Is TaeKwonDo dangerous?
TaeKwonDo is a full-contact sport and much care must be taken to avoid injury. Proper techniques and training ensure control and help prevent injuries. At Karate Universe it is your option to participate in full contact sparring or non-contact sparring.

Karate Universe also teaches "traditional" Tae Kwon Do!

History of TaeKwonDo
The earliest records of Martial Arts practice in Korea date back to 50 B.C. This ancient form of Martial Art was known as 'Tae Kyon'. Evidence of 'Tae Kyon' can be found in tombs and temples where wall-paintings and carvings show men in fighting-stances. One such example can be found on a tower wall of a Buddhist temple over two thousand years old in what is now Korea. Two giant figures were carved facing each other in fighting stances as if in the middle of a Martial Art's fight. Another example can be found in a painting on the ceiling of the Muyong-Chong, a royal tomb from the Koguryu dynasty. Such evidence typically show unarmed man in combat stances using techniques that closely resemble those of modern Tae Kwon Do. The knife hand, closed fist and some classical stances predominate in paintings and carvings of that era.

During that period there co-existed 3 kingdoms in what is now Korea: 1. Koguryo (37 B.C. - A.D. 668) 2. Paekje (18 B.C. - A.D. 600) 3. Shilla (57 B.C. - A.D. 935) Out of three kingdoms, Shilla was the first to be formed, but remained the smallest and less civilized.

Shilla was constantly under attack by Japanese pirates, and armed forces were sent from Koguryu to lend a hand in the fights against the pirates. It was then that Taek Kyon was introduced to the Shilla's armed forces by early masters known as the Sonbae.

The Shilla warriors trained in Taek Kyon became known as Hwarang. The Hwarang established a military academy for the young nobility, and later became a society known as Hwarang-Do, which means "the way of the flowering youth" (Hwa="flower", Rang="Young Man", Do="the way"). This society comprised of an elite group of young men, devoted to cultivating mind and body and serve the kingdom.

The Hwarang practised various forms of martial arts, which included Taek Kyon as part of the basic training, and had an honor-code that became the philosophical background to Tae Kwon Do. Besides martial arts the Hwanrang were trained in many more disciplines. Disciplines such as history, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, horse riding, archery, and military tactics were all part of the rigorous Hwanrang-Do training. This rigorous training and the Hwanrang-Do honor code were based on the Five Codes of Human Conduct, as established by Buddhist scholars:

* Be loyal to your country * Be obedient to your parents * Be trustworthy to your friends * Never retreat in battle * Never make an unjust kill

During the time of peace following the unification of the three kingdoms, the Hwarang turned from military training to poetry and music. During this time the Hwarang traveled throughout the peninsula in order to learn more about the kingdom and its people. The Taek Kyon's focus was turned from a military discipline into a sport and recreational activity designed to improve physical fitness as the Hwarang spread it across the region. In 936 A.D. the Koryo dynasty (abbreviation of Koguryo) was founded and Taek Kyon focus was reshifted (the name Korea is derived from the word Koryo). The Taek Kyon evolved into Subakhu (Taek Kyon contests) and it's popularity among the masses increased. It became a more systemized Martial Art, divided into basic moves and hand and foot techniques. The importance of Taek Kyon during the Koryo grew greatly. During this dynasty it became common for plain soldiers who mastered Taek Kyon to become generals. At the same time young Taek Kyon practitioners became military officers by demonstrating their skills through Taek Kyon contests.

With the advent of the Yi Dynasty (1392 A.D - 1910 A.D.) the emphasis on military training for the young nobility disappeared and the art became popular among the general population thanks to the first widely available book on Martial Arts. The development of gunpowder and new types of weapons caused a loss of popularity of the Subakhu Do.

Taek Kyon and Subakhu survived only in a few families which handed down the art from generation to generation until the end of the 16th century when the need of a strong defense system was revived. From 1910 to the end of World War II Korea was ruled by Japan which fearful of population uprisings, and eager to wipe out all traces of Korean culture, banned the practice of Korean martial arts.

This ban only increased interest and renewed the growth of the Subakhu Do, and it survived through secretly being taught in secret schools. This continued until 1943 when other martial arts were introduced in the country, bringing Subakhu out of the shadows back into the lives of the Korean people. The introduction of Japanese Karate in Korea eventually influenced the Subakhu Do, which assimilated some of the quick straight-line movements that characterize Japanese martial art systems. Some of this assimilation was no doubt fueled by the training that many Korean soldiers received in Japan. After the liberation of Korea, at the end of W.W. II several schools teaching native Korean Martial Arts were opened during the period prior to the early 1960's.

Differences in the teachings among the many schools (Kwan) prevented the formation of regulatory boards, but after a half-hour demonstration in 1952 the president of Korea ordered training in the Martial Arts to be adopted as part of basic military training. Fueled by the acceptance of the traditional Korean Martial Arts by the military a meeting was convened in 1955 to attempt the unification of the many Kwans under a common name. Tae Soo Do was initially accepted, but two years later the name was changed to Tae Kwon Do. There were two main reasons for the adoption of the name Tae Kwon Do: it accurately describes the nature of the art and it resembles the art's early name, Taek Kyon.

In 1961 the Korean TaeKwonDo Union was formed, and in 1962 it was acknowledged and became a member of the Korean Amateur Sports Association. In 1964 the name was set to Korean TaeKwonDo Association (K.T.A.) and an international association was formed. Demonstrations were given all over the world, but little progress was made,
but in 1973 the World TaeKwonDo Federation was founded and the first biennial International WTF championships were held in Soul. Since then World Championships have been held all over the world. In 1980 Tae Kwon Do was introduced to the International Olympic Committee and Tae Kwon Do as a sport became an official Demonstration Sport for the 1988 Olympics Games in Seoul, Korea. Tae Kwon Do has since become an official Olympic sport starting in the Olympic Games of 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Tae Kwon Do is officially practiced by over 20 million people in 166 countries.