Chun Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do

Tae kwon do, Korea's traditional martial art, is an internationally recognized sport which has become popular across the world. It is aimed at training not only one's mind and body, but also at building one's character. It is a high-level martial art which focuses on self defense rather than on attacking. It was designated as a demonstration sport during the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and adopted as a medal sport during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. There are many programs designed to give people a chance to experience Tae kwon do. Tae kwon do watching, and one-day or three-day package programs in which participants can learn various skills and techniques of Tae kwon do are offered.

Tae Kwon Do is a two thousand year blend of Korean culture and martial art. It is a style that uses only empty hands and bare feet as weapons for self defense. In times past, the phrase TKD has been called Kong Soo Do, Dang Soo Do, Tae Soo Do, or Soo Bak Do, Taekyon, among others. During those times, instructors in Korea taught their students different styles of martial arts. Ultimately, they felt that they should combine the names into one phrase. Tae Kwon Do translates to hand, foot way, however it has been formatted to English terms as Way of the Hand and Foot.

Tae-Hand

Kwon-Foot

Do-Way

This name officially set forth in 1960 by the Korean Tae Kwon Do federation. Although different systems may exist each has its own head instructor or Grand Master (Kwanjamnim) that oversees and controls the advancement of rank and the adherence to the rules of the organization. TKD, then is a general title that covers all Korean styles of martial arts. TKD is now the largest style of martial arts and has more people studying it than any other style in schools, universities, and a multitude of communities in the United States. It is destined to become a major force with the adoption of TKD in the Olympic games.

At the IMAA most of our Instructors have a background in Korean style TaeKwonDo. It is not in our interest to teach Korean TaeKwonDo since it’s geared for sport. However we do adopt principals and techniques derived from TKD. It is this combination why TKD in our area is referred to as American TaeKwonDo.