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Welcome to Taekwondo Preschool! Place where you can learn and share knowledge about the Korean Art of Taekwondo. From the basics of form stance ( 서기 sogi ), to the explosive power of hand strikes, the intricacy of effective footwork ( 딛기 ditgi ), and learn more about the history since the beginning.

Two of the most popular systems of taekwondo are named solely after their respective organizations: the World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). View Taekwondo Organizations »

In Korean, kwan ( 관 ) literally means building or hall, but when used in martial arts it can also refer to a school or clan of martial artists who follow the same style and/or leader. On January 8, 1977, nine of the largest kwans unified, recognizing the Kukkiwon 국기원 as being the black belt promotional body for taekwondo. Prior to this declaration, many practitioners had considered their individual kwan certifications as being more valuable than the certificates which were issued by the Kukkiwon 국기원 or Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA). View Taekwondo Kwans ( 관 ) »

The korean martial arts taekwondo has several stances ( 서기 sogi ) used for different activities. Practitioners must have their body weight correctly distributed during each different stance and during footwork. Each technique must be correctly aligned. Although there are strong similarities in stances throughout taekwondo schools, individual instructors often have their own preferred style. View Taekwondo Stances ( 서기 sogi ) »

In martial arts, blocking is the act of stopping or deflecting an opponent's attack for the purpose of preventing injurious contact with the body. A block usually consists of placing a limb across the line of the attack. Blocks are considered by some to be the most direct and least subtle of defensive techniques. View Taekwondo Blocks ( 막기 makgi ) »

A kick ( 차기 chagi ) is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee. As the human leg is longer and stronger than the arm, kicks are generally used to keep an opponent at a distance, surprise him or her with their range, and inflict substantial damage. On the other hand, stance ( 서기 sogi ) is very important in any combat system, and any attempt to deliver a kick will necessarily compromise one's stability of stance ( 서기 sogi ). View Taekwondo Kicks ( 차기 chagi ) »

A poomse is a systematic, prearranged sequence of techniques that is performed either with or without the use of a weapon. In traditional dojangs (training halls), poomse are used primarily as a form of interval training that is useful in developing mushin, proper kinetics and mental and physical fortitude. Poomse may resemble combat, but are artistically non-combative and woven together so as to be an effective conditioning tool. View Taekwondo Poomse 품새 »

Taegeuk 태극 (in World Taekwondo (WT)) refers to a set of poomse 품새 used to create a foundation for the teaching of Taekwondo. A poomse, or form, is represented by 形 or 型 and is a detailed pattern of defense-and-attack motions and techniques used in traditional martial arts. The word Taeguek (the Korean pronunciation of Taiji/T'ai Chi) refers to the important principle in east Asian Taoist thought of the union of yin and yang. Each Taegeuk form symbolizes a specific state thought to be indicative of the belt the student currently holds, and is represented in World Taekwondo (WT) by trigrams similar to those found in the four corners of the South Korean flag. View World Taekwondo (WT) Taegeuk 태극 Poomse »

The Palgwe 팔괘 forms are a slightly older, somewhat similar supplemental group of World Taekwondo (WT) poomse. There are eight Palgwe forms that also represent eight trigrams from I-Ching. Palgwe poomse were used from 1967 to 1971. Taegeuk poomse have been in use from 1971 to the present time. Kukkiwon states that Palgwe poomse have been eliminated though some schools still teach them. View World Taekwondo (WT) Palgwe 팔괘 Forms »

Each Dan (degree of black belt) also has its own associated form/pattern that is required for black belt testing. The forms have a higher degree of difficulty in Taekwondo techniques. View World Taekwondo (WT) Black Belt Forms »

The International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) has its own sequence of poomse. They are named after figures from Korean history. The first nine, which are required for 1st degree black belt, are named after significant Korean historical figures or concepts: cheongji, dangun, dosan, wonhyo, yulgok, joonggun, toigye, hwarang, and chung mu. View International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) Tuls »

The names of these patterns typically refer either to events in Korean history or to important people in Korean history. Elements of the patterns may also be historical references, such as the number of moves, the diagram, the way the pattern ends, and so on. View International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) Tuls »

A warm-up generally consists of a gradual increase in intensity in physical activity (a "pulse raiser"), joint mobility exercise, and stretching, followed by the activity. Warming up brings the body to a condition at which it safely responds to nerve signals for quick and efficient action. View Warming Up »

Various surfaces of the hand and feet may be engaged as the striking or blocking surface depending on which area of the opponents body is being targeted. This leads to a large array of hand and feet positions. The human body's shape is determined by a strong skeleton made of bone and cartilage, surrounded by fat, muscle, connective tissue, organs, and other structures. View Impact Surface Area »