Taekwondo is an extremely popular martial art form that bears roots in Korea, along with the growing martial art form known as Tang Soo Do. Taekwondo, however, is the more well known of the two and has several schools (also known as a dojang) in the United States and is very well known among the Western world. Taekwondo is a unique martial art that teaches a student to absorb blows into the body through stance and posture while preparing the counter attack. Taekwondo also utilizes many techniques that allow a student to break boards (usually one, sometimes in stacks of two or more depending on the skill level of the student) with their arms, hands, feet and even their heads.

Taekwondo’s reputation is built solidly on its employment of kicks, and there are many different types and styles of kicks available to learn in the martial art form of Taekwondo. The philosophy behind this is that “the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes without retaliation successfully.” Like many other martial arts, Taekwondo emphasizes the union between mind and body to create power and motivation and without these; a student will never have a successful match.

The different kicks utilized by Taekwondo students can include easy kicks or difficult kicks, ranging from the hook kick, the axe kick, the roundhouse kick, crescent kicks, spin kicks and more. Depending on the area in which Taekwondo is being studied (and also depending on the instructor’s preferences), Taekwondo students can even learn advanced punching techniques, locks and pressure points to help balance out their education and provide a well-rounded self-defense curriculum. Taekwondo also makes for great exercise, as it works every part of the body, including the head, neck, shoulders, abdominal muscles and of course, the leg and calf muscles.