Starting Taekwondo is an exciting experience! Check out this blog post for some advice to help you get the most out of your journey.

Below is an overview of the fundamentals found in any Taekwondo program’s curriculum. Throughout this blog post, you’ll find follow-along classes and other videos from the Global Martial Arts University’s Taekwondo Course.

Stances

Stances are fundamental aspects of martial and fighting arts. They’re postures of standing on one’s feet to perform offensive and defensive techniques. Every martial art has its own stances and names for them. Below are a examples of Taekwondo stances you’ll learn when you start training:

• Junbi-jase (준비자세): This is the Ready Posture (a.k.a. ready stance). You’ll use this stance when beginning a form (poomsae).
  
• Apgubi (앞굽이): Forward Stance. This is a stance of shifting the center of gravity forward and loading much of the weight on the supporting front leg.
  
• Juchum-seogi (주춤서기): Horseback Riding Stance. A stance where both feet are parallel, both legs slightly bent with the width of two feet between them.
  
• Narani-seogi (나란히서기): Parallel Stance. A stance where both feet are parallel to each other.
  
• Yeop-seogi (옆서기): Side Stance. A stance of pivoting the right or left foot perpendicular to the inside edge of the other foot from Narani-seogi (Parallel Stance).

Blocking

Blocking involves techniques of protecting the vital parts of your body from an attack by blocking it off with a hand, arm, foot, or leg. Blocking can be characterized as “hard” (a striking block) or “soft” (an absorbing or redirecting block), and can be used for deflecting an attack or throwing your opponent’s balance off.

• An-makgi (안막기): Inward Block. A technique of blocking from the outside to the inside of your body with the hand, foot, arm, or leg.
  
• Bakkat-makgi (바깥막기): Outward Block. A technique of blocking the assailant’s attack from the inside to the outside of your body.
  
• Olgul-makgi (올려막기): This rising (or high) block is designed to protect you from strikes to the head and shoulders. You raise your arm horizontally over your head and the inside of the forearm absorbs the blow.
  
• Arae-makgi (바깥팔목): A low block is performed with your outside arm to protect against leg and lower body strikes. When opponent throws a strike like a kick, you bring the outside arm down to block it away.

Kicking

Taekwondo is well known for its wide range of types of kicks. Here are some of the first kicks you’ll learn.

• Ap-chagi (앞차기): Front (Snap) Kick. A technique to strike a target in front of you with your foot.
  
• Bandal-chagi (반달차기): Crescent Kick. A technique of striking the target by swinging your foot inward with an arching straight leg while facing toward the opponent.
  
• Dollyeo-chagi (돌려차기): Roundhouse Kick. This kick involves pivoting the supporting leg and completely turning the hip in to strike the opponent’s face or trunk with the ball of your foot or the instep.
  
• Dwi-chagi (뒤차기): Back Kick. This kick strikes the opponent with your heel in their stomach or chest.

Punching & Striking

Taekwondo uses many punching and striking techniques found in other martial arts. Below are some of the first ones you’ll learn.

• Momtong-jireugi (몸통 지르기): Middle punch. A rotating punch, from your hip to an opponent’s mid-section.
  
• Sonnal-chigi (손날치기): Knifehand (or hand blade) strike. A strike with the pinkie-finger side of your hand using a “chopping” motion.
  
• Mejumeok-chigi (망치 주먹): Hammerfist strike. A strike using the bottom side of your closed (fist shape) hand.
  
• Pyonsonkkeut Tzireugi (평송쿳쯔): Spearhand strike. A strike with your fingers extended and held tightly together. Used for “soft” targets like the neck or mid-section of an opponent.
  
• Deungjumeok (등주먹): Back fist. A strike with the back side of hand hand typically focusing contact on the first two knuckles.

Forms (Poomsae)

When you start training in Taekwondo, you’ll begin learning the basic forms or patterns (called “poomsae” in Korean). These are sequences of movements that simulate a fight against multiple imaginary opponents. There are 8 colored-belt forms and 9 black-belt forms.

• Colored Belt (Gup) Poomsae:
  • Colored Belt Form 1 – Il Jang: Symbolizes heaven and light and has 18 movements.
  • Colored Belt Form 2 – Ee Jang: Symbolizes joyfulness and has 18 movements
  • Colored Belt Form 3 – Sam Jang: Symbolizes fire and sun and has 20 movements.
  • Colored Belt Form 4 – Sa Jang: Symbolize thunder and has 20 movements.
  • Colored Belt Form 5 – Oh Jang: Symbolizes wind and has 20 movements.
  • Colored Belt Form 6 – Yuk Jang: Symbolizes water and has 23 movements.
  • Colored Belt Form 7 – Chil Jang: Symbolizes the mountain and 25 movements.
  • Colored Belt Form 8 – Pal Jang: Symbolizes the earth and has 24 movements.

• Black Belt (Dan) Poomsae:
  • Black Belt Form 1 – Koryo: Koryo and is the name of the ancient Korean dynasty and symbolizes a wise person.
  • Black Belt Form 2 – Keumgang: Means diamond, symbolizing hardness (being unbreakable).
  • Black Belt Form 3 – Taebaek: Means sacred mountain and symbolizes spirituality.
  • Black Belt Form 4 – Pyongwon: Means open plain and symbolizes peacefulness.
  • Black Belt Form 5 – Sipjin: Means eternal 10 and symbolizes health and longevity.
  • Black Belt Form 6 – Jitae: Symbolizes mankind as the connection between heaven and earth.
  • Black Belt Form 7 – Cheonkwon: Means sky and sky and symbolizes piety (devotion).
  • Black Belt Form 8 – Hansu: Means water and symbolizes adaptability.
  • Black Belt Form 9 – Ilyo: Symbolizes the Buddhist concept of oneness of the mind and body.

Sparring

Once you’ve developed some basic Taekwondo proficiency, participating in controlled sparring sessions will develop your techniques in a more dynamic way. Sparring is used to teach students how to react to an active opponent in a controlled environment, typically while wearing protective sparring gear and with a referee. You can also “free spar” with a training partner using light or zero contact without a referee.

Taekwondo sparring is a type of training and competition where practitioners engage in controlled fighting to score points by landing strikes on their opponent. Sparring develops cardio, footwork, movement, timing, defense/evasion, and technique accuracy.

Other Considerations

Tying your belt: It may sound simple, but tying your belt is one of the first things you’ll have to master. It isn’t as easy as you think!

Etiquette: You’ll learn the basic etiquette of Taekwondo, including bowing and showing respect to instructors and fellow students.

Breathing and Focus: You’ll understand how to pay attention to proper breathing techniques and focus on accuracy and precision in each movement.

The Global Martial Arts Taekwondo Course

Are you interested in learning Taekwondo? Chek out the GMAU Taekwondo Course.

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Check out this blog post to learn what you need to set up your home for learning Taekwondo.

For an overview of the history of Taekwondo, check out this blog post.