The
origin of Taekwon-Do dates back thousands of years. A mural on the wall of a tomb
built in the Kingdom of Koguryo (37 BC) shows two figures in Taekwon-Do stances
and hand motions. The ancient martial art called Tae Kyon lasted until the 1900s.
During the occupation of Korea by the Japanese, the practice of Tae Kyon was banned.
With the occupation, Tae Kyon barely survived, and in 1945, after the Japanese
left Korea, the old traditions were revived.
Soon
after the liberation of Korea in 1945, General Choi, Hong Hi was named as a founding
member of the new South Korean Armed Forces. There, he was able to refine and
develop new martial art techniques, and have these evolve into a new martial art
-- Taekwon-Do. In 1955, the name TaeKwon-Do was coined by General Choi, Hong Hi.
Our Founder
General Choi Hong Hi
|
In our founder's words,
TaeKwon-Do is an art of self-defense which aims at a noble moral re-armament,
high degree of intellectual achievement, graceful techniques and beauty of physical
form. It can be considered as part of one's daily life, just as are breathing
and thinking. The
physical techniques of TaeKwon-Do are based on the principles of modern science,
in particular Newtonian physics, which teaches us how to generate maximum power.
Military tactics of attack and defense have also been incorporated |
General
Choi developed many of the modern techniques which were refined and tested in
the Korean armed forces. TaeKwon-do is now the national Korean martial art of
self-defense. Although its history spans back thousands of years into ancient
systems of self-defense, it has been blended with modern day physics into one
of the most powerful martial arts in existence. General Choi passed away in 2002,
while still active as President of the International TaeKwon-Do Federation (ITF),
the international governing body for traditional Taekwon-Do. General
Choi is recognized in the Encyclopedia Brittanica as the founder of modern day
TaeKwon-Do.
1500 West Washington St., Suite 18, Marquette,
MI 
