Glossary for Taekwondo
Taekwondo: 6 documented terms. Of those: classification of techniques, arts and schools (1), competition, rules and scoring (1), equipment and training aids (1). Among them Hogu, Dojo kun, Gyeorugi.
Terms: Taekwondo
A short set of dojo principles that practitioners recite at the end of training. The best known is the five-point dojo kun of Shotokan karate.
JapanBreaking boards, tiles or bricks with a strike or a kick. In taekwondo it is shown at demonstrations and in ITF it is also a competition discipline.
South KoreaFighting and sparring in taekwondo. The Olympic bout is scored with electronic trunk and head protectors under WT rules.
Trunk protector in taekwondo. At WT competitions it is electronic and registers kick hits by itself. Blue or red color marks the fighter.
Self-defense techniques in Korean arts, mainly in hapkido and taekwondo. They include escapes from grips, joint locks and defense against a weapon.
Movement principle of ITF taekwondo: the center of gravity first rises during a step and then drops into the technique. The path of the body resembles a sine curve.
Shared martial arts terms — South Korea
Terms shared by most martial arts of this culture: etiquette, titles, clothing and the training hall.
Korean command meaning “attention”. The student stands upright with heels together and arms along the body. In taekwondo it usually precedes the bow.
A master grade in Japanese and Korean martial arts, usually with a black belt. First awarded in 1883 by Kano Jigoro in judo.
Training uniform in Korean martial arts, mainly in taekwondo. The Korean counterpart of the Japanese keikogi, written with the same characters 道服.
Training hall of Korean martial arts, mainly taekwondo and hapkido. Written with the same characters as the Japanese dojo (道場).
Korean command meaning “salute” or “bow”. In taekwondo it follows the command charyeot at the start and end of training, a match and an exercise.
Korean term for sets of techniques, the counterpart of the Japanese kata. WT taekwondo calls them poomsae, ITF taekwondo teul, older and other arts hyeong.
Combat shout in Korean arts, the counterpart of the Japanese kiai with the same characters (氣合). It tightens the body during a strike and focuses power.
Korean martial arts school, literally “hall”. Taekwondo emerged from the first kwans after 1945. The head of a school is called a kwanjang.
A student grade before the master dan grades. It is counted downward, from a high number to first kyu, and in Korean is called gup.
Korean title of a martial arts instructor. Politely addressed as sabeomnim. Written with the same characters as the Japanese shihan.