A little about TaeKwon-Do at the KMAI

 

 

The english translation of this martial art is quite simply 'the art of foot and hand fighting'. TaeKwon-Do is a Korean form of self-defense which involves kicking techniques, hand strikes, take-downs, throws and joint manipulation - all of which have an integral part in the martial art. In the TaeKwon-Do instruction found at the KMAI, there is no winning or losing... only self-betterment.

 

It was only in 1955, when "TaeKwon-Do" was officially named by General Choi Hong Hi and a board of martial art advisors in Soeul, Korea. Although its name is quite young, the martial art itself has roots which go far back into ancient Korean history. Two of these ancient roots of TaeKwon-Do are Soo Bak and Tae Kyon. Keeping in tradition, TaeKwon-Do is taught in a "dojang" where students wear their "dobak" and their instructors are called "sabum".

 

Since 1955, TaeKwon-Do has gone through many transformations. Most notably, in 1988, the world saw the sport-style of TaeKwon-Do demonstrated in the Olympics. In fact, hundreds of TaeKwon-Do organizations have sprung up world-wide, offering many different directions for the martial art. So you may ask, what direction is the KMAI taking TaeKwon-Do? It was 1975 when Master Anne-Marie J. Curell, the founder of the KMAI, first began teaching TaeKwon-Do. Ever since then, the KMAI has strived to teach the traditional "Chang-Hun style" of TaeKwon-Do. It is this style of TaeKwon-Do that still practices the original 24 "Chon-Ji" hyungs (or forms).