Taekwondo

Taekwondo can help kids develop many values that can benefit them in all areas of life, including: Respect and courtesy Children learn to bow to their instructors, partners, and opponents as a sign of respect, which teaches them about humility, empathy, and treating others with kindness. Perseverance As kids progress through the belt system, they learn to set goals and work hard to achieve them. Conflict resolution Taekwondo emphasizes peaceful conflict resolution and teaches kids that physical skills are not to be used recklessly but as a last resort. Discipline and self-control Taekwondo encourages kids to practice discipline and control as they learn new techniques. Social skills Taekwondo classes teach kids to work well with others, support their fellow students, and cheer their successes. Integrity Taekwondo emphasizes integrity, which means doing the right thing when nobody's watching, being honest, and keeping promises to others (World Taekwondo is in the Olympics) Reasons for Forms & Patterns The Korean term for Taekwondo forms is Poomse. Poomse can also be spelled as Poomsae, Pumsae, etc. In addition, forms are also known as patterns, teul, tul, hyeong, hyung, etc. In contrast, kata is the name used for forms & patterns by Japanese martial arts such as Karate. Many martial arts styles use forms in order to help students practice certain moves (i.e. kicking techniques, self-defense techniques and various strikes) as well as for improving a student’s physical conditioning, muscle memory, focus/concentration, balance, etc. For additional benefits and reasons, you should read Black Belt Wiki’s sections on the Benefits of Forms, Patterns & Kata and Are Forms, Patterns & Kata Useful or Useless. To master forms, martial arts students should try to imagine that they are fighting an imaginary opponent. This allows students to practice “offensive” and “defensive” techniques (i.e. strike the imaginary opponent’s neck at the correct height and angle) versus just going through the motions in order to pass a belt teWhat is a Taekwondo form? Taekwondo forms are a series of standardized movements that Taekwondo students use in order to practice “offensive” and “defensive” techniques without a partner. Taekwondo students must perform the movements correctly in each form in order to pass belt tests. Beyond helping Taekwondo students to practice Taekwondo kicks and strikes, forms are also used to improve a student’s physical conditioning, muscle memory, focus/concentration, balance, etc. What is poomsae? Poomsae is the Korean word for Taekwondo form. Taekwondo poomsae can also be spelled as Taekwondo poomse and Taekwondo pumsae. Taekwondo poomsae helps a student to practice offensive and defensive martial arts techniques (i.e. kicks and punches) without the need for a partner. Taekwondo students must perform the standardized form movements correctly in Taekwondo poomsae in order to pass belt tests. What does WTF Taekwondo mean? WTF Taekwondo stands for World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). In 2017, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) changed its name to World Taekwondo (WT). This has led to some confusion regarding what are WTF forms and WT forms but they are the same thing. The forms were not changed. The organization simply changed its name in order to avoid the negative connotation associated with “WTF”. WTF forms differ significantly from the patterns used at the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), another large Taekwondo association. What is kata in Taekwondo? Kata is the Japanese word for form. However, Taekwondo is a Korean martial arts style and uses Korean words and terminology. The Korean word for form in Taekwondo is Poomsae. You may also find it spelled as Poomse or Pumsae. What are the fitness benefits of Taekwondo forms? The performance of Taekwondo forms & patterns has many fitness benefits. For example, forms & patterns can help students to lose weight given the significant calorie expenditure achieved during training. They may also improve a student’s muscular strength and muscle tone given their use of powerful kicks, punches, leaps, etc. Moreover, the conditioning required to perform numerous form & pattern sessions also improves a student’s stamina and energy. Another fitness benefit is that forms & patterns can improve a person’s balance because they need to learn and practice different stances, kicking positions, etc. Furthermore, forms & patterns can improve eye, hand and foot coordination because students need to combine a wide variety of kicks, punches and stances. It also has the fitness benefit of enhancing flexibility because students need to master difficult or advanced form & pattern techniques. Finally, Taekwondo forms & patterns has the fitness benefit where it can help with the athletic performance in other sports. It provides excellent cross training and thus improves an athlete’s overall coordination, balance, strength, stamina, etc. List of Taekwondo Color Belt Forms (Taegeuk) Taekwondo Form 1 – Il Jang Taekwondo Form 2 – Ee Jang Taekwondo Form 3 – Sam Jang Taekwondo Form 4 – Sa Jang Taekwondo Form 5 – Oh Jang Taekwondo Form 6 – Yuk Jang Taekwondo Form 7 – Chil Jang Taekwondo Form 8 – Pal Jang