Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art who's name roughly translates to the "art of kicking and punching".  Although Tae Kwon Do formally took that name in the 1950's, the techniques used in TKD have evolved and been tested over thousands of years. 

The Grandmaster Shin's Tae Kwon Do school teaches the Chung Do Kwan style of Tae Kwon Do. Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do is a traditional martial art which is quite similar to Japanese Shotokan, combining its intensity, power, and clean technique with more of an emphasis on kicking. Techniques are kept simple and versatile, focusing mostly on speed and power generation. The main moves of Chung Do Kwan TKD are:

• Side kick - striking with the heel 
• Punching - lead hand and reverse punches 
• Roundhouse kick - hitting with the ball of the foot 
• Front kick - striking with the ball or the heel of the foot 

With serious study of Tae Kwon Do, you will develop increased self-confidence, self discipline, better self-control and ultimately a more balanced and productive lifestyle. 

In essence, Tae Kwon Do is a discipline of self control - control of the body, mind and spirit. For Tae Kwon Do to be effective, there must be concentration of these three equally important forces at the point of contact.

Physical: One must develop the following fundamentals: focus, power, speed, accuracy, balance, relaxation and coordination. It takes long, hard conditioning and practice to develop these physical abilities.

Mental: The key to this is concentration. All of your senses must be focused on what you are doing. No thoughts should stray to rent, work, romance, onlookers etc. The mind must channel energy into the physical activity of the moment. There is not even time to think about what should be done; actions must flow freely, and reactions must become reflexes. Also, the mind must be completely empty.

Spiritual: This aspect is difficult to explain. To put into words, one could say that the Tae Kwon Do is realizes the ability he or she has to kill or do serious injury to other people. He or she develops an inner responsibility to control ones ability to do harm. He or she can walk away from a fight, because of self-control.

Tae Kwon Do is built upon certain fundamentals. Some of these are goals; goals that are strived for but never attained. The reason being, no matter how fast, strong or coordinated a movement is, it can always be done faster, stronger or with better coordination. The measure error becomes smaller, but perfection is never achieved.

Focus: All parts of the body work together to concentrate the full physical force at the point and time of contact. There is also a concentration of mental and spiritual forces.

Strength: Depends on the size and firmness of an individual's muscles. Muscles needed in Tae Kwon Do can be developed by doing special exercises and practicing certain techniques. Brute strength is useless. It must be controlled and concentrated in the right place at the right time.

Speed: The impact of a blow equals the weight of the fist (or foot) and the acceleration with which it is moving. Aside from this, speed is important, because the only effective blow is one which reaches its target before it can be stopped. Speed also offers the small person a chance against the superior strength of a larger person.

Accuracy: In order for an attack to be effective, it must be directed to a specific part of the opponent, and it must go where it is directed. Even a fast and powerful punch is useless if it cannot be delivered exactly on target.

Balance: All moves must be initiated from a position of balance. If a blow is delivered from a position of unbalance (perhaps falling forward or backward), the attacker will be extremely vulnerable. Also, of great importance, the blow will not be as powerful or effective.

Coordination: This is a matter of timing. The movements made by different parts of the body must be pulled into focus at the same time. If the foot movement is finished even a fraction before the hand movement (or vise-versa) the technique loses power.

Relaxation: The body should be relaxed at all times, except during those last 8 to 12 inches when all the internal forces pull together for focus. If one does not relax, and the muscles are constantly tight, there are bad effects: (a) fatigue. (b) A blow made with tight muscles will be slow. (c) If the body is tense, the mind will be tense and unable to receive impressions from the opponent.

Grandmaster Shin's Tae Kwon Do Family Development Center
Mike Donohue  - 5th Dan
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