History of Tae Kwon Do

The martial art style known as Tae Kwon Do or Taekwondo is richly imbued with Korean history. However, some of that history is a little murky because of conflicting stories of early times and the longtime Japanese occupation of Korea. The name "Tae Kwon Do" is derived from the Korean words Tae (meaning "foot"), Kwon (meaning "fist"), and Do (meaning "method" or "way"). "Tae Kwon Do" literally means "the way of foot and fist," but a better way to describe the idiomatic expression is that martial art includes every weapon on the body from head to toe (including the brain).

Tae Kwon Do is the national sport of South Korea and is known for its almost gymnastic striking and athletic kicking. Because of the outflow of many great Masters in the late 50s through the early 70s, Tae Kwon Do has become very popular worldwide, as more people are practicing Tae Kwon Do today than any other martial arts style. Estimates are that over 70 million students practice Tae Kwon Do worldwide, which has also been an Olympic event.

During the first half of the 20th century, Korea endured an occupation by the Japanese military. During this period, the public practice of martial arts was prohibited. Martial art training did occur, but it was in secret, with students and teachers often not exchanging names. After the end of World War II, the Japanese left Korea, and martial arts training became a public practice, and it was a popular pastime. In the late '40s and early '50s, nine separate schools emerged (there was some interchange), giving rise to the modern Tae Kwon Do systems we see today.

The first Kwan to open (Chung Do Kwan) was founded and taught by Won Kuk Lee. Here at Blue Wave Life, we look at Won Kuk Lee as our direct Great-Grandmaster. One of Lee's early students was Yong Taek Chung. Chung later left Korea and taught in Japan for 20 years before ending up in the United States. Master Chung opened his school in Kansas City, Missouri (Chung's Karate School), where he taught until he retired. One of his students is the owner and instructor at Blue Wave in Flint Hill, Missouri – Master David Blevins. All instructors at Blue Wave Life were students of Master Blevins.