History of Taekwondo 

Taekwondo is a traditional martial art form originated from Korea and its history can be traced to nearly 2000 years back. In Korean, Taekwondo can be split up into three chinese characters that can provide the general meaning to this martial art; tae (跆) means 'to kick and/or strike with foot', kwon (拳) means 'to strike with hands' and do (道) means 'the art of'. Hence Taekwondo can be literally translated to the art of kicking and punching. 

It is an all rounded martial art form that centres on self discipline, mental and physical well-being and traditional eastern philosophy. Nowadays, modern Taekwondo has evolved further and more emphasis is being placed on sparring and self defence techniques. Components of taekwondo can include a set of kicks, punches, patterns or forms (poomse) and sparring. Students of taekwondo would be tested in these elements accordingly during grading examinations to assess their skill level. 

Students of taekwondo proceed on a colour belt system as their skills, techniques and knowledge of the martial art expands. As seen below, a beginner of taekwondo starts on the white belt and graduates onto the black belt. Advanced development at the black belt level is awarded by dans (1st to 10th). 

Belt Levels

• 10th Kup - White
• 9th Kup - Yellow stripe on White
• 8th Kup - Yellow
• 7th Kup - Green stripe on Yellow
• 6th Kup - Green
• 5th Kup - Blue stripe on Green
• 4th Kup - Blue
• 3rd Kup - Red/Brown stripe on Blue
• 2nd Kup - Red/Brown
• 1st Kup - Black stripe on Red/Brown

• Dan (1st to 10th) - Black
  

Taekwondo is a popular sport. Since its inagural inception to the Olympics in 2000, Taekwondo is now widely practiced by people from all ages and gender globally.

Taekwondo in Singapore 

Locally, the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) is the governing body responsible for the promotion of the martial art form. The current president of the STF is Mr Milan Kwee. Presently, taekwondo classes can be found in almost every community centre and/or privately established clubs in Singapore; although clubs that cater specifically for the working adult can be quite few and far between.