Basic Taekwondo Moves

Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee is the legendary martial artist who introduced Tae Kwon Do to the United States in 1962. He established a chain of martial arts schools in the Washington, D.C. area. In the 1970s, he developed his own style called Jhoon Rhee-style taekwondo. This style incorporated elements of both traditional, ITF taekwondo, and original components as well. American Taekwondo Association, or ATA, affiliated schools primarily practice Songahm taekwondo, a style that started in 1969 thanks to Haeng Ung Lee. Songahm translates to “Pine Tree and Rock” and that the term itself represents “Evergreen strength the year round, long life and a symbol of unchanging human loyalty.”

taekwondo classes in raleighBoth have roots in traditional Korean styles and require that to move up in taekwondo, practitioners must learn and demonstrate competence in basic moves, or techniques, before they can achieve their next rank. There are some basics that you have to know to give you a good foundation. These techniques were carefully developed to expand your knowledge so that you can maximize your potential. This specific format helps as you move up because each new rank builds upon the prior one.

Learning taekwondo consists of many techniques and moves, but we typically classify them as hand movements, kicks, and stances.  This post will take a deeper look into these basic moves.

Hand Movements – Your hands will move in both offensive and defensive ways. Offensive movements are called striking, whereas defensive ones are called blocking. Striking and blocking techniques are developed by focusing on the proper starting position, execution, rotation, direction, and ending position of a combination of movements.

Kick Movements – The motion of your legs and feet refer to the kicks. Kicking techniques are improved upon by focusing on the stages of foot and leg movements along with correct body posture. The foot and leg motion stages include: proper chamber, execution, rotation, direction and re-chamber.

Different Stances – The stances refer to structured body positions. The primary purpose of the stances is to execute techniques in unison with various hand and kicking movements. Mastering your stances will help you execute striking, blocking, and kicking techniques with more power and stability. You’ll also gain better conditioning, muscle development and lengthening. Stances are not used in combat or sparring. Stances are structured and repetitive, where as combat is chaotic and hectic.

Looking for Martial Arts Classes in Raleigh?

Taking martial arts classes in Raleigh will help your life grow in a harmonious manner. You gain balance through unique movements and muscle building techniques. Our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay-Thai, open mat, and sparring programs are perfect for folks looking to get active in the area of martial arts. While Jiu-Jitsu and Muay-Thai differ from taekwondo, there are many similarities. For many, martial arts is a way of life, and it can be for you too. At Gracie Raleigh we offer free classes so you can try before you buy. When you are ready to take your fitness to the next level, call one of the top martial arts studios in Raleigh.