Taekwondo is a self defense system of unarmed combat created in what is now known as the Republic of Korea by General Choi Hong Hi. General Choi had been developing the martial art since early 1946. On April 11, 1955, "Taekwondo" was introduced to the world. According to the Encyclopedia of Taekwondo Volume One, "'Tae' stands for jumping or flying, to kick or smash with the foot. 'Kwon' denotes the fist - chiefly to punch or destroy with the hand or fist. 'Do' means an art or way - the right way built and paved by the saints and sages in the past. Thus taken collectively 'Taekwondo' indicates the mental training and the techniques of unarmed combat for self defense as well as health, involving the skilled application of punches, kicks, blocks and dodges with bear hands and feet to the rapid destruction of the moving opponent or opponents" (Choi 21).

Between the 1^st Century B.C. and 7^th Century A.D., the Korean Peninsula was divided into the kingdoms of Silla, Koguryo, and Baek Je. Of the three kingdoms, Silla was the smallest and under constant invasion by the other two kingdoms. Under the reign of the twenty fourth king of Silla, Chin Heung, the aristocrats and warrior classes united to form the Hwarang Do officer corps.

During the period of the Hwarang Do warriors, a form of hand fighting called Soo Bak Gi was created. This form of fighting was popular in the Koguryo Dynasty. The Koguryo people held Soo Bak Gi in high regard. During the Dan-O and mid autumn festivals, Soo Bak Gi competitions were held alongside Korean wrestling, tug of war, and Jeki Chagi. Dr. Danjae Shin Chae Ho has stated that Soo Bak Gi was eventually introduced to the Chinese as "Kwon Bup" and to the Japanese as a form of Jujitsu.

The third king of the Yi Dynasty (1401 - 1408) constantly recruited practitioners of Taek Kyon, Sirum (Korean Wrestling), Soo Bak Gi, stone throwing and archery to help in organizing his army. Much historical documentation seems to indicate that some of the fighting arts mentioned may have been exported to Japan to form the basis for Karate and Jujitsu.

The Silla and Koryo Dynasties marked a growth of martial arts in Korea . However, these dynasties soon took positions against militarization. Thus a period of civil enlightenment and anti-military began. By the end of the Yi Dynasty, the progression of martial arts in the Korean peninsula seemed to cease existing. The Japanese occupation between 1909 to 1945 seemed to be the final blow to Korean martial art with its practice being outlawed. However, devoted Taek Kyon practitioners like Song Duk Ki and Han Il Dong managed to keep the art alive.

With the liberation of Korea in 1945, a new Republic of Korea Armed Forces was organized on January 15, 1946. The creator of Taekwondo, then Second Lieutenant Choi, was released from a Japanese prison camp. Shortly thereafter, he began teaching his martial art to his soldiers.

In 1955, the name "Taekwondo" was unanimously chosen by a national board of instructors, historians, and prominent persons. The name was submitted by General Choi and selected because of its apt description of the art; Tae (foot), Kwon (fist), and Do (art). The name "Taekwondo" also received approval due to its similarity to the ancient Korean art Taek Kyon and the sense of nationalism the name seemed to give. Other competitive names such as "Dang Soo" and "Kong Soo" connoted Chinese and Japanese origins and thus lost out.

The American Taekwondo Federation™ was created by Allan Melatti on January 2004. Mr. Melatti saw a gap in the martial arts community located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thus, he decided to fill that gap by creating a Taekwondo organization dedicated to traditional Taekwondo. The result was an organization which focused more on the development of character and technique than ego and expanding the coffers of one's trophy case.

In 2007, the creation of a Senior Advisor position provided guidance and support from Master Jason Wadley of Lake Jackson, Texas. Master Wadley brings with him nearly thirty years of experience in the martial arts field. Senior advisors provide ATF® with standards and guidance with procedures on how ATF® schools are conducted.

Taekwondo is similar to other striking arts like karate and kung fu; however the kicking techniques of Taekwondo set it apart from other martial arts. The belief is that the leg is longer and more powerful than the arm and thus is a more powerful weapon. Thus, Taekwondo centers its techniques on kicking. Taekwondo focuses on developing strength, speed, coordination, agility and concentration in practitioners so that they may execute techniques with power and precision.

Practitioners wear a uniform called a "dobok" consisting of pants, jacket and belt. The belt a student wears will be a certain color to represent the rank he or she is in the Taekwondo program. The training hall that the student practices is called a "dojang."

Taekwondo ranks are generally separated into two categories: gup (color belt) and dan (black belt). The gup ranks start with the highest number and work their way backwards the higher the rank. So a white belt would be ninth gup, while a red belt is considered a first gup. Black belt ranks are called "dan" and count in descending order. The highest rank possible in Taekwondo is ninth degree black belt. The reason is because the Korean philosophy considered nine to be the highest single digit number. To go to ten would be on the bottom of the double digit numbers and thus would have to go to ninety nine to reach the end of the double digits.

The rank of tenth degree black belt has been awarded on rare occasions in Taekwondo. Usually it has been posthumously awarded to grandmasters that have made significant contributions to the martial arts community.

Choi, Hong Hi. Encyclopedia of Taekwondo. Missisauga, Ontario: International Taekwondo Federation, 2000.