The Complete Guide to Taekwondo

Chapter 1: What Is Taekwondo and Why People Love It

Stepping Onto the Mat: What Taekwondo Actually Is

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that translates roughly to "the way of the foot and fist." You'll kick a lot. You will punch sometimes, but the heart of this art is your legs. If you've watched it in the Olympics, you've seen the flashy spinning kicks and the head-height strikes. What you haven't seen from the couch is the hour of boring repetition that makes those kicks possible.

Let me paint you a picture of a real class, because that's what you're actually signing up for. You walk into a dojang - that's the Korean word for training hall - and take off your shoes at the door. The floor is usually padded, sometimes with puzzle mats, sometimes with a proper sprung floor designed for jumping. There's a wall of mirrors on one side. The air smells like sweat and rubber mats and, if you're lucky, a hint of pine cleaner.

You'll wear a uniform called a dobok - a white, V-neck jacket and loose pants. At most schools, beginners wear a plain white belt as a placeholder until they earn their first colored belt, which usually takes about two to three months of consistent training. There's no secret handshake. You just find a spot on the floor, face the front, and wait for the instructor to call you to attention.

The class structure is remarkably consistent no matter which school