What is Tae Kwon Do?

Tae - "to kick" or "to strike with the foot"
Kwon - "to punch" or "to strike withthe hand"
Do - "art" Put together,
Tae Kwon Do translates into "the art of kicking and punching." Kicking is stressed far more in the study of Tae Kwon Do, than in the forms of Japanese Karate-Do (which translates as "the art of the open hand").

What sets AITKD apart from other TKD studios?
What can you expect if you train with us?

At AITKD we focus on traditional Tae Kwon Do. This focus on one main concept helps students master these skills to their full potential.

Chung Do Kwan vs. World Tae Kwon Do Federation
You have probably heard of Tae Kwon Do in association with the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) style. WTF is centered around a fighting style that is very effective within the bounds of the rules of Olympic Sparring. If you are a beginner student, there really is no reason to prefer one over the other, unless you have aspirations of being an Olympic athlete.
At AITKD, we practice the more traditional form of Tae Kwon Do known as Chung Do Kwan. Chung Do Kwan puts more of an emphasis on practical self defense than Olympic style sparring, so we tend to practice techniques that would be considered illegal in WTF competition sparring. Conversely, we also practice guarding against techniques that would not typically be used against a WTF fighter, such as punches to the head.

Stretching, Warm up and Drills
Classes typically start with 5-7 minutes of stretching followed by 15 or 20 minutes of blocking, punching, and kicking drills. These exercises serve to improve flexibility, increase stamina, and ingrain the techniques of Tae Kwon Do into instinct through repetition. During this part of practice, you will work to improve the techniques that you will later use in forms and sparring.

Forms
One of the most important aspects of Tae Kwon Do training is hyungs (forms), which are a series of offensive and defensive movements arranged in a predetermined pattern and practiced by the student against imaginary opponents. Forms of increasing complexity and difficulty are introduced at each new level of achievement. While practicing forms, we get a chance to study the style of the other students in the studio, fine tune our own technique, and improve focus and balance.

One Step Sparring
One-step sparring helps familiarize the students with the fundamentals of kicking, punching, and blocking movements. One of the participants employs punching and kicking techniques while the other uses various combinations of blocking and counterattacking techniques. Specific one step sparring techniques are taught at every belt level.
The students will learn to develop and manage their reaction time for accurate counterattacks. One-step sparring is essential in preparation for free Tae Kwon Do sparring. Emphasis is placed on proper form, above all else.

Free Sparring
At AITKD free sparring is part of regular training for all belt levels, gold and above. Free sparring in Tae Kwon Do is the practical and most effective application of self defense techniques. Mouth guards, Chest Protector, Shin, Forearm, and Head Gear are the required protective gear.
The objective with sparring is not hurt your opponent, but to get used to seeing attacks coming and to anticipate them with blocking or moving, and responding with effective attacks of your own. A high emphasis is placed on the speed, timing, and aim of attacks used.
Full contact is not permitted in sparring for safety reasons. Students are only permitted to make contact above the belt. Hand techniques, for example, may only be used on the front and side of the body from the belt to the shoulder. This also means that no hand technique may be delivered to the face.

Board Breaking
At AITKD we practice board breaking monthly and all students are required to show progress from simple to more complex board breaks. Board breaking is to test the correctness of a technique. It demonstrates a student's skill level in relation to one or more of the following: power, speed, accuracy, body alignment or form, conditioning and internal energy control.