Vanguard Martial Arts

Taekwon-Do is for everyone of any age or ability, and there are many benefits to starting Taekwon-Do whoever you are - confidence, motivation, fitness, weight loss and a sense of personal achievement, to name but a few.

Taekwon-Do is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is the world's most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way" or "method"; so "Taekwon-Do" is loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching".

Taekwon-Do's popularity has resulted in the varied development of the martial art into several domains: as with many other arts, it combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy. Taekwon-Do is also used by the South Korean military as part of its training. Formally, there are two main styles of Taekwondo. The type of Taekwon-Do practiced at Vanguard Martial Arts is an ITF style rather than WTF, though we are independent of both.

The term "traditional taekwon-Do" typically refers to the martial art as it was established in the 1950s and 1960s; in particular, the names and symbolism of the traditional patterns often refer to elements of Korean history. Traditional Taekwon-Do tends to emphasise power and self-defense. The art in general emphasises kicks thrown from a mobile stance, employing the leg's greater reach and power (compared to the arm). Taekwon-Do training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks. Some taekwondo instructors also incorporate the use of pressure points, known as jiapsul, as well as grabbing self-defense techniques borrowed from other martial arts, such as Hapkido and Judo.

"When we started Taekwon-Do, we knew it would be good exercise and good discipline but thought it would be ‘just another after school activity’. In reality it has become much more than that. My daughters desire to achieve and do well has really surprised me and that is a credit to the passion and dedication of Mr Fear and the wider team"