About

TAEKWONDO AT MUTKD

Taekwondo, the national sport of South Korea, is a Korean martial art that translates to 'The Way of The Fist and Foot'. Although there are several branches with their own unique style and ruleset, MUTKD is predominantly associated with World Taekwondo (WT). As a club, we emphasise Taekwondo as a combat sport - with a greater focus on training to compete - as opposed to a traditional means of self defense. WT Taekwondo can be categorised into distinct types of competition: Kyorugi and Poomsae.

KYORUGI

Kyorugi is the Korean term for sparring. It typically involves two competitors sparring within a matted arena while wearing protective gear. Points are earned by making a clean contact with the opponent's chestguard or headguard. A match is settled by a best of 3 rounds, with the winner of each round determined by more points scored. Yellow belts and above are eligible to compete in kyorugi and the ruleset of each belt division vaies slightly. 

POOMSAE

Poomsae refers to Taekwondo patterns - a series of techniques that are linked together to form a sequence of moves. There are a total of 17 forms that are defined by WT divided into Gup patterns (called Taeguk) and 9 black belt or Dan patterns (although we only encounter up to 5 due to our age).

Poomsae helps refine standard techniques and act as a good indicator to assess whether students are ready to advance to higher belt levels. From a competitive standpoint, poomsae is judged based on accuracy and presentation, and is scored out of a maximum of 10.0 points.

THE 5 TENETS

1. COURTESY (예의) - Showing respect & consideration towards others.
2. INTEGRITY (염치) - Being honest and trustworthy without comptomise.
3. PERSEVERANCE (인내) - The patience to never give up in pursuit of one's goals.
4. SELF CONTROL (극기) - Control of mind & body, in actions & reactions.
5. INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (백절불굴) - To have courage in the face of adversity.