TaeKwonDo is a traditional Korean martial art known above all for its
foot techniques — the kicks. But as the school's own page has always put it,
it means much more than kicking and punching: it is an educational way to build
discipline, spirit and a peaceful way of life, while conditioning the entire body.
跆拳道是韓國傳統武術，以腿法見長；但它不只是踢與打——更是一門用紀律鍛鍊身心、走向和平生活的修養之道。
FOOT · HAND · WAYThe literal meaning of the name — 跆 · 拳 · 道
SINCE 1992Brother's has followed the World Taekwondo / Kukkiwon path
OLYMPIC SPORTThe Kukkiwon style is the TaeKwonDo contested at the Olympic Games
EST. 1978 · ARIZONAGrand Master Jong Kil Kang — founder of Brother's TaeKwonDo. Photo from the original “What is TaeKwonDo” page on brotherstkd.com.
The Name · 名字的由來
“Foot, hand, the way” 跆 · 拳 · 道
The literal translation of TaeKwonDo is “foot, hand, art.” Each syllable carries one part of the art — tap each one to read it the way a student learns it. The calligraphy artwork below is the school's own, from the original page.
태 TAE+권 KWON+도 DO=태권도 · 跆拳道 · TaeKwonDo
The Meaning · 不只是武術
More than kicking and punching 修身之道
The original page says it plainly: TaeKwonDo “means much more than kicking and punching.” It is an educational art — a non-violent discipline that conditions the whole body and teaches a peaceful way of life.
身
The BodyPHYSICAL · 強健體魄
Training conditions the entire body — strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and stamina — because the techniques ask the legs, core, arms and breath to work as one.
心
The SpiritDISCIPLINE · 紀律精神
It is “an educational way to enhance our spirit and life with discipline.” Students bow in, follow etiquette, and repeat basics until focus and self-control become habits, not performances.
和
The Way of LifeNON-VIOLENT · 和平生活
A non-violent art that teaches a peaceful way of life. The skill to fight is taught alongside the judgment not to — technique is for self-defense, never for showing off.
“Consistency leads to success.”
持之以恆，必能成功。
— The closing line of Grand Master Kang's philosophy page, brotherstkd.com
Grand Master Kang teaches that discipline starts in the home — and that former students, years later, thank him for guidance that carried them through school and into successful lives.
The Five Tenets · 跆拳道五大精神
What every student lives by
TaeKwonDo aims to achieve courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and an indomitable spirit — with modesty woven through all five. Tap a tenet to see what it looks like on, and off, the mat.
In the Dojang · 訓練內容
What training actually includes
A class is built from the same pillars in every Kukkiwon-style school — the forms, the sparring and the breaking you see at Brother's belt tests.
품새
PoomsaeFORMS · 型
Set patterns of blocks, strikes and kicks performed solo against imaginary opponents. Poomsae is where precision lives — every belt has its form, and every test begins with it.
겨루기
KyorugiSPARRING · 對練
Controlled sparring in protective gear, where timing, distance and composure are tested against a real partner. This is the discipline that became the Olympic event.
Board breaking at Brother's TaeKwonDo — photo from the original “What is TaeKwonDo” page.
격파
GyeokpaBREAKING · 擊破
Breaking boards is not a stunt. A board only breaks when speed, accuracy and commitment arrive together — which makes it the clearest possible test of whether a technique is real. Students break at belt tests, and advanced students demonstrate jumping and spinning breaks like the one pictured.
Alongside the three pillars, classes drill kicks and hand techniques, stances and footwork, and practical self-defense — the everyday application the school's Self Defense page is devoted to.
In the United States · 美國三大流派
Three main streams, one art
As the original page explains, TaeKwonDo in the United States has three main streams (“streams,” in the page's memorable spelling). The techniques share Korean roots; what differs is organization, forms and competition rules.
ITF
International Taekwon-do Federation
Founded in 1966 and associated with General Choi Hong-hi, a founder of modern Taekwon-do. Known for its own set of forms (tul) and a sine-wave approach to movement.
ATA
American Taekwondo Association
Founded in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska. A U.S.-based organization with its own Songahm forms, ranks and tournament circuit, taught through licensed schools across the country.
BROTHER'S PATH
WT · KUKKIWON
World Taekwondo & Kukkiwon
The Olympic stream. World Taekwondo (founded 1973 as the WTF) governs the sport contested at the Olympic Games, and Kukkiwon — the world headquarters in Seoul — sets the curriculum and issues dan black-belt certification.
Brother's TaeKwonDo has studied under this organization, as an Olympic sport, since 1992.
A note on names: the original page lists the “World TaeKwonDo Federation (WTF / KUKKIWON).” The federation renamed itself World Taekwondo (WT) in 2017 — the organization, and Brother's affiliation, are unchanged.
Questions · 常見問題
Before you ask
No — the name itself answers that. Tae is the foot, but Kwon is the fist: punches, strikes and blocks are half the name and half the training. The feet lead because the legs are the longest, strongest tools the body has — not because the hands sit out.
That is exactly how the school describes it: a non-violent art that teaches a peaceful way of life. Students learn real self-defense, inside a discipline of courtesy, self-control and etiquette — the goal is a person who can fight and chooses not to.
Everything that outlasts the workout. Do — the way — is the educational part: discipline, spirit and conduct carried into school, work and family life. It is why Brother's teaches TaeKwonDo as a way to lead “happy, healthy and productive lives,” not only as a sport.
The Kukkiwon / World Taekwondo style — the Olympic stream — which the school has followed since 1992. Grand Master Jong Kil Kang, a 9th Dan Kukkiwon black belt, founded Brother's in Arizona in 1978 and has taught for 50+ years.
The best definition is a first class.
Reading about the way is step one. Step two is standing on the mat — call the school, or stop by a class in Mesa or Tempe and watch.
