Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo S.A.
Established in 1975, we are a long running traditional Taekwondo club located in the north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide. Under the guidance of Grand Master Hitch, the club has welcomed hundreds of students interested in the various aspects of Taekwondo.
What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art involving the way (“do”) of the foot (“tae”) and fist (“kwon”). It combines striking and holding techniques for fitness and self-defence, as well as meditation. It is one of the most widely practiced martial arts (over 70 million practitioners across 200 countries), as it is suitable for people with many different levels of fitness and goals.
Taekwondo emphasises on kicking techniques over hand techniques (3:2 ratio), as the leg is the longest and strongest weapon in unarmed combat. Many schools of Taekwondo also teaches non-striking techniques, such as grappling and throwing, to increase the repertoire for varying situations.
Why train in Taekwondo?
As well as building fitness through martial art, the students are taught about respect, discipline, as well as personal integrity. Each student joins with a unique reason, but soon discover the many other benefits of Taekwondo while they progress through their training.
Our club focuses on the traditional side of Taekwondo, which emphasises the development of skills and character through effort and dedication. Progress is tied to the individual’s abilities, which allows each student to self evaluate and develop confidence in themselves. The examinations are held for students that have demonstrated progress in their abilities and awards are only given to those that meet a set standard.
The training sessions often include the practice of basic self defence techniques. Developing the skills and the confidence for self defence is of interest to many of the students, especially when starting to learn martial arts. The repeated practice of simple and effective techniques is the key factor in practical self defence, as single-session workshops may teach your brain, but your body will only learn through practice.
The contents of the class allows for both children and adults train together to develop the individual’s skills, as well as being able to practice the techniques against many different types of people. Where appropriate, the instructor will assess the individual’s abilities and make modifications or suggestions on the techniques or training partner.
Some of our students seek the sporting and competitive side of Taekwondo and enter the many state wide and interstate competitions throughout the year. Many of our students have had successes in these competitions due to the discipline that is stressed to the students as they train hard to reach their potential, as well as the through and experienced guidance given by the instructor and senior students.
Lastly, the journey to becoming a martial artists is a long and difficult path. Part of joining a club is to find a group of similar minded people that will join you on your journey as well as you joining their’s. You will develop long lasting friendships as you find yourself in a new place to call home amongst your new family.
Club’s Principles
The students of the club must abide by the following:
Three Oaths
- I will always give respect and loyalty to the Association, the Instructor and my Club.
- I will endevour to attain a high standard of physical fitness and develop my character and personal integrity.
- I will approach others with a spirit of friendship and heed social ethics at all times.
The Ten Main Points
- Ki-ahp
- Always look forward
- Maintain balance
- Keep your body supple and flexible
- Combine force and power with soft movements
- Fast and slow motion techniques required
- The aim of all techniques should be exactness
- Control and co-ordinate distance of techniques
- Control your breathing
- Strive to strengthen your body