The meaning of Tae Kwon Do:

• Tae:   means to strike, block or smash with the foot; it also means to jump
• Kwon:   means to block, strike or destroy with the hand or fist
• Do:   means the way, art or method of

Combining these definitions will give us this meaning for TaeKwonDo:  "The art of Kicking and Punching" or "The art of Unarmed Combat".

TaeKwonDo incorporates mental and physical training for health as well as the techniques of unarmed combat for self-defense which involve the skilled application of punches, kicks, blocks and dodges with bare hands and feet to bring on the rapid destruction of the moving opponent[s].

To put it simply, TaekwonDo is more than just a version of unarmed combat designed for the purpose of self-defense. It is the scientific use of the body in the method of self-defense, a body that has gained the ultimate use of its facilities through intensive physical and mental training that separates the true practitioner from the sensationalist, who is focused on mastering only the fighting [ physical ] aspects of the art.

Even though TaekwonDo is called an art of self-defense, it also implies a way of thinking and a way of life, where the practitioner thinks and lives by a concept of strict self-imposed discipline.