History of Ho-Am TaeKwonDo by Ryan Brandt
The History of Ho-Am TaeKwonDo Ho-Am TaeKwonDo is the completely unique and effective martial art that we practice, but how did it start? What are its roots? Well, TaeKwonDo roughly started 10,000 years ago, when people migrated from central Asia to the peninsula, Korea, where they relied on hunting, swimming, and climbing mountains to survive. As time went by, these people developed strong bodies, fighting skills, and a sense of teamwork. Their knowledge is that of the beginning of our martial art. In Korea, about 4,000 years ago, formal martial arts training began with simple basics, like punching and kicking, and added complex things like horseback riding and archery. In the 6th century (A.D) the Silla Dynasty ruled the smallest of three kingdoms in Korea, and during the rule of its 24th king, a group of warriors formed the Hwa Rang Do, whose victories over the dynasty united the Korean Peninsula. Afterwards, TaeKwonDo warriors were taught to balance the mind and body by reading, writing, painting, as well as other artistic activities, which continues today in the ITA. During the Koguryo Dynasty, anything military was forbidden to be practiced from 1909-1945, but Tae Kyon was secretly practiced and taught by a handful of Masters and Instructors. When Korea was liberated in 1945, people were free to practice martial arts again. Recently, Grandmaster Won-kuk Lee, who founded Chung Do Kwon, was the first person to organize and found modern Korean TaeKwonDo. On April 11th 1995, a board of instructors selected the word Tae-Kwon-Do, foot - hand – art, to represent the national martial art of Korea. When Ho-Am TaeKwonDo was founded, the Siberian tiger and the rock were chosen to represent our organization. Ho, or tiger, relating to the Siberian tiger, was chosen to represent our bravery and justice, while the rock represented steadfast and the immovable life spirit of Korean and Western civilizations. The tenets of TaeKwonDo were soon chosen over the years, and since, TaeKwonDo has developed and changed little to turn into what is now - the International TaeKwonDo Alliance – the ITA. ~Ryan Brandt
