What Is Tang Soo Do?
Translated from Korean, Tang means to jump, kick or smash with the foot. Soo denotes a fist used chiefly to punch or to destroy with the hand or fist. Do means an art, way or method. Put them together and it means the technique of unarmed combat for self-defense involving the skilled application of punches, flying kicks, blocks, dodges and interceptions with the hands, arms and feet in order to effectuate the rapid destruction of an opponent.

Tang Soo Do, the most essential of the arts of self-defense, is, among many other things, a protective, not an aggressive, technique. It should never be used violently or with intent to maim. Though the full depth of the meaning of the word “Tang Soo Do” is difficult to convey, in general, we can say that it is a rigid training of both the mind and the body. A developed Tang Soo Do technique gives power that should never be misused.

Tang Soo Do is a training of the mind and body, but it is more. It calls for support on the deep and mysterious mental powers of man that are greater than modern science can comprehend. More than a sport, more than a system of defense, Tang Soo Do, in its most important aspect is a way to serenity. The Tang Soo Do Karate master and the trainee, who has worked for years with this semi-physical, semi-spiritual exercise, is a tranquil man. He is calm and unafraid in disaster because he has become accustomed to the idea that every step draws us closer to death. His whole being is concentrated on achieving serenity and on bringing others to that serene state with him.

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