Totally Tae Kwon Do Books

Taekwondo: The Essential Introduction
This is the first introductory text to accurately portray the world's most widely practiced martial art, Taekwondo, in its entirety. Inclusive of virtually all Taekwondo styles, including Olympic-Style, this unprecedented work integrates traditional and modern approaches, sport and self-defense, in a single concise text. Clearly written and expertly designed and photographed by the author of the landmark 896-page Taekwondo: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique, this unique book is essential reading for anyone seeking a succinct, unbiased, and accurate overview of Taekwondo's history, philosophy, and techniques. It includes: Over 530 high-quality photographs and 62 illustrations, Comprehensive chapters on history and philosophy, Over 150 techniques, spanning basic skills, sport, and self-defense, Concise overviews of Olympic-Style sparring and solo forms, Precise anatomical drawings of 80 common vital targets, Basic material to guide novices during their initial training, Essential reading for anyone seeking a concise overview of Taekwondo.
Note: The information in this 128-page book comes from material extracted from the author's 896-page work, Taekwondo: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique. Readers seeking a comprehensive presentation of Taekwondo should obtain the larger work.

Taekwondo Basics
From classic stances, blocks, kicking, and strikes to its philosophical principles and history, Taekwondo Basics prepares the reader for years of successful practice. Author Scott Shaw walks the reader through the first class and preliminary training methods and shares his insights on conditioning exercises, working with a partner, competitions, practising footwork, and more. Drills and practices will allow the reader to immediately apply the lessons.

Taekwondo: Defense Against Weapons
Master Kim Bok Man is one of the most recognized authorities of Taekwondo in the world. He is a founder of the current Taekwondo curriculums used by the many international Taekwondo organizations. Originally published in 1979, this book provides defence techniques taught to military, law enforcement and black belts. This revised soft cover edition provides beginners a chance to see the application of their training in actual weapon defences. For advanced students, it provides techniques and fundamental training that has been field tested since the inception of the art in the 1950 s. Chapters include: history, solo pattern training, fundamental training, extensive kicking training, sparring and throwing, and defences against a variety of weapons. This book catalogs the essence of the art of Taekwondo as it was originally intended.

The original (printed in 1979 - see cover to the right) is now a collectors item)

Taekwondo: Complete WTF Forms
This unique text is the first to offer a detailed, comprehensive presentation of Taekwondo's three most widely practiced forms systems, including those sanctioned by Taekwondo's largest governing organization, the World Taekwondo Federation. More than 5,000 photographs and 1,200 drawings spanning 512 pages document 25 individual forms that make up the P'algwae, T'aeguk, and WTF Black Belt forms systems. Detailed introductory chapters provide a brief overview of Taekwondo's structure, review the historical origins of forms, outline general principles of execution and interpretation, and thoroughly describe the underlying philosophical concepts and meanings associated with each individual form and form system. In subsequent chapters, each of the 25 forms begins with summary pages for quick reference, followed by a detailed breakdown of each movement, which includes larger photos, descriptive text, alternate views, closeups of complex actions, Korean nomenclature, precise footwork drawings, pattern diagrams on every page for constant reference, and examples of select movements applied to practical self-defense. Since forms training is intended to be a reflection of actual combat, descriptive text also outlines the combative purpose behind each movement, as well as common alternate interpretations.

Taekwondo: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique
This ground-breaking text is the first to offer Taekwondo in its totality, documenting the traditions, philosophy, and techniques of the world's most widely practiced martial art. In more than 8,600 photographs spanning 896 pages, renowned Taekwondo masters and elite competitors demonstrate over 700 core Taekwondo techniques, including stances, footwork, hand strikes, elbow strikes, standing kicks, jump kicks, ground kicks, avoiding and blocking skills, step and self-defense sparring, Olympic-Style sparring, breaking techniques, and solo forms and patterns. Techniques are named in both English and Korean throughout.

Detailed introductory chapters provide an authoritative overview of Taekwondo's history, philosophy, current structure, and contemporary issues, and thoroughly review breathing and meditation, warmups and flexibility exercises, and vital targets. To address the highly specialized and constantly evolving needs of sport competitors, in-depth chapters on Olympic-Style sparring cover basic concepts, current trends, core techniques, tactics and strategies, terminology, competition rules, referee signals, and more than 90 core attacking and counterattacking techniques used by world-class competitors. For forms enthusiasts, 250-plus pages provide a comprehensive overview of 49 forms and patterns embraced by major federations, such as the WTF and ITF.