Overview

The name Taekwondo is derived from the Korean word "Tae" meaning foot, "Kwon" meaning fist and "Do" meaning way of. So, Taekwondo translates to "the way of the foot and fist". Taekwondo, under the leadership of World Taekwondo (WT) is an international martial art and sport practised in over 120 counties by 20 million practitioners worldwide.
 
Taekwondo is a full-contact Olympic sport, however, it is a martial art that teaches a diverse curriculum not exclusive to just competitions and sparring. Other aspects of taekwondo include forms (patterns), self-defence techniques and fundamental techniques for punches, kicks, blocks and strikes.  
 
Taekwondo aims to unify one’s mental strength with physical fitness. Our uniform is the embodiment of this idea as the belt is used to keep the uniform together so an athlete’s mind must be strong enough to will their body into action and training. The sport focuses on speed, accuracy and strength while instilling sportsmanship which strives towards respecting elders and investing in the youth.
 
Taekwondo is both an anaerobic and aerobic workout with a focus on mental and ethical discipline, etiquette, respect and self-control.   
 
TuksTaekwondo
Taekwondo under the teaching of Grandmaster Park has been part of the University of Pretoria’s sports programs for almost 10 years and such the quality of the classes are highly professional as well as considerate for the students participating both beginners and advanced. The classes take place at the University of Pretoria’s Hillcrest Sports Campus in Hatfield every Tuesday and Thursday (to change to Mondays and Wednesdays in 2019) throughout the school academic year for both university students as well as the general public.  
 
Grandmaster Dae Yeoul Park
Grandmaster Dae Yeoul Park is the head coach of TuksTaekwondo and is one of a few qualified high-ranked Taekwondo masters in South Africa. Grandmaster Park has an 8th Dan in Taekwondo as well as being highly accomplished in other forms of martial art.
 
He has spent over a decade here in South Africa teaching, growing and inspiring taekwondo to children and adults through his club, competitions both local and international, workshops, demonstrations and other events.