What is Tae Kwon Do?
Tae Kwon Do is a Korean Martial Art. It roughly translates into the art of kicking and punching. Tae Kwon Do has an interesting history. It is only about 50 years old, but it is based on Shotokan Karate - which is also relatively new - and ancient Korean Martial Arts Taekkyon and Subak.

What can I gain from Tae Kwon Do?
Our goal at AITKD is to teach use the art of Tae Kwon Do to give the students both a mental and physical workout. We use many different exercises for physical conditioning and stress relief. Tae Kwon Do increases strength, flexibility, cardiovascular health, balance , speed and agility. It is a total body workout. As a student, you will also notice your self confidence and discipline increase. As you work to achieve your goals you will notice that you can do things you did not previously think possible - but this will only come with hard work. This hard work will give you more discipline as you progress and increase your mental focus to work towards a goal.

Do you practice the sport or art?
Tae Kwon Do is currently practiced by millions of students all over the world, but there are really two iterations of the art. The first iteration is the more traditional form of Tae Kwon Do, commonly referred to as International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF) style, one which we practice here at AITKD. This particular form focuses on all aspects of the art, ie. sparring, forms (hyungs), self defense, etc. The other style of Tae Kwon Do, World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) style, focuses mostly on the sporting aspects of Tae Kwon Do, mainly sparring. There are many different organizations inside the Tae Kwon Do family, and indeed some degree of comepetition between these organiztions, but AITKD believes in simply teaching traditional Tae Kwon Do in a way that is both fun and educational.

When can I spar?
We begin sparring at the gold belt level. This is so the student has a basic understanding of their white belt level kicks, without which, the student could possibly get hurt.

How long does it take to promote to the next belt level?
In your quest for your black belt the average student will test every 3 to 4 months up through brown belt, and then every 6 to 8 months until they test for their black belt. There are 9 levels, or gup, to achieve before a student earns their black belt. Every belt level has a form (hyung) to complete and new techniques to gain a basic understanding of before they can move on to their next belt level. To see more visit our Curriculum page.

How long does it take to earn a black belt?
It will take between 3.5 and 5 years to earn your black belt on average. We give the opportunity to attend class atleast three times a week, so the more you attend class and the harder you work the quicker you will earn your black belt. We, however, do not give away black belts - it must be earned through hard work and dedication. While it may seem like a daunting task and at times may seem impossible to achieve, many students have thought the exact same thing and have gone on to earn their black belt. We are a black belt school and as such take pride in all of our black belts, but it is important to remember that a black belt is not end, it is only the beginning. A black belt is merely a white belt that never quit.