Taekwondo is defined as a hard-style system of the amrtial arts-with penetrating kicks and punches, and forceful linear attacks. Dedicated practitioners know that advanced training means not only striving to master techniques, but also developing a deeper understanding of the history, philosophy, and concepts at the core of the martial art.

In Advanced Taekwondo, Scott Shaw presents an in-depth look at the complete art of Taekwondo-from the underlying philosophies that drive the techniques and strategies to advice on mastering basic and advanced techniques fundamental to the art.

Chapters include:

An in-depth look at the origins and philosophies of Taekwondo.
Discussion and tips on mastering essential techniques.
Illustrated poomse sequences, including the Taejuek forms and black belt forms.
Effective strategies and skills for self-defense.
Weapons techniques including instruction in Kumdo, the Korean art of the sword.

With over 400 illustrations and detailed instruction from a leading teacher in the field, even the most experienced black belts can benefit from the lessons in this book.

Scott Shaw is one of the world's most prolific proponents of the Korean martial arts. He began training in hapkido and taekwondo as a young boy and today holds master instructor certification in both. He is a frequently published contributor to martial arts magazines and has authored a number of books, including Hapkido: Korean Art of Self-Defense and Taekwondo Basics.

Contents

Introduction
Part One Advanced concepts for inner development
Chapter 1 Taekwondo philosophy for today's practitioner
The history and philosophy of the Hwa Rang
Developing a training philosophy
Training the mind
Chapter 2 The developpment and usage of ki in taekwondo
The foundation of ki in taekwondo
Understanding ki energy in the human body
Ki gong exercises
Part Two Advanced techniques-Refining the fundamentals
Chapter 3 The stance
The center of gravity
Understanding the formal stance
The fighting stance
The advancing stance
Chapter 4 The block
Blocking injury
Blocking with the hands
The art of deflection
Multiple methods
The traditional taekwondo block
Chapter 5 The hand and arm strike
The straight punch
Other linear hand strike techniques
Chapter 6 The kick
Fighting feet
Advancing the basic kick
Kicking strategy for competition
Mastering the taekwondo kick as a defensive weapon
Mastering taekwondo's spinning back kicks
Part Three Advanced taekwondo techniques
Chapter 7 Poomse: The foundation of taekwondo
The types of forms in taekwondo
The Taeguek forms and the I Ching
The black belt forms
Chapter 8 Training methods
Solo training drills
Partner training drills
Focus training drills
Footwork drills
Part Four Advanced applications: Taking your practice to the next level
Chapter 9 Sparring and competition
Competition preliminaries
Competiton training
Closing the distance: Movement from long to short range
Chapter 10 Self-defense
Advnaced self-defense methods
Understanding physical combat
Taekwondo and th eprinciples of continuous motion
Taekwondo kicks for self-defense
Taekwondo's strategy against the street punch
Ground fighting
Effective defense against street weapons
Chapter 11 Weapons training in taekwondo
The Korean long staff
The korean middle staff
Kumdo: The Korean art of sword
Appendix A: Taekwondo timeline
Appendix B: Poomse performed at belt levels
Appendix C: Pressure point locations
Appendix D: Rear and frontal attack locations
Appendix E: Meridian pathways
Recommended reading (bibliography)
Index
Acknowledgments
About the author