Literally, "art of kicking and punching," taekwondo is a native Korean form of fighting that embraces kicking, punching, jumping, blocking, dodging, and parrying. It is a system for training both the mind and body with an emphasis on the development of moral character. Modern tae kwon do is a combination of the hyung (patterns) of its ancestral combative arts, Taekyon and Subak, and kata (formal exercises of the Okinawan Shuri and the Naha schools of karate). Taekwondo incorporates the abrupt linear movements of karate and the flowing, circular patterns of Kung-Fu with native kicking techniques.

Taekwondo is famous for its flying kicks, a spectacular assortment of techniques which, when executed by an expert, are devastating. All of the basic taekwondo kicks can be delivered in a jumping or flying motion. Flying kicks are considered the ultimate in the taekwondo practitioner's arsenal of weapons.

Taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 1992 at the Barcelona Games and is believed to be the world's most popularly practiced Martial Art.