Kwon, Jae-Hwa His name is better known in Taekwon-Do than almost any other. His special way of teaching students, the ability to deal with people and his own philosophy are what defines the people of Kwon, Jae-Hwa. Kwon, Jae-Hwa was born in 1937 in Pusan, a large port city in southern Korea. He was taught Taekwon-Do at a young age and soon stood out for his exceptional talent. In Hae, Dea-Yeong, 6th Dan, he found an excellent teacher who only devoted himself to the training of this one student. Later he was tutored personally by General Choi, Hong-Hi, 9th Dan. After completing his studies, he worked as a journalist for Pusan Ilbbo, the largest daily newspaper. However, he actually lived for Taekwon-Do. At the age of 24 he became Chief Instructor (highest teacher) of the Yonmu-Kwan Taekwon-Do schools. In 1964 he became the technical director of the Taekwon-Do regional association in Pusan, to which most of the Taekwon-Do departments in schools and universities as well as many free Taekwon-Do schools in the area belong. He still performs both functions today. Pebble stone break test Master Kwon Jae-hwa became world famous for his pebble stone break test. With the edge of his palm he smashes massive river pebbles. During a test carried out in the BMW test laboratories in Munich in 1984, a successful test was subjected to a force of over 6000 Newtons (600 kg) on the stone 1.5 milliseconds after the impact; in the case of an unsuccessful blow, a value of 10,000 N (1000 kg) was even measured.

The Form (Hyong) Hyong training is a fundamental element in daily teaching. It is a set sequence of defense and counter techniques. The individual movements represent a fight with an imaginary opponent. In this way the practitioner can train and perfect techniques on his own. Going through a hyong also trains breathing, empathy, imagination and concentration. In the Taekwon-Do schools of Master Kwon, a system consisting of 20 hyongs is taught. The names are borrowed from the history of Korea and indicate historical personalities and events in their structure. As the student progresses, the Hyongs become more demanding and complex. They are a symbol of the aesthetics and universality of Taekwon-Do.

The break test (Kyek Pa) With a break test, the performer demonstrates the strength and efficiency of the technique to the outsider and explains why it is necessary to regulate the fight and not practice the techniques practiced within the hyong on the training partner because of the dangers involved. The break test promotes precision, concentration, will and mental strength.

The free fight (Taeryon) The fight or the sparring is the application of the learned techniques with the training partner. There are different types of combat: The Ilbo Taeryon (one-step fight) is a form of combat in which attack and defense are subject to important rules. The defender meets the specified attack with different counterattacks. In this way he can check the usefulness of his technique and practice it precisely on the partner. The Chayo Taeryon (free fight) represents the next stage of development, whereby the interplay of the opponents is fluid and not predetermined. The free fight only obeys a series of competition rules, which have the task of optimally protecting those practicing together and thereby developing discipline, fairness and courtesy in the context of a contactless argument. Both types of free fighting are carried out in traditional Taekwon-Do, like all other disciplines, without contact. Intercepting the blows shortly before the target demands the highest level of control and body control from the practitioner. Therefore, the forms of combat are only trained with the achievement of the blue belt. Compared to the full contact fight of other systems, in which the multitude of possible movements is limited to only a few point techniques, the full range of all movement possibilities is exploited by the contactless free fight. The fight is supposed to promote endurance, creativity, perception and timing of the individual.

History of Taekwon-Do In the first centuries AD, the area of what is now Korea was divided into three kingdoms; Silla in the southeast, Baek Je in the southwest and the largest Koguryo in the north. This resulted in the two smaller, more southern countries living in constant vigilance against the military and economic threat from the north. It was recognized in the Silla Kingdom that only through superior spirituality and solidarity could one withstand the threat. For this purpose, among other things, King Chin-Hung founded Hwarang-Do in the 6th century AD, an organization in which talented young people of that time were taught Zen ideas. These ideas were applied to various arts, sciences and also self-defense. This laid the foundation for the emergence of Taekwon-Do. For the Hwarang-Do movement this resulted in an insurmountable strength that ultimately led to the peaceful unification of the three kingdoms under the leadership of Silla. In the following Silla dynasty, Taekyon, the name given at that time to today's Taekwon-Do, was maintained and improved for 800 years. Meaning of Taekwon-Do Tae Korean for foot. The syllable describes all foot techniques, that is, jump, hit and push using the legs. Kwon Korean for fist. Is related to all blows, shocks and movements with arms and hands. Do Korean for "way", which would only be inadequately translated. Stands for the "mental way" from Zen philosophy, which is hidden behind Taekwon-Do.