Taekwondo Spirit and Practice: Beyond Self-Defense by Grand Master Richard Chun (President of the United States Taekwondo Association and Special Assistant to the President of the World Taekwondo Federation) is the personal experience and expert testimony of a true 9th Dan Grandmaster in the respected and disciplined martial art of Taekwondo, who blends his journey from Korea to America and his strength in rising to the challenge of adapting to a strange language and culture to the life lessons of the art itself. Embracing the physical and spiritual virtues of Taekwondo as a venue for self-improvement, Taekwondo Spirit And Practice is an emotional and spiritual supplement to martial arts philosophy shelves and strongly recommended reading for students of the Martial Arts in general, and Taekwondo in particular.

Today, too little is presented on the traditonal value of the martial arts as a lifestyle practice. Dr. Chun, who was one of the first Taekwondo Masters sent to the US, brings a richness on experience that makes him a national treasure. Useful to all martial art stylists. Do not miss this.

I had the opportunity to read the manuscript of this book prior to publication as well as the fininshed work. Being an instructor and true follower of Grand Master Chun, I was delighted in the content and his writing style. It is both sincere and riveting. Dr. Chun leads us through his life and inspires the reader with many significant experiences from his youth in Korea to the present. Having authored the book, Taekwondo Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior, I personally know what it is like to share your passion with others. Grandmaster Chun is highly successful at this mission. This is a must-read book for anyone involved in martial arts and taekwondo inparticular.

If you want to now the exact positioning of hands and feet this is a great book. The 'dance step' layout of the foot positions for the pommse is very original and helpful. Into Moo Duk Kwan buy this one. Note this book covers to Pawlgae 3.

Excellent content. Clear sharp photos of one of Americas greatest pioneering TaeKwonDo grand masters in action. Very organized. Excellent value. A must have for every martial artist.

Mr. Chun has done a marvelous job. Tae Kwon Do explains everything that a White Belt to Black Belt should know. For the beginner , it has a complete discussion and illustrations of stances, techniques, and forms. For the Black Belt, a complete review of all techniques (except the Koryo forms 1 and 2)I was hoping for an informative section on breaking but it was obvious that the iron hand techniques were too advanced for a non All Black Belt Book (1st dan up)The breakdown of the forms in short and long depictions is excellent, especially when you don't remember all of the steps in a form,or when you are first learning a form. He omits the compleat Kicho forms ( but includes them is his other two books)The self defense section however,is for the beginner only. Black belts should be able to invent better additions for self defense applications. This book is used as an "informative bible"and review primer in my dojo. A MUST BUY.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone serious about the art. The book does not overwhelm the reader with unexplained Korean terminology, like other books do. It provides clear and concise explanations on stances, basic hand and foot techniques, and gives the reader a nice section on self defense. The book also presents examples of breaking techniques and has an excellent step by step easy to learn section on Pal-Gwe Poomse. The only downfall to this book, is that it falls short of giving an elaborate Kyorugi (Free Sparring) section. Beyond this, it is an excellent technical manual for anyone who is serious about practicing Tae Kwon Do.

In an age where low quality has become the rule, Richard Chun's Book "Tae Kwon Do: The Korean Martial Art" is an exception. This was the first of the widely available large taekwondo books covering World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) style.

Author Richard Chun himself is originally of the Moo Duk Kwan, and was part of the contingent which split from Grandmaster Hwang Kee to remain with the Korea Taekwondo Federation (later the World Taekwondo Federation). In observing and considering the techniques in this book, those who have experienced other martial arts will be able to see the "old" style of Taekwondo, with the wider stances and solidity reminiscent of Japanese karate.

This volume contains the information required for the rank of Cho-Dan (first degree black belt) in most Taekwondo schools. Chapters cover history, stretching, strength exercises, stances, walking and moving, striking, vital points, hand, arm and head techniques, blocking, kicking techniques (including wheel kicks, jumping, and a technique I've never seen anywhere else--the handstand double foot kick!), advanced stances and combinations, sparring, self defense, breaking and special techniques, equipment in training, sport taekwondo (WTF style), and 9 forms: ki-cho 1, and the 8 Pal-Gwe.

The volume is hardcover, with cloth-covered boards and dust jacket. The photographs are crisp and clear, the paper is quality acid resistant, and the binding is (gasp) sewn. This book really is a work of art and a fine tribute to the practice of Taekwondo as a martial art.

This is an excellent resource book for new black belts in TKD and those blacks belt hoping to advance in this sport (TKD is not an art anymore)it is also helpful for those new instructors with a text outlining the forms required for advancement. GM Chun compiled an excellent resource at the time of its printing. It is worth while owning if you teach TKD or are a low rank black belt.

This book is a good resource for all black belts who are serious about continuing their training. It is a continuation of Mr. Chun's "Tae Kwon Do, The Korean Martial Art". The book presents some nice advanced kicks and displays some awesome pictures of breaking techniques. It also provides some useful self defense and free sparring examples. The book does a superb job of explaining the black belt poomse and its presentation of the Tae Geuk is also helpful. On the other hand, this book falls short in some areas. It needs more examples of advanced kicking techniques, more advanced black belt self defense, and a lot more combinations which display the different advanced variations of Tae Kwon Do techniques. In Conclusion, this is a good book, but is incomplete!