Tae Kwon Do: The Ultimate Reference Guide to the World's Most Popular Martial Art**OUT OF PRINT**

I have been involved in numerous Japanese martial arts as both a student and instructor (Judo, Jujitsu, Karate-Do, and Kenjutsu) since 1957. I also studied the Korean art of Tae Kwon Do for a while but I never achieved a black belt rank in that martial art; nevertheless, I did become familiar with most of their techniques over the years.I recently saw this book (Tai Kwon Do: The ultimate reference guide to the world’s most popular martial art by Yeon Hee Park, Yeon Hwan Park and Jon Gerrard) on Amazon for a bargain price and purchased it. This 218 page hardcover book was published in 1989 and is endorsed by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation.This book covers an enormous amount of material and students of Tae Kwon Do can benefit from the information reading and studying this volume. This text is organized into seven areas and includes the following: Warm up exercises, basic techniques, the eight forms, sparring techniques, practical applications, breaking techniques and the philosophy of Tae Kwon Do. The appendix sections have rules of competition, weight and belt divisions and Tae Kwon Do terminology.The one thing that is not good about this book is the very small photographs. There are 100s of black and white photographs but most are too small to fully see the techniques; nevertheless, if students use this text along with their actual hands-on training with an instructor, this book can be of supplemental value to them as a reference source.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Pro-Systems Combatives Vol. 1,2).

It is what it's supposed to be.This is no substitute for a real sensei in a legitimate class, but it's a good companion if you're taking a class. It contains detailed descriptions of all the forms you'll need to know so if you forget a step you can look it up.So it's a good reference to be able to practice at home between classes. Help you advance faster.It weighs be better if it were organized a little different. I'd rather see it described by belt level so everything you need most is all in the same place. Instead it's grouped by type. So all the strikes and blocks are in one section, ask the pumsay in another, etc. That format would be fine for a black belt wanting to review everything before giving a demonstration or taxing a class, but not as good for a student still learning.Overall though, it's still a good reference. It looks like it has everything it needs. I'm not high enough level really know for sure but there's nothing obviously missing.

In my opinion, this has long been one of the premiere books of the art form. My teacher, a Grand Master from Korea, sold this book through his practice for students who were interested in learning more about form and technique. I was happy to purchase this copy to replace my original, which earned a lot of wear and tear over the years. Although there seem to be a number of great videos on the web and there is no substitute for a live teacher, I believe this is a worthwhile investment for any serious student of Tae Kwon Do.

I really like the layout of this book. They are divided in sections, e.g. Basics, Forms, Sparring. What makes this unique, in my opinion idiot shows the forms by picture from several different angles, explains the movement and what the defense does to your attacker. It also shows a line diagram of the movement. I started TKD in May, 2014 and THIS is my go to book and I have several that don't compare.

Very good

great little book and in very good condition.

It is a good starting reference for those beginning about the sport. The pictures of the poomse are helpful but nothing takes the place of good instruction. I found it hard to rely on the pictures to do the forms.

....for those of us who need to refer to our poomsae quickly. Tedeshci's texts (taekwondo and hapkido) would be a lot better, but they're big and are rather expensive.Park and Park gives you a lot of bang for your buck, and the book can easily be stored in your briefcase, gymbag, etc.

Very good. All the essential aspects are covered.