“Traditional Taekwondo: Basic Techniques, History and Philosophy” by Doug Cook is a book that every Taekwondo practitioner will want on their bookshelf. It is also a book that will appeal to other Korean martial artists and even those who do not practice Korean arts but would like to understand more about the “foot, hand, path” of the land of morning calm.

The book is divided into three parts, the first is History and Culture, the second is Philosophy and the final section focuses on Technique. The first two sections were excellent and will help all those who practice the art of Taekwondo to better understand the history, culture and philosophy found within the art. These are the sections that will also attract other Korean martial artists and even other arts. The third part, Technique, did a good job of showing some techniques from the Taekwondo curriculum, but it was not as strong or as interesting as the first two parts.

It is extremely difficult to boil the history of a country, especially a country like Korea that has a long and interesting history, in a few short chapters. I think Cook did a very good job of reducing the story to some of the most relevant and interesting historical references, starting with the legend of Tan-gun. Briefly covers the Three Kingdoms and some of the key players in Korean history. It has a bit of the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945, which is important regarding the development of Taekwodo. The next chapter on the Formative Years of Taekwondo is very interesting and valuable for all those who want to learn more about art history.

The Philosophy part had chapters on the role of meditation in traditional taekwondo, the development and use of combat ki, and the relevance of poom-se in traditional taekwondo. These chapters, again, were interesting and educational. I think they give the reader a deeper look at taekwondo than just the popular sports combat.

The third part, and the longest, focuses on technique. It is the longest because it is mainly about images, which illustrate the techniques chosen for the text. The chapters cover the conditioning exercises first and then a chapter that describes the training methods. While I agree with most of what was written, there were a few things I would have written differently, especially the description of ho shin sool or self defense techniques. It is correct that ho shin sool techniques provide solutions to grabs as written, but ho shin sool techniques also include defenses against punches, kicks and initiation movements.

I liked the guidelines regarding training, especially the emphasis on respect and safety. Then for techniques actually demonstrated with images, there are 18 combinations of Il Su Sik (one-step combat), 8 combinations of Sam Su Sik (three-step combat), 18 Ho Shin Sool (self-defense techniques), and 16 defenses. for women. You can see this in two ways. First, look at this section as a small sample of techniques that you will find in the taekwondo curriculum. That is what it is. And as a small sample, Cook did a good job adding it. However, learning the techniques from the book would be extremely difficult, just as learning any martial art from a book is not recommended, you need a live instructor and a partner to train with. I had a fundamental disagreement with how some of the ho shin sool techniques were demonstrated because the correct body positions, movement, and weight placement were not illustrated, and I am also struggling with a couple of techniques entirely. (i.e. blocking a pipe with the forearm) However, it is not the purpose of this review to dedicate itself to the practicality of the techniques, etc. Enough said.

There is a short conclusion and then the sections of the appendix. Appendix A was extremely interesting. He was talking about a training experience with Grandmaster Gyoo Hyun Lee in Korea. I found it interesting and it also made me long to go back to training in Korea. It really made me long for my next trip there to train. There were also some Korean / English terms and few martial arts organizations on the list. Nice additions to the book, especially the training experience with Grandmaster Lee.

For the History and Philosophy sections, I rate this book a 5, and for the Techniques section a 3. Therefore, the book is a 4 overall and I recommend that all taekwondo stylists read and learn. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand the history, philosophy and techniques of traditional taekwondo.