Contents
The five kibon families (FFTDA)
| Kibon family (FFTDA) | Graded levels | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Stances (seogi) | 5 | From ready stances to fighting stances; constant height is the criterion. |
| Blocks (makgi) | 7 | Low, middle, high, then combined blocks, each level anchored to a belt. |
| Kicks (chagi) | 9 | From ap chagi to the turning/jumping repertoire, the longest of the five ladders. |
| Hand strikes (jireugi…) | 5 | The straight punch and its derivatives, to the trunk: the fist never aims at the face. |
| Footwork | 4 | Step-slides, guard changes, entering and leaving range. |
Kukkiwon's ten basic kicks
Kukkiwon organises kicking as ten basic kick skills (kibon bal chagi kisul) plus special distance/timing techniques. The core every dojang teaches: ap chagi (front), dollyo chagi (roundhouse), yeop chagi (side), dwi chagi (back), huryeo chagi (hook/whip), naeryo chagi (axe), then the turning family, which doubles the value in competition.
The vocabulary, in Korean and in plain words
- seogi: stances · makgi: blocks · chagi: kicks · jireugi: the punch
- kibon: fundamentals · kyorugi: sparring · poomsae: forms · hosinsul: self-defense · hanbon kyorugi: one-step sparring
- Commands: charyeot (attention) · kyeongnye (bow) · joonbi (ready) · sijak (begin) · kalyeo (break) · keuman (stop)
For youth: trunk targets, pad height
Every youth striking target stays at trunk height: the paddle like the chest protector. The head target exists only from cadet, with foot techniques; the full detail is in the Age groups & contact rules guide.
FAQ
In what order should kicks be taught?
Is the punch part of taekwondo?
What does « kibon » mean?
Sources
FFTDA: federal booklet (the five kibon families and their levels: blocks 7, kicks 9, hand strikes 5, stances 5, footwork 4). Kukkiwon: Taekwondo Textbook (the ten basic kick techniques, the special techniques). Paak taekwondo corpus, files 03/10 (lexicon and registers). Content verified September 2026.