Tae kwon do

Tae kwon do, also known as Foot and Fist, was a martial art developed in the land of Koryo in Kara-Tur.

Reputation
This martial art was widely practiced in Koryo. Indeed, all men and boys in this battle-ready society were trained in some form of tae kwon do to some degree. It was considered an honorable martial art, that is, unlike dishonorable ninja techniques.

Training
There were ten do jang in Koryo that taught honorable martial arts such as tae kwon do. One of the most prestigious was the Do Jang of Won Kwang in Pyong Do. Here, students spent their afternoons being instructed and supervised in tae kwon do and weapons use by school masters. At this time, students underwent testing to achieve new grades.

As was common for practitioners of tae kwon do, students of the do jang wore training uniforms, or do bak, consisting of white pants and a short white robe, tied with a belt whose color and tips denoted their grade, or gup. Beginners, known as neophytes, started at 10th gup and achieved lower gups with higher grades, denoted as follows: These colors each bore special significance. White represented innocence. Yellow represented the earth, in which the seeds of tae kwon do were planted; this plant sprouted and took root here. Green represented the plant growing and unfurling; new skills were acquired like leaves were grown. Blue represented the sky and Heaven; as the plant matured with training, it reached to the sky and heavens. Red warned of danger to would-be foes, and indicated agility, balance, and knowledge of all combat techniques taught in the do jang. At this point, the student was expected to train only to perfect their physical and spiritual nature.
 * 10th gup: white belt
 * 9th gup: white belt with yellow tips
 * 8th gup: yellow belt
 * 7th gup: yellow belt with green tips
 * 6th gup: green belt
 * 5th gup: green belt with blue tips
 * 4th gup: blue belt
 * 3rd gup: blue belt with red tips
 * 2nd gup: red belt
 * 1st gup: red belt with black tips

After this point, a student achieved the rank of master and a black belt. Black represented an imperviousness to darkness and fear, and indicated maturity and proficiency. As they advanced, black belts could special techniques and maneuvers. However, as none could be truly perfect, there were different degrees of black belt, or dan, ascending through 1st dan, 2nd dan, and so on. Each do jang marked these degrees in different and even secret ways.

Description
As its name suggested, Foot and Fist focused on kicking and punching, though its primary means of attack was the foot. It was considered a "hard" form, with a number of hard techniques, but also a few "soft" techniques. It was an offensive style, inflicting more injury with less personal protection than other martial arts, and with few attacks.

Noted Practitioners
King Wanang Sun was a 3rd-dan black belt master of tae kwon do. He exercised in it every morning to demonstrate his readiness to the people.