Tang Soo Do and taekwondo are both Korean martial arts that came out of the same schools (kwan) founded around 1945, and they share many kicks, blocks and stances. The main difference is direction. Taekwondo became a kick-focused combat sport with Olympic sparring and its own Korean forms. Tang Soo Do stayed closer to its karate roots, with a more even mix of hands and feet, karate-based forms, point sparring and, in many schools, weapons training. Tang Soo Do literally means “the way of the Tang hand,” the Korean reading of the same characters once used for karate.
| Shared roots | Korean kwan of the 1940s, strongly influenced by Okinawan and Japanese karate |
|---|---|
| Tang Soo Do | 당수도, “way of the Tang (Chinese) hand”; linked above all to Hwang Kee and the Moo Duk Kwan |
| Taekwondo | 태권도, “way of the foot and fist”; name adopted in 1955 as the kwan unified |
| Technique balance | Tang Soo Do: hands and feet more even. Taekwondo: mostly kicks |
| Competition | Tang Soo Do: point sparring. Taekwondo: Olympic full-contact sparring (World Taekwondo) |
| Black belt | Tang Soo Do dan holders often wear a midnight blue belt; taekwondo uses black |
Side by side
Tang Soo Do vs taekwondo: the key differences
| Tang Soo Do | Taekwondo | |
|---|---|---|
| Main influence | Shotokan and Okinawan karate, plus Chinese martial arts | Karate-based kwan, developed into a Korean kicking art and sport |
| Hands vs feet | Balanced; more punches and hand strikes | Kick-focused, especially high and spinning kicks |
| Stances | Deeper, karate-style stances | Higher, more mobile stances in sparring |
| Forms | Hyung from karate kata (Gicho, Pyung Ahn, Bassai) plus Korean-made forms | Taegeuk and Kukkiwon black belt poomsae, or ITF tul |
| Sparring | Point sparring with controlled contact | Olympic full-contact sparring with electronic scoring, or ITF semi-contact |
| Weapons | Taught in many schools (staff, sword, others) | Rarely taught |
| Dan belt | Often midnight blue | Black |
| Olympic sport | No | Yes, since 2000 |
| Main bodies | World Tang Soo Do Association, World Moo Duk Kwan (Soo Bahk Do), International Tang Soo Do Federation and others | World Taekwondo / Kukkiwon, ITF, ATA |
History
Where Tang Soo Do and taekwondo came from
After Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule in 1945, several martial arts schools opened in Seoul. Most of their founders had trained in karate in Japan or under Japanese rule, and some had studied Chinese martial arts. Two of these schools, the Chung Do Kwan and the Moo Duk Kwan, called their art Tang Soo Do. Hwang Kee founded the Moo Duk Kwan and is the person most associated with Tang Soo Do today.
In the 1950s the kwan began to merge under one Korean name. General Choi Hong Hi proposed “taekwondo” in 1955, and over the next decade most schools joined the national taekwondo organization. Hwang Kee refused to merge the Moo Duk Kwan, although many of its members moved to taekwondo. His branch kept its own identity and later took the name Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan, while other groups continued under the name Tang Soo Do. For the full story, see what taekwondo is and where it comes from.
Tang Soo Do reached the United States largely through American servicemen who trained in Korea. The best known is Chuck Norris, who learned it while stationed in Korea with the US Air Force and later founded his own style, Chun Kuk Do.
Similarities
What they have in common
- The same Korean roots, the same era and many of the same founding teachers.
- Korean terminology, bowing and dojang etiquette.
- Basic stances, blocks, punches and kicks, including front, side, roundhouse and back kicks.
- Colored belts leading to dan (black belt) ranks.
- Forms practice and one-step sparring for self-defense.
- A code of conduct built on respect, self-control and perseverance.
Techniques
Techniques: hands, feet and stances
Tang Soo Do keeps more of karate’s hand techniques and deeper stances. Students spend more time on punches, knife-hand and ridge-hand strikes, and kicks are usually thrown from a solid base. Taekwondo, especially in World Taekwondo sparring, puts most of its effort into fast, high and spinning kicks from a light, bouncing stance, with punches used mainly to the body. Both teach the same basic kicks; taekwondo simply goes further in kicking variety and speed. See taekwondo kicks and taekwondo punches and strikes.
Forms
Forms: hyung vs poomsae and tul
| Tang Soo Do hyung | Origin |
|---|---|
| Gicho (Kee Cho) Il Bu, Ee Bu, Sam Bu | Basic forms; the Taikyoku kata of Shotokan karate |
| Pyung Ahn Cho Dan to Oh Dan | The Pinan/Heian kata of Okinawan karate |
| Bassai | Okinawan karate kata |
| Naihanchi | Okinawan karate kata, taught in some schools |
| Chil Sung and Yuk Ro | Korean forms created by Hwang Kee |
Taekwondo replaced its karate kata with Korean forms in the 1960s and 1970s. Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo schools teach the eight Taegeuk poomsae and nine black belt poomsae; ITF schools teach 24 tul. See taekwondo poomsae.
Ranks
Belts and ranks
Both arts use colored belts (gup) before dan ranks. Tang Soo Do’s color belts are often white, orange, green and red, and many Tang Soo Do organizations give dan holders a midnight blue belt instead of black. The usual explanation is that black stands for perfection or completion, while midnight blue shows that the student is still learning. Dan holders from 4th dan up are called kodanja. Taekwondo uses black belts, with poom ranks for children under 15 in Kukkiwon schools. See taekwondo black belt levels and the taekwondo belt order.
Sparring
Sparring and competition
Tang Soo Do competition uses point sparring: the referee stops the match after each clean technique, and matches are decided by the first to a set number of points or by the score when time runs out. Contact is controlled, and head contact is usually allowed only in higher divisions. World Taekwondo sparring, the Olympic version, is continuous full-contact fighting with electronic body and head protectors, kicks to the body and head, and punches to the body only. ITF taekwondo uses semi-contact continuous sparring. See the taekwondo sparring guide and Olympic taekwondo.
Choosing
Which should you choose?
Tang Soo Do
Choose it if you want
A traditional, karate-like art with balanced hand and foot techniques, deep stances, classical forms, point sparring and possibly weapons.
Taekwondo
Choose it if you want
Fast, high kicks, an Olympic sport path, full-contact sparring and the largest number of schools to choose from.
Either one teaches discipline, fitness and self-defense. The instructor and the feel of the school matter more than the name on the door, so try a class at both if you can. You may also like taekwondo vs karate, hapkido vs taekwondo, taekkyeon vs taekwondo and taekwondo vs kung fu.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Tang Soo Do the same as taekwondo?
No, but they are closely related. Both grew from the same Korean schools of the 1940s. Taekwondo developed into a kick-focused Olympic sport, while Tang Soo Do stayed closer to traditional karate.
Is Tang Soo Do Korean karate?
In many ways, yes. Its name is the Korean reading of the original characters for karate, and many of its forms come from Shotokan and Okinawan kata, though it also has Korean forms and kicking techniques.
What does Tang Soo Do mean?
“The way of the Tang hand.” Tang refers to the Tang dynasty of China, a reference to the Chinese roots of karate.
Why do Tang Soo Do black belts wear blue?
Many Tang Soo Do organizations give dan holders a midnight blue belt because black is seen as a symbol of perfection or completion, and midnight blue shows that learning continues.
Is Tang Soo Do or taekwondo better for self-defense?
Both teach useful self-defense. Tang Soo Do spends more time on hand techniques and close range; taekwondo builds strong, fast kicks. Training quality matters more than the style.
What is Soo Bahk Do?
Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan is the name Hwang Kee later gave to his branch of the art. It is closely related to Tang Soo Do.
The short version
Tang Soo Do and taekwondo share the same Korean roots from the 1940s. Taekwondo became a kick-focused Olympic sport with Korean forms and full-contact sparring. Tang Soo Do stayed closer to karate, with balanced hand and foot techniques, karate-based forms, point sparring, often weapons, and a midnight blue belt for many dan holders. Choose the one whose training style and school suit you best.