Vanderbilt Tae Kwon Do

Purpose

Since its formation in June 1970, the club has maintained the honor and integrity of the style of Tae Kwon Do which its founder brought over from Korea. Mr. T.W. Haw, at the time a 6th dan, currently an 8th, was a student at Vanderbilt, fresh from serving and teaching this 1400 year-old martial art to American G.I.’s in Vietnam. He introduced Nashville to Tae Kwon Do in its most traditional form: hard kicks and punches practiced repetitively, day after day, in a formal, very respectful and very old-style format.

Today this same art is taught in much the same way as one of his early students (February 1972), Dr. Irv Rubenstein (also a Vandy B.A. and Ph.D. grad), learned it. With an emphasis on proper form, high kicking, hard-contact (without the padding modern stylists have come to depend on) sparring, Dr. Rubenstein, 6th Dan Black Belt, has provided the consistency of style, teaching and programming no other club sport can match.

Practice

Tae Kwon Do normally meets about three times a week for a little over an hour. With no fees to join, just bring your courage, your inner strength and your body. We’ll take care of the rest.

Contacts

Aliya Gifford:  aliya.a.gifford@vanderbilt.edu