Tae Kwon Do is one Korean martial art, known for its kicks, and it suits a child who loves to kick, jump and move fast. Kung fu is the name for hundreds of Chinese martial art styles, many of them with set forms and traditional weapons, so a kung fu class depends on the style a school teaches.
How do Tae Kwon Do and kung fu compare for kids?
The biggest difference is that Tae Kwon Do is one art and kung fu is many styles, each with its own techniques.
- Age to start. Tae Kwon Do at Chung TKD starts at 2, in the Pee-Wee class. Kung fu has no common starting age, so each kung fu school sets its own.
- What kids learn. Tae Kwon Do teaches kicks, punches, blocks and forms, the set patterns of moves a student learns for each belt. Kung fu teaches what its style teaches. Northern styles tend to stress fast, powerful kicks and high jumps, southern styles tend to stress strong arm and hand techniques, and many styles teach forms, called taolu, and traditional weapons, as Wikipedia's Chinese martial arts entry describes.
- Contact. In Tae Kwon Do, contact comes from kicks and punches, and partners wear pads to spar. In kung fu, contact depends on the style and the school. Sanda, the sparring sport of modern kung fu, is full contact, with punches, kicks and throws, and amateur fighters wear protective gear, as Wikipedia's Sanda entry notes.
- Belts. Tae Kwon Do uses colored belts, called geup grades, on the way to black belt, and the ranks change from one style of Tae Kwon Do to the next, Wikipedia's Taekwondo entry notes. Kung fu has no single belt system, and ranks differ from school to school. In China, the Chinese Wushu Association uses a system of nine duan levels, as Wikipedia's Dan entry describes.
- Cost of gear. In Tae Kwon Do, the cost starts with a uniform and belt, and sparring pads add to it later. The style sets how many pieces a family buys. ITF Tae Kwon Do usually pads only the hands and feet, while World Taekwondo, the Olympic style, adds a head guard and a chest protector, as Wikipedia's Taekwondo entry describes. In kung fu, the cost depends on the style. A class that spars adds protective gear, and a style that trains with weapons adds practice weapons once a student knows the basic forms, as Wikipedia's Chinese martial arts entry notes.
Chung TKD in New Hyde Park teaches Tae Kwon Do to children ages 2 to 13, in three programs by age: Pee-Wee, Children and Youth. Grandmaster Howard Chung, 9th Dan, has taught Tae Kwon Do since 1970 and opened the school in 1984. Classes cover kicks, self-defense and the ITF forms, called hyung. This guide, by Master Chris J. Chung, 5th-degree black belt, compares the two arts, not schools.
Is Tae Kwon Do the same as kung fu?
No. Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art, and kung fu is the English name for the martial arts of China. The Koreans who built Tae Kwon Do had trained in martial arts such as karate and Chinese martial arts, the Taekwondo entry on Wikipedia says, and the two are taught today as separate arts with their own forms and ranks.
In Chinese, kung fu can mean any skill gained through hard work and practice, not only a martial art, as Wikipedia's Kung fu entry explains.
What does a child learn in Tae Kwon Do?
A child in Tae Kwon Do learns to kick, punch and block, and learns a form for each belt. The name, also written taekwondo, says what the art is about. Tae means to strike with the foot, kwon to strike with the hand, and do the way, as the Taekwondo entry on Wikipedia explains. Tae Kwon Do is an Olympic sport and is known for high, jumping and spinning kicks.
At Chung TKD, color belts learn the ITF forms, called hyung, and black belts learn the forms Kwang-Gae and Koryo. Self-defense is part of class. A child earns a stripe on their belt for a class where they went over their curriculum. Below brown belt, a child tests for the next belt when the instructors judge them ready. Grandmaster Chung runs the test, and the instructors demonstrate. Our guide to the belt colors in order has the full list.
What does a child learn in kung fu?
A child in kung fu learns one style, and the styles differ a great deal. China has hundreds of them, Wikipedia's Chinese martial arts entry notes. Shaolin kung fu, Wing Chun and tai chi are all kung fu styles, each with its own techniques, as Wikipedia's Kung fu entry explains.
Many styles teach forms, called taolu, which are set series of moves practiced as one continuous set, as Tae Kwon Do forms are. Weapons such as the staff and the sword usually come after a student knows the basic forms. The teacher is called sifu, a title rather than a rank, as Wikipedia's Sifu entry notes.
Wushu, the modern sport built from the Chinese martial arts, holds contests in forms and in sanda, as Wikipedia's Wushu entry describes. Unlike Tae Kwon Do, wushu is not a Summer Olympic sport.
Which is safer for kids, Tae Kwon Do or kung fu?
Both can be taught safely to children, and the instructor and the class matter more than the name of the art. In Tae Kwon Do, children wear pads when they spar. In kung fu, how a class spars, and when weapons come in, depend on the style. At a trial class, watch how the instructors pair children and how hard they let them go.
Which is better for self-defense?
Both teach self-defense, and how a class trains matters more than the name of the art. Tae Kwon Do teaches a child to keep their distance and get away. What a kung fu class teaches for self-defense depends on its style. At Chung TKD, self-defense is part of class.
What should you ask a kung fu school before a first class?
Ask which style it teaches, because the style decides most of the rest. These five questions fill in the kung fu side of the comparison above.
- What kids learn. Which style do you teach, and does it lean on kicks or on hand techniques?
- Age to start. From what age do children join a class?
- Contact. Do children spar, and in what protective gear?
- Belts. How do you show rank, and do children wear colored belts?
- Cost of gear. What gear do we buy at the start, and when do weapons come in?
For Tae Kwon Do, ask whether the school follows ITF or World Taekwondo, since the style sets the forms and the sparring pads. At Chung TKD, color belts learn the ITF forms.
How do you choose between Tae Kwon Do and kung fu?
Start with what your child already loves to do, then let a first class settle it.
- A child who is always kicking a ball or jumping off the couch may take to Tae Kwon Do.
- A child who is fascinated by the staff and the sword may take to kung fu, since many styles train with weapons.
Either way, watch one class. If your child asks to go back, you have your answer. If you are also weighing karate, read Tae Kwon Do vs karate. Our guide to what to expect at a first class walks through a first visit.
Trying Tae Kwon Do at Chung TKD
Every new family starts with two free trial classes, and a parent or guardian stays for them. Children wear something comfortable, sweats or shorts, and the uniform comes when a family signs up.
Questions parents ask
Is Tae Kwon Do or kung fu better for kids?
Neither is better for every child. Tae Kwon Do suits a child who loves to kick and move fast, and a kung fu class depends on its style, so a first class tells you more than the name of the art.
Is Tae Kwon Do a type of kung fu?
No. Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art, and kung fu is the name for the martial arts of China. Each has its own forms and ranks.
Does kung fu have belts?
It depends on the school, because kung fu has no single belt system. In China, the Chinese Wushu Association uses nine duan levels.
What age can a child start Tae Kwon Do at Chung TKD?
At 2, in the Pee-Wee class. Children 4 to 6 take the Children class, and children 7 to 13 take Youth.
What does gear cost for Tae Kwon Do or kung fu?
It depends on the art and the style, so ask for the gear list before you buy. Tae Kwon Do starts with a uniform and belt, and sparring pads add to the cost later. In kung fu, sparring gear and practice weapons add to the cost in styles that use them.