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Taeguk (in World Taekwondo Federation, or WTF, Taekwondo) refers to a set of pumsae used to create a foundation for the teaching of Taekwondo. more...

A pumsae, or form, is represented by 形 or 型 and is a detailed pattern of defense-and-attack motions and techniques used in traditional martial arts. The word Taeguk (the Korean pronunciation of Taiji/T'ai Chi) refers to the important principle in east Asian Taoist thought of the union of yin and yang.

All students studying in WTF Kukkiwon style must learn these forms, or Taeguks, to advance to a higher belt level. There are eight Taeguks, each one similar to the previous one, but each time with more complicated techniques to display the students' mastery of the techniques learned during lessons as well as the ability to interconnect these techniques.

Each Taeguk symbolizes a specific state thought to be indicative of the belt the student currently holds before gaining a new belt, and is represented in WTF Taekwondo by trigrams similar to those found in the four corners of the South Korean flag.

In order to receive a Black Belt, the student must perform all Taeguks consecutively.

Each Dan (degree of Black Belt) also has its own associated form, required for belt testing. The first degree form for the WTF is called Koryo.

The Palgwe forms are a slightly older, somewhat similar supplemental group of WTF pumse. There are eight Palgwe forms that also represent eight trigrams from I-Ching.

The International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) has its own sequence of pumse. They are named after figures from Korean history and are less formulaic than the WTF's Taeguk and Palgwe pumse. The first nine, which are required for 1st degree black belt, are named after significant Korean historical figures or concepts: Chonji, Dangun, Dosan, Wonhyo, Yulgok, Junggon, Toegye, Hwarang, and Chungmu.

Read more at Wikipedia.org