The early masters of Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido deliberately incorporated the concept of “Do” into the naming of their martial arts. The concept of “Do” is essential to our understanding and practice of Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido as martial arts. 

The concept of “Do” is most adequately illustrated by its original Chinese characterisation. Naturally, the word “Do” can be written in English and Korean characters. However, English and Korean scripts are phonetic in nature and do not express the philosophical meaning of  'Do' in the characters themselves - the Chinese characterisation does.  For this reason, the Chinese characterisation of “Do” features prominently in the Walsh Martial Arts Australia logo.

The essential meaning of “Do” is “art” or “philosophical way leading righteously forward”. As applied to Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido:

1. -the concept of “art” describes the physical expression of the human instinct for self preservation through the practice of refined and aesthetically pleasing self-defence techniques; and
   

2. -the concept of “way” describes the spiritual realisation that comes with the development of personal character through the mastery of self-defence skills and a harmonious existence with the laws of nature.
   

Hence, Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido are not just sports or mere systems of self-defence. The concept of “Do” pervades and motivates the instruction of Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido in all Walsh Martial Arts Australia schools.

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