Tang Soo Do (art of the knife hand; way of the Chinese hand) is relatively modern. Its basis, however, the Korean art of Soo Bahk Do dates back many centuries. Tang Soo Do is a composite style, being 60 percent Soo Bahk Do, 30 percent northern Chinese, and 10 percent southern Chinese. Kicking techniques are based on Soo Bahk which was first developed during the Silla Dynasty (A.D. 618-935).

Tang Soo Do is both a hard and soft style, deriving its hardness in part from Soo Bahk and its soft flowing movements from the northern Chinese systems.

The man who developed Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, Grandmaster Hwang Kee, is a martial arts prodigy, having mastered Tae Kyun Do in 1936 at the age of 22. From 1936 to 1945 he combined Soo Bahk Do with the T'ang method and developed what was to be known as Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan.

Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan is not a sport; it has great combat applications. It is a classical martial art, and its purpose is to develop every aspect of the self, in order to create a mature personality and an individual who can deal with all aspects of life in a positive manner.

Over the past twenty years thousands of Americans have studied Tang Soo Do in Korea. Korean instructors have been sent around the world, and there are now major Tang Soo Do organizations throughout the world. In the United States, Chuck Norris helped to pioneer this art and in the process became one of the world's most famous martial artists.