Tang Soo Do (Hangul) means the "Way of the T'ang (China) Hand".

Early History
The ancestral art of Korean Soo Bahk Do can be traced back to the period when Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo.
Goguryeo was founded in 37 BC in northern Korea. The Silla Dynasty was founded in 57 BC in the southeast peninsula. The third kingdom, Baekje (sometimes written "Paekche") was founded in 18 BC.
Finally, after a long series of wars, the Silla Dynasty united the three kingdoms in 668 AD. During this period, the primitive martial arts (including an art known as Soo Bakh) were very popular as a method of self-defense in warfare. Among the three kingdoms, the Silla Dynasty was most famous for its development of Soo Bakh. This art incorporated weapons, such as the sword, spear, bow and knife as well as unarmed close-quarters combat and grappling. Regular tournaments were held and the victors were promoted to positions of military importance.
A corps composed of a group of young aristocrats who were called "Hwa Rang Dan" (???), which means "the flower of youth", was the major force behind the development of the art. These warriors were skilled equestrians, archers and swordsmen. They also showed great skill in unarmed combat. These warriors were instrumental in unifying the Korean peninsula under the new Silla Dynasty (668 AD - 935 AD).
The united Silla Kingdom was ultimately overthrown by a warlord, Wang Kun, in 918 AD. The new kingdom, Goryeo, lasted for 475 years (918 AD - 1392 AD). During the Wang Dynasty, the "Hwa Rang Dan" became "Gook Sun Dul" or "Poong Wal Dul." "Gook Sun" or "Poong Wal" is considered as modern army general, each could have several hundreds to several thousands private armies to protect the country and the region. This system was later adapted by the Japanese and became the Samurai (Hangul: ??, Hanja: ??) system.
In 1392, the Yi Dynasty succeeded the Goryeo kingdom. The Yi Dynasty remained intact for 500 years. During the 1000 year period of the Goryeo Kingdom and the Yi Dynasty, what we today know as Tang Soo Do was increasingly popular with the military. More importantly however, the art also became very popular with the general public. During this period, Tang Soo Do was referred to as Kwon Bop, Tae Kyun, Soo Bahk, Tang Soo and other names.
The first complete martial arts book was written at this time, the "Mooyae Dobo Tongji". It was written in 1790 and its illustrations show that Tang Soo Do (formally called "Soo Bahk Ki") had developed into a very sophisticated art of combat. Although it was popular among the public, it was eventually banned by the Yi Dynasty due to fear of rebels. Therefore, the Korean traditional martial arts were taught as one teacher has only one student throughout the teacher's life. Later, this force the Korean martial arts practitioners to retake the Japanese martial arts.

Contemporary History
The Japanese invasion of Korea in 1907, brought an end to the ruling Korean Dynasty, and along with it, the warrior caste. From 1907 until the end of WW II in 1945, the practice of Korean martial art was discouraged as the invaders brought the Japanese arts of judo, kendo, aikido and karate to Korea. Shortly after the war, five martial art schools emerged in the newly liberated Korea : Moo Duk Kwan, Changmu Kwan, Sangmu Kwan, Jido Kwan and Chungu Kwan, each practicing a unique Korean blend of Chinese (Kung fu), Japanese (Karate) and native Korean (soo bakh) arts. The Moo Duk Kwan school was run by Grandmaster Hwang Kee, who had also travelled to China. While in China, he complemented his mastery of original soo bakh do by studying the Chinese martial arts (kung fu, wushu etc).
In 1964 the Korean government planned to unite all Korean styles under the name Tae Soo Do, but this failed. A year later (this time, successfully) the government united many Korean arts under the name Tae Kwon Do. The move was not universally well received, and Grandmaster Kee along with the grandmasters of many other styles broke away. He renamed his school Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do.
In 1957 Grandmaster Jae Joon Kim, student of, and successor to Grandmaster Hwang Kee, began teaching Tang Soo Do to American G.I.’s stationed in Korea. In 1968, former student and Karate pioneer in America, Dale Droilliard convinced Grandmaster Kim to come to America, which he did in 1969. He then set up the World Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation, which currently has associations in 36 countries world-wide, including South Africa.

Tang Soo Do Today
Master Frazier studied under Grandmaster Jae Joon Kim for many years, earning his 7th Dan black belt. Master Frazier went on to establish the Sam Frazier Schools of Tang Soo Do in Lakeside, California in 1996. The school received its official certification from the World Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, Federation under Grand Master Jae Joon Kim. In 2006, Master Welch partnered with Master Frazier to open a school in La Mesa, California under the name United States Tang Soo Do. The Lakeside school was renamed to USTSD so that all schools would be owned and operatied with consistency of training and promotion. At approximately the same time the World Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do federation changed its name to World Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation. USTSD schools and students are all members in good standing with World Traditional Tang Soo Do.
Geraldine Larson studied under both Master Frazier and Master Welsh, earning her black belt in 2008. She established The United States Institute of Tang So Do in 2009 and has gone on to receive her 2nd DAN under Master Frazier and Master Welsh.
Geraldine Larson teaches privately and by appointment for those students whose reputation and identity require private lessons.
The world Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation, located in Brandon, Flordia, certifies all black belts, instructors and schools around the world. The Federation spans 6 continents and 33 countries and is proud to have trained many individuals to an exceptional level. Grand Master Jae Joon Kim (deceased) founded our school and was very much liked and respected within the martial arts community and beyond. His son, Grand Master Saul Kim, currently heads our organization and is assisted by his brothers and sister who are all high ranking DAN members.