How many styles of Tae Kwon Do in all?

Answer 1

In Taekwondo, many experts prefer not to label the differences in curriculums as "styles." They are what were known as "Kwans" which means a family of related schools under the leadership of one founder (the "Kwanjang"). There were five original Kwans which branched out to more than 20 or 30 between 1945 and 1955. Eventually, nine Kwans were officially recognized. They were unified in the Korea Taekwondo Association, numbered, and required by the Korean Government to be dissolved (the agreement was signed by the Kwan leaders, but each Kwan remains active today)

Five original Kwans

Chung Do Kwan

Song Moo Kwan

Mu Duk Kwan

Kwan Bop Bu / Chang Moo Kwan

Yun Moo Kwan / Jidokwan

Later Kwans

Han Moo Kwan

Oh Do Kwan: formed by former Chung Do Kwan students (Gen. Hong Hi Choi, and Tae Hi Nam) was the military Kwan.

Kang Duk Won

Jung Do Kwan

On May 20, 1976, The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) replaced the Kwan names with numbers, and the Kwan system was allegedly dissolved, but it remains intact today.

The nine official Kwans were:

Kwan #1: Song Moo Kwan

Kwan #2: Han Moo Kwan

Kwan #3: Chang Moo Kwan

Kwan #4: Moo Duk Kwan

Kwan #5: Oh Do Kwan

Kwan #6: Kang Duk Won

Kwan #7: Jung Do Kwan

Kwan #8: Jidokwan

Kwan #9: Chung Do Kwan

There was also a 10th Kwan, Kwan Ri Kwan, which was labeled as the Administrative Managing Kwan.

Since that time, there have been numerous organizations, and independent schools that have opened, each one changing the techniques, and method of instruction to one degree or another. These are individual personal preferences, and are too numerous to identify or label.