Taekwondo pairs well with many other types of martial arts, and black belts will often seek out other disciplines to augment their skills. Here’s a list of martial art styles that complement Taekwondo:
Hapkido
Like Taekwondo, Hapkido is a Korean martial art that was developed post WWII and is founded on the concept of defending oneself against attack. Even at its most elementary level, Hapkido techniques are designed to teach the student to deflect punches or remove themselves from the various holds an attacker may have them in, and then send the opponent to the ground with a well-placed joint lock, throw, or powerful counter strike. Hapkido, which doesn’t have any forms, is usually considered a self-defense style rather than a martial art sport.
Further reading:
Integrating Hapkido and Taekwondo
Black Belt Magazine’s Hapkido page
Goju-Shorei Systems
Goju-Shorei traces its roots back to the 1700s and the small kingdom of Okinawa. Through the generations, Goju-Shorei has evolved from the rudimentary Naha-Te to a comprehensive system of Karate (which includes a detailed study of pressure point applications), Weapons (which have replaced so-called traditional weapons with the Cane, Knife, and Fan), and Jujitsu (based on Danzan Ryu). In addition, Goju-Shorei has placed a great deal of importance on healing in the form of Seifukujutsu, as well as other modalities.
Further reading:
Goju-Shorei website
Krav Maga
Krav Maga is a self-defense system developed for the Israeli military that incorporates a wide combination of techniques sourced from Aikido, Boxing, Judo, and Wrestling, along with realistic fight training. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and its extremely efficient and brutal counter-attacks. It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld, who combined his training as a boxer and wrestler to defend the Jewish quarter against fascist groups in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in the mid-to-late 1930s.
Krav Maga Worldwide official website
Black Belt Magazine’s Krav Maga page
Judo
One of the most popular martial arts in the world, Judo, meaning “gentle way,” was created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. The objective is to either throw or take an opponent down to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue them with a pin, or force them to submit with a joint lock or a choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defenses are a part of Judo, but only in pre-arranged forms, not in actual Judo competition.
Further reading:
International Judo Federation official website
Black Belt Magazine’s Judo page
Karate
This hugely popular Japanese martial art is predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and open-hand techniques such as knife-hand, spear-hand, and palm-heel strikes. Historically and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital point strikes are also taught.