T
Tae Bo
Definition A popular high-intensity exercise
workout
Creator Billy Blanks (1955- )
Date First taught in 1997
Tae Bo is an exercise program developed by world martial
arts champion Billy Blanks and is credited with revitaliz-
ing the fading aerobics industr y in the late 1990’s.
The term “Tae Bo” comes from the Korean wordTa e,
meaning “foot” and “leg,” and the shortened form
of “box.” The high-intensity cardiovascular workout
is a combination of moves taken from martial arts,
boxing, and aerobic dance. Set to fast-paced hip-
hop-style music, the workouts typically begin with
warm-up stretching exercises and then progress to
the cardio portion, composed of repetitive punches
and kicks, followed by a cooldown involving breath-
ing, stretching, and tai chi-like movements. The sim-
ple, repetitive moves are designed to establish car-
diovascular endurance and build muscle strength
and agility.
Billy Blanks developed the basics of Tae Bo in his
basement in 1976 primarily as a fitness routine for
himself. In 1997, he began to teach his workout rou-
tine at the Billy Blanks World Karate Center, and in
1998 the first set of four workout videocassette tapes
were marketed and sold through television infomer-
cials and the Internet. Classes were also available by
company-certified Tae Bo instructors in California
and Texas. Blanks notes that while Tae Bo is available
for everyone, he developed the program specifically
to teach women martial arts and boxing movements
to aid in self-defense. Tae Bo was considered another
form of kickboxing aerobics, which in the late 1990’s
was the latest workout fad.
Impact What sets Tae Bo apart from other workout
trends is its philosophy, which promotes self-aware-
ness, discipline, and agility. While various health or-
ganizations and professionals have criticized the
workouts, noting that the repetitive movements
could lead to serious injury, Blanks encourages mod-
ification of the movements at any time and also rec-
ommends consulting with an appropriate health
care practitioner before beginning his routines.
From his book,The Tae Bo Way(1999), and his
Web site, http://www.billyblanks.com, Blanks details the
philosophy and purpose of Tae Bo, noting that each
letter in the name signifies a Tae Bo principle: Total
commitment to whatever one does; Awareness of
oneself and the world; Excellence, the truest goal in
anything one does; Body as a force for total change;
and Obedience to one’s will and one’s true desire
for change. His exercise program coupled with his
charismatic and motivating coaching style has cre-
ated an exercise industry that is a sought-out favorite
among many individuals, including many well-
known celebrities. The high-intensity exercise cou-
pled with the can-do philosophy revolutionized
aerobic workouts and made Tae Bo the best-selling
fitness video series of the late 1990’s.Further Reading
Blanks, Billy.The Tae Bo Way.New York: Bantam
Books, 1999.
Labi, Nadya. “Tae Bo or Not Tae Bo?”Time, March
15, 1999, 77.
Susan E. ThomasSee also African Americans; Boxing; Cable televi-
sion; Fads; Health care; Hobbies and recreation;
Life coaching; Television. Tailhook incident
The Event Widespread sexual harassment and
assault at an annual U.S. Navy and Marine
Corps symposium leads to investigations and
lawsuits
Date September 5-7, 1991
Place Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada