Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do, also spelt Taekwondo or Taekwon-do, is a martial art originating in Korea. It is also an Olympic sport and is probably the most widespread marital art in the world. Character Tae means ?strike or block with foot? or ?kick?. Kwon means ?fist? or ?strike with hand?. Do mean ?the way?. So Tae Kwon Do can be translated as ?the way of kicking and punching? or ?the way of fist and feet? or even ?the way of unarmed combat?. Tae Kwon Do is not just a fighting system it contains elements of self defense, physical exercise, sport, ethical philosophy, and entertainment.
Techniques Tae Kwon Do can be termed a ?hard ?martial art. It is mainly differentiated from most other ?hard? martial arts by its extensive use of legs. This is so under the theory that legs being the longest and strongest weapon a body has can be used to deliver strikes with little chance successful retaliation.
Tae Kwon Do kicking techniques include kicks delivered while in motion. These can include common kicks like front, 45 degree, side, turning, hook, and axe kicks, as well as advanced jumping, spinning, and skipping, kicks or kick combinations. Tae Kwon Do also include a repertoire of hand strikes but tends to emphasize grappling techniques when sparring.
The main differences between the various Tae kwon Do organizations center on poomsae, a set of sequential movements that are required to demonstrate mastery of techniques and posture, as well as on philosophy and tournament rules.
Tae Kwon Do places great emphasis on competitive aspect of the sport. However some people have begun to practice other traditional Korean martial arts which place less stress on tournaments and sparring, as a reaction to this.
Tae Kwon Do training and practice constitute a great exercise regime enhancing practitioners physical and mental strengths, focus, speed, flexibility, and endurance, among other qualities.
Ranking in Tae Kwon Do consist of ten student and ten or nine dan (or black belt) ranks, depending on the organization.
History Tae Kwon Do is partly derived from ancient Korean unarmed combat styles developed when Korea was divided into several Kingdoms. One of these was subak and its component taekkyon. Initially feet based this was developed to include hand techniques by Hwarang the elite warriors in the Silla Kingdom. However these practices were prohibited to the common people by the later dynasties. Korean martial arts were further suppressed under Japanese occupation. During this time some Koreans developed martial art schools with strong Japanese influence.
When Korea was liberated, South Korean President Syngman Rhee ordered the creation of one martial art system by amalgamation of nine schools (called kwans) then in existence. Name for this unified art submitted to the relevant committee by Choi Hong Hi, a general and founder of Oh Do Kwan was Tae Kwon Do.
Tae Kwon Do was thus officially created on 11th of April 1955. The Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed to facilitate the combination of kwans. However unification was not completed and various kwans continued to teach different styles. After several further abortive attempts at unification and personal and political differences, Choi Hong Hi broke with KTA in 1966 and formed the private International Taekwondo Federation (ITF).
The International Olympic Committee recognized the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in 1980. After being a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games it became an official medal sport in 2000 Games. Tae Kwon Do and Judo are the only Asian martial arts in the Olympic Games.
WTF and ITF have differences regarding doctrine and technical aspects relating to Tae Kwon Do. They both train millions of people in Tae Kwon Do through affiliated organizations. There are also other smaller private organizations around the world. Events held by private organizations are usually open only to those training at affiliated schools and organizations. World Taekwondo Federation events are open to all.