Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, which distinguishes it from martial arts such as Karate or southern styles of Kung Fu. The rationale is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has. Thus, legs have the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes without successful retaliation. Historically, the Koreans thought that the hands were too valuable to be used in combat.
Taekwondo as a martial art is popular with people of both genders and of many ages. Physically, Taekwondo develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's strength.
Taekwondo is often translated as “the way of hand and foot.”
Tae = Foot, Kick or To Jump
K’won = Fist or To Strike or Block with the hand
Do = The way of or “art”
Put this together and Taekwondo means: "The art of kicking and punching" or "The art of unarmed combat."
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. It is the world's most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners. Gyeorugi is a type of sparring and has been an Olympic Event since 2000.
In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way" or "method"; so "Taekwondo" is loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching".
Formally, there are two main styles of Taekwondo. One comes from the Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system Sihap Gyeorugi, which is now an event at the Summer Olympic Games and governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). The other comes from the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). There is also a more recent form called Songham Taekwondo or the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) and other variations of it such as STF (Songham Taekwondo Federation) and WTTU (World Traditional Taekwondo Union).
DISCIPLINES OF TAEKWONDO
Taekwondo has four disciplines:
Patterns
Sparring
Self-defense
Break Test
It is the combination of these four disciplines that make the art of Taekwondo.
OBJECTIVES OF TAEKWONDO AS AN ART FORM:
to develop an appreciation for Taekwondo as a sport and an art
to achieve physical fitness through positive participation
to improve mental discipline and emotional equanimity
to learn self-defense skills
to develop a sense of responsibility for one self and others.
Taekwondo is primarily a kicking art, often with a greater emphasis on the sport aspect of the art. Taekwondo stylists tend to fight at an extended range, and keep opponents away with their feet. It is a hard/soft, external, fairly linear style and is known for being very powerful. There is a lot of competition work in many dojongs. Training tends to emphasize sparring, but has forms, and the basics are important as well. |
