Taekwondo (/ˌtaɪkwɒnˈdoʊ/ TY-kwon-DOH,[1] UK: /ˌtaɪˈkwɒndoʊ/ ty-KWON-
doh;[2][3] from Korean 태권도 [tʰɛ.k͈wʌn.do] ( listen)) is a Korean martial art, characterized by its
emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques.
Taekwondo was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by various martial artists who combined
elements of karate and Chinese martial arts with traditional Korean martial arts traditions such
as Taekkyeon, Subak, and Gwonbeop.[4][5] The oldest governing body for taekwondo is the Korea
Taekwondo Association (KTA), formed in 1959 through a collaborative effort by representatives from
the nine original kwans, or martial arts schools, in Korea. The main international organizational
bodies for taekwondo today are the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), founded by Choi
Hong Hi in 1966, and the partnership of the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (WT, formerly WTF),
founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively by the Korea Taekwondo Association. Gyeorugi ([kjʌɾuɡi]), a
type of full-contact sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000. The governing body for
taekwondo in the Olympics and Paralympics is World Taekwondo.
Contents
[hide]
1History of Taekwondo
2Features
o 2.1Theory of power
o 2.2Typical curriculum
3Equipment and facilities
4Styles and organizations
o 4.11946: Traditional taekwondo
o 4.21966: ITF/Chang Hon-style taekwondo
o 4.31969: ATA/Songahm-style taekwondo
o 4.41970s: Jhoon Rhee-style taekwondo
o 4.51972: Kukki-style / WT-taekwondo
o 4.6Other styles and hybrids
5Forms (patterns)
6Ranks, belts, and promotion
7Historical influences
8Philosophy
9Competition
o 9.1World Taekwondo
o 9.2International Taekwon-Do Federation
o 9.3Other organizations
10Korean Taekwondo Vocabulary
11See also
12References
13External links
History of Taekwondo[edit]
Further information: Korean martial arts
A "family tree" of the five original kwans of taekwondo. The five kwans are highlighted in yellow text.
Beginning in 1945, shortly after the end of the WWII, new martial arts schools called kwans were
opened in Seoul. These schools were established by Korean martial artists with backgrounds in
Japanese, Chinese and Korean martial arts. The umbrella term traditional taekwondo typically refers
to the martial arts practiced by the kwans during the 1940s and 1950s, though in reality the term
"taekwondo" had not yet been coined at that time, and indeed each kwan was practicing its own
unique style of martial art. During this time taekwondo was also adopted for use by the South
Korean military, which increased its popularity among civilian martial arts schools. [6][7]
After witnessing a martial arts demonstration by the military in 1952, South
Korean President Syngman Rhee urged that the martial arts styles of the kwans be merged.
Beginning in 1955 the leaders of the kwans began discussing in earnest the possibility of creating a
unified style of Korean martial arts. The name Tae Soo Do was used to describe this unified style.
This name consists of the hanja 跆tae "to stomp, trample", 手 su "hand" and 道 do "way, discipline".
Choi Hong Hi advocated the use of the name Tae Kwon Do, i.e. replacing su "hand"
by 拳 kwon (Revised Romanization: gwon; McCune–Reischauer: kkwŏn) "fist", the term also used
for "martial arts" in Chinese (pinyin quán). The new name was initially slow to catch on among the
leaders of the kwans. In 1959 the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was established to facilitate
the unification of Korean martial arts. In 1966, Choi established the International Taekwon-Do
Federation (ITF) as a separate governing body devoted to institutionalizing a common style of
taekwondo. [6][7]
Cold War politics of the 1960s and 1970s complicated the adoption of ITF-style taekwondo as a
unified style, however. The South Korean government wished to avoid North Korean influence on
the martial art. Conversely, ITF president Choi Hong Hi sought support for the martial art from all
quarters, including North Korea. In response, in 1973 South Korea withdrew its support for the ITF.
The ITF continued to function as an independent federation, then headquartered
in Toronto, Canada; Choi continued to develop the ITF-style, notably with the 1987 publication of
his Encyclopedia of Taekwondo. After Choi's retirement the ITF split in 2001 and then again in 2002
to create three separate federations each of which continues to operate today under the same
name. [6][7]
In 1973 the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established
the Kukkiwon as the new national academy for taekwondo. Kukkiwon now served many of the
functions previously served by the KTA, in terms of defining a government-sponsored unified style of
taekwondo. In 1973 the KTA supported the establishment of the World Taekwondo
Federation (WTF, renamed to World Taekwondo, WT, in 2017 due to confusion with the initialism [8])
to promote taekwondo specifically as an international sport. WT competitions employ Kukkiwon-style
taekwondo. [6] [9] For this reason, Kukkiwon-style taekwondo is often referred to as WT-style
taekwondo, sport-style taekwondo, or Olympic-style taekwondo, though in reality the style is defined
by the Kukkiwon, not the WT.
Since 2000, taekwondo has been one of only two Asian martial arts (the other being judo) that are
included in the Olympic Games. It became a demonstration event at the 1988 games in Seoul, a
year after becoming a medal event at the Pan Am Games, and became an official medal event at
the 2000 games in Sydney. In 2010, taekwondo was accepted as a Commonwealth Games sport. [10]
Features[edit]
Flying twin foot side kick
A jumping reverse hook kick
See also: List of Taekwondo techniques
Taekwondo is characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and
fast kicking techniques. In fact, World Taekwondo Federation sparring competitions award additional
points for strikes that incorporate spinning kicks, kicks to the head, or both.[11] To facilitate fast,
turning kicks, taekwondo generally adopts stances that are narrower, taller, and hence less-stable
than the broader, wide stances used by martial arts such as karate. The tradeoff of decreased
stability is believed to be worth the commensurate increase in agility, particularly in Kukkiwon-style
taekwondo.
