Korean+Martial+Arts

TaeKwon-Do (태권도)



Brief History

The history of TaeKwon-Do tracks back all the way to the three kingdoms era of Korea, which was almost 2000 years ago. TaeKwon-Do was created in Koguryu (고구려) but Shilla (신라) warriors are credited for the vast growth of this martial art. The famous Shilla Hwarangs (화랑) were taught the early form of TaeKwon-Do, Taek-Kyun (택견) and were trained to use the combat skills in battle. Later, Taek-Kyun's name was changed to Subak (수박), which means the combat of hands, not watermelon (watermelon in Korean is also pronounced as Subak). During the Yi Dynasty, Subak was first introduced to the public as it was restricted to only those related to the military of Korea, but the public only saw it as an art and showed barely any attention towards it. However, with the Japanese invasion in 1909, Subak became popular as the Japanese forbid all types of martial arts; Koreans started forming underground groups and trained in temples or basements. This was the time when the name changed from Subak to TaeKwon-Do and has been like that ever since. The first TaeKwon-Do dojo (called Kwan [관] in Korean) was established in 1945 and there was a huge increase in the numbers of TaeKwon-Do schools during 1945 and 1960, but the real turning point for this Korean combat style was in 1952 when Korean President Seungman-Rhee watched a TaeKwon-Do demonstration. He was impressed when a TaeKwon-Do master destroyed 13 roof tiles with one punch and he immediately made TaeKwon-Do a mandatory training for Korean soldiers ("TaeKwon-Do History"). This brought a huge change and totally flipped the public perspective upon TaeKwon-Do.

In 1973, the Korean government recognized the World TaeKwon-Do Federation (WTF) and the first world championship was held that year. Featured as a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992 in the Olympics, TaeKwon-Do finally became an official medal sport in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. ("Asian Games 2006 - Disciplines.")

Fundamentals

A lot of people tend to ask a common question: What is the difference between Hapkido (합기도 )and TaeKwon-Do? Hapkido is another Korean martial art that is rather equivalent to the Japanese Ju-Jistu; Hapkido focuses more on moves that take place on the ground such as joint-locks and grapples. On the other hand, TaeKwon-Do is more of spectacular kicks. The kicks may seem flashy and not as powerful, but TaeKwon-Do kicks are devastating and can knock opponents unconscious with just one hit; many TaeKwon-Do knockouts end up with the opponent dropping dead after a single kick. Of course, it also utilizes blocks and punches, but in competitions the points are earned by kicks rather than attacks involving the arms. The fundamentals of TaeKwon-Do rest in the lower body and the ability to shift weight. By changing the center of weight and pivoting at high speeds, kicks that can blow opponents back are generated by the legs and force transferred from the upper body; in other words, all the force that the body creates, both upper and lower, are transferred straight through the leg and explodes at the end of the limb. The fascinating thing about TaeKwon-Do users is that not only can they launch devastating kicks on the ground at fast speeds, but they can actually leash out multiple kicks on both the ground and in the air by quickly jumping and twisting at the same time. Here is an example of how TaeKwon-Do kicks look like. media type="youtube" key="tt3NB_VtBfU" height="210" width="240" align="right" .........................................................................................................................................................................540º Kick --->

Just like most of all martial arts, TaeKwon-Do also has mental fundamentals. TaeKwon-Do is all about improving yourself; making yourself a better person will ultimately lead you to influence others in becoming peaceful as well. The philosophy that TaeKwon-Do should never be used as violence remains the same, just like other combat styles.

Videos

__**Technique Analyzing from "Human Weapon - TaeKwon-Do"**__

media type="file" key="axe.flv" width="243" height="243"...media type="file" key="rear horse.flv" width="243" height="243"...media type="file" key="tornado.flv" width="243" height="243" ......................Axe Kick................................................Rear Horse Kick...........................................Tornado Kick......................