Taekwondo (also, Tae Kwon Do, Taekwon-Do, or Tae Kwon-Do) is a martial art and combat sport originating in Korea. Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea and sparring, kyeorugi, is an Olympic sporting event.
In Korean, derived from hanja, tae (跆) means to destroy with the feet; kwon (拳) means to strike or smash with the hand; and do (道) means "path", "way" or "method". Hence, taekwondo is loosely translated as "the way of the feet and fist".
Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the divergent evolution of the martial art. As with many other martial arts, taekwondo is a combination of combat technique, self-defense, sport, exercise, entertainment, and philosophy.
Taekwondo is a modern martial art, characterized by it's fast, high and spinning kicks. There are multiple interpretations of the name taekwondo. Taekwondo is often translated as 'the way of hand and foot'. My definition of the name Taekwondo is
Although there are great doctrinal and technical differences among public and private taekwondo
organizations. The art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, using the leg's greater reach and power to disable the opponent from a distance.
In sparring, turning, front, reverse turning and side kicks are often used, as well as the backfist and reverse punch; advanced kicks include jump, spin, sliding, and skip kicks, often in combination.
Taekwondo training often includes a system of blocks, punches, open-handed strikes and may include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks, though it generally does not emphasize grappling.
aekwondo is one of the most
systematic and scientific Korean
traditional martial arts, that teaches
more than physical fighting skills. It
is a discipline that shows ways of
enhancing our spirit and life through
training our body and mind. Today, it
has become a global sport that has
gained an international reputation,
and stands among the official games in
the Olympics.
Let's take a closer look at
the meaning of the word
"Tae"
"Kwon"
"Do." It is composed
of three parts as shown in the
English spelling, though it is
one word in Korean.
"Tae" means
"foot,"
"leg," or "to
step on";
"Kwon" means
"fist," or
"fight"; and
"Do" means the
"way" or
"discipline." If we
put these three parts
together, we can see two
important concepts behind
"Tae Kwon Do".
First,
Taekwondo is the right way of using
Tae and Kwon 'fists and feet,' or all
the parts of the body that are
represented by fists and feet. Second,
it is a way to control or calm down
fights and keep the peace. This
concept comes from the meaning of Tae
Kwon 'to put fists under control' [or
'to step on fists']. Thus Taekwondo
means "the right way of using all
parts of the body to stop fights and
help to build a better and more
peaceful world."
Taekwondo
has been developing with the 5000-year
long history of Korea, being called by
several different names in the course.
In Korea, Taekwondo began as a defense
martial art called "Subak"
or "Taekkyon," and developed
as a way of training body and mind in
the ancient kingdom of Koguryo, under
the name of "Sunbae." In the
Shilla period, it had become the
backbone of Hwarangdo that aimed at
producing leaders of the country.
Taekwondo today is similar
to the martial arts in other
Oriental countries and shares
some features with them,
because in the course of its
evolution it has gained many
different styles that existed
in the martial arts of the
countries surrounding Korea,
like Japan and China.
But Taekwondo is very
different from many such oriental
martial arts. First, physically it is
very dynamic with active movements
that include a mirage of foot skills.
Second, the principle physical
movements are in simpatico with that
of the mind and life as a whole.
Third, it possesses dynamic poses from
another perspective.
Taekwondo can be
characterized by unity: the unity of
body, mind, and life, and the unity of
the pose ["poomsae"] and
confrontation, and cracking down. When
you do Taekwondo, you should make your
mind peaceful and synchronize your
mind with your movements, and extend
this harmony to your life and society.
This is how in Taekwondo the principle
of physical movements, the principle
of mind training, and the principle of
life become one and the same. On the
other hand, the right poomsae lead to
the right confrontation, which will
eventually produce great destructive
power.
How come we reach such
a unity in Taekwondo? Taekwondo is a
way of life, much like having a job,
raising a family, fighting for a
cause, or any one of numerous raison
d'etre. What makes Taekwondo different
from these is that it is an activity
for survival in extremely antagonistic
situations. One must always overcome
the enemy that is trying to cause
harm. But simply winning a fight is
not enough to guarantee one's safety,
because the enemy may recuperate and
attack again. Moreover, there may be
many other enemies than the one that
was just defeated. One cannot ever
feel safe unless one gains permanent
peace. To attain this permanent or
lasting peace, one needs unity. This
is what Taekwondo aim for. Otherwise
Taekwondo would be no different from
any other street-fighting skills.
Taekwondo pursues
harmonious growth and improvements of
life through its unique activities.
This is why one could say Taekwondo is
a way of life. To ultimately enable
ourselves to lead more valuable lives,
we would do well by finding the
guiding principles deeply hidden in
Taekwondo. ~ The World Taekwondo Federation
