How is Taekwondo different from Japanese Shotokan Karate?
Florence, SC
There are two different systems of Taekwondo. The first one originated by one man, Choi, Hong Hi. He was a student/2nd Dan Black Belt of Shotokan Karate which he learned while Japan occupied Korea. This lasted until the S. Korean government started their version in 1972 called Tae Kwon Do. It was much more sports orientated and used more high kicks than the Choi-style (ITF) and took over world-wide dominance of TKD as we know it today. Shotokan Karate has not changed from it’s beginnings.
A. When it started it was basically the same. As the years have passed, it has placed more and more stress on developing kicking and sparring skills and sporting aspects of the art, the forms have changed, teaching methods have changed… The most obvious difference is that modern TKD has a greater variety of kicks.
