What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo, also spelled Tae Kwon Do, is a Korean martial art with roots dating back some 2,000 years. It is known as Korea’s national sport and is now an athletic event in the Olympics. As a martial art, Taekwondo is characterized not only by its use of blocks, punches, and sweeps, but also by its emphasis on kicking. Taekwondo uses moves such as sidekicks, roundhouses, and skip kicks, sometimes in conjunction with spinning and jumping maneuvers. The term Taekwondo is derived from three Korean words: Tae, meaning to kick or destroy using one’s feet; Kwon, meaning to punch or strike with one’s fists; and Do, which means a method, path, or way. Put together, the essence of Taekwondo can be taken to mean the “way of the hands and feet.” According to Taekwondo followers, the core philosophies of Taekwondo come from an ancient martial art form called Taek Kyon which goes back to 50 BC. Taek Kyon was thought to have been one of the martial arts practiced by the Hwa Rang Do, an elite team of
Taekwondo is a traditional Korean Martial Art, Self Defense and Official Olympic Sport. Taekwondo roughly means “the art of striking with the feet or fist”. However, “way of life of a warrior”, is a more accurate description and translation as Taekwondo practitioners embrace the principles of inner strength, humility, respect, honor and protection of life. Though Modern Taekwondo as we know it today has only been around since the late 50’s and early 60’s it was derived from and was own by other Korean martial art styles such as TaeKyon and Hwarangdo. Taekwondo origins were previous thought to about 2600 years old, however in the last decade with more archeological discoveries and carbon dating evidence has proven that in fact Taekwondo is in excess of 4000 years old, making it the oldest martial art around today. However Taekwondo first gained prominence in the History books when it was practiced by the Hwarang, a group of Korean knights, dedicated to unifying and defending their count
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.
