Taekwondo History

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that emerged in the mid-twentieth century and has since become one of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world. It is one of the martial arts taught here at U.S. Martial Arts Academy. The art is characterized by powerful hand strikes and kicks, which are used for unarmed self-defense, combat, and organized sports competitions such as the Olympic Games.

Like many Asian martial arts, Taekwondo emphasizes the unification of mind, body, and spirit; the perfection of human character; social responsibility; and the appropriate use of force. Thus, the practice of Taekwondo involves both mental and physical training.

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From a technical standpoint, Taekwondo primarily focuses on fast, powerful kicking and punching techniques, blended with sophisticated footwork, jumps, blocks, and evasive movements. In recent years, some Taekwondo styles have begun incorporating a limited number of joint locks, throws, and ground defense techniques into their curriculum to keep pace with the needs of modern society and contemporary self-defense situations.

Although internal energy development is not emphasized to the same degree as in many soft-style martial arts, it remains a fundamental part of training, leading to improved health and greater efficiency in martial techniques.

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Generally speaking, Taekwondo’s core techniques have evolved based on modern scientific principles and Western anatomical and bio-mechanical concepts of the human body. Many modern innovations have been driven by lessons learned through sports competition.

In contemporary society, Taekwondo is practiced by men, women, and children of all ages for reasons that include self-defense, physical fitness, sports competition, artistic expression, and character development. It is estimated that there are more than 50 million Taekwondo practitioners worldwide. Since 1988, Taekwondo has been included in the Olympic Games, contributing to its phenomenal growth and popularity.

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# Taekwondo’s Structure

Today, many different styles of Taekwondo are practiced around the world. Nonetheless, certain core activities are common to virtually all systems. While Taekwondo may be organized differently depending on the style, most systems generally encompass five core activities:

* Practice of Fundamentals
* Self-Defense
* Sport Sparring
* Breaking
* Forms

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These five core activities are intended to provide both combat value and personal growth, helping practitioners develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. In actual training, all activities are interconnected.

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None is more important than another, and all are mutually interdependent, constituting an indivisible whole. For example, fundamental skills such as punches, kicks, and blocks are ingrained through constant repetition of basic motions. These skills are further refined through practicing prearranged patterns of movement and techniques (called forms) against imaginary opponents. Speed and power are then refined and tested through breaking various materials. Lastly, techniques are further developed through various forms of sparring (self-defense or sport), in which the student interacts with a real opponent. This builds improvisational skills, footwork, and a realistic sense of combat.

It is important to understand that these five activities are not dependent upon one’s rank or experience level, nor do they occur in any particular sequence. The training of both masters and novices is defined by these five activities throughout their martial arts journey, although their focus may differ significantly. For example, masters continually return to the practice of fundamentals to maintain and refine their techniques and to enjoy the practice itself, while beginners practice fundamentals to learn and ingrain basic skills.

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# Practice of Fundamentals (Kibon Training)

The practice of fundamentals involves mental and physical training in individual techniques such as kicks, punches, footwork, and stances — the basic elements that compose Taekwondo. Training usually involves constant repetition of basic movements in order to ingrain skills and perfect technique.

This can include activities such as target kicking, repetitive drills to refine specific strikes, breathing exercises, flexibility training, and meditation. The practice of fundamentals may be performed individually or together with classmates. Fundamental skills are further refined through sparring (self-defense or sport), breaking, and forms practice.

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# Self-Defense (Hoshin)

This activity involves training in specific unarmed techniques designed to protect oneself or others. Fundamental skills are combined and refined within realistic situations intended to approximate actual combat.

This may involve prearranged sparring, in which trainees perform predetermined actions, or free sparring, in which trainees must spontaneously improvise based on the changing dynamics of combat. Sparring is essential for developing free-thinking skills, footwork, and a realistic understanding of combat.

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# Sport Sparring (Kyorugi)

The purpose of competitive sport sparring is to:

1. Hold contests of skill based on specific rules in which competitors and spectators can enjoy the experience of victory and defeat
2. Provide a forum in which practitioners can test and develop skills with less risk of injury than real combat
3. Promote the cultivation of positive moral values and character qualities that are essential in daily life — qualities such as inner strength, resilience, confidence, assertiveness, perseverance, gracious acceptance of defeat, and the determination to never give up

There are many different forms of sport sparring, ranging from full-contact Olympic-style competition to no-contact point fighting. Historically, self-defense and sport sparring were conceptualized as a single activity called “sparring” (kyorugi or taeryon). Today, these activities differ greatly and are more appropriately considered separate disciplines.

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# Breaking (Kyokpa)

In this activity, the Taekwondo practitioner attempts to break materials such as wood, bricks, tiles, and granite using specific striking techniques.

Breaking techniques, often noted for their spectacular appearance, are not practiced merely to impress others, but rather to develop essential striking qualities such as proper hand and foot formation, speed, power, penetration, timing, accuracy, concentration, breathing, and harmony of mind, body, and spirit. Breaking also provides a socially acceptable forum for practicing full-power techniques safely.

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# Forms (Poomsae)

Forms are specific solo exercises in which the practitioner performs a predetermined, continuous pattern of movements and techniques against imaginary opponents.

Forms are used to ingrain basic motions and combinations; develop speed, fluidity, timing, power, endurance, and breathing; sharpen concentration; and build conditioned responses to various attacks and counterattacks.

One advantage of forms training is that it does not require a partner and can be practiced anywhere sufficient space is available. Forms are graded according to difficulty and are generally selected based on the student’s skill level and rank. The specific sets of forms practiced today vary widely, and many forms carry historical or philosophical significance.

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