History of Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean word. It is a mixture of three, Tae, Kwon, and Do. Tae means foot, Kwon means fist, and Do means way of. So the overall meaning of Taekwondo is “The way of fist and foot”.

While the roots of this martial art began to grow almost 2,300 years ago in Korea, the name Taekwondo has only been in use since 1955. It is not only known as a martial art it is also the way of life.

Before the understanding of Taekwondo, it is important to be familiar with the history of Taekwondo. Taekwondo evolved because of the happenings that took place in Korea, a long time ago. 

Taekwondo is considered as one of the best martial art for self-defense. It is almost the oldest martial arts in the world. 

Founder of the Taekwondo 

Art of the Taekwondo was founded by Gen. Choi Hong Hi. General Choi developed Taekwondo in the 1940s. It is a mixture of Japanese discipline karate and Korean discipline Taek Kyon. This method of martial art engages body and mind and in this arm combat, no weapon is used. 

The martial art was found in Korea and then spread at a rapid pace in around the world. The founder of Taekwondo dies at the age of 83 in Pyongyang in North Korea on the 15th of June. General Choi died because of cancer. 

Evolution of Taekwondo

It is a combination of martial arts most of the arts were originated in Korea.

It is among the oldest disciplines of martial arts and it was evolved almost 2,000 years ago. In Taekwondo, you can observe the movements of circular hands that are mostly used in Chinese martial arts. The technique of Taekwondo also got inspiration from other martial arts such as Kung Fu, Karate, and Judo. 

It is said that the Taekwondo was the first time mentioned when Korea was divided into three kingdoms way back in around 50 B.C. Some paintings were made on the walls that show the origin of modern Taekwondo techniques. This martial art is a good choice for self-defense as it uses hand strikes, joint locks, throws, and kicks. 

For the first time, this martial art was practiced in the Koguryo kingdom. Hwarang warriors that belong to Silla have been credited for spreading this art all over Korea. From the period of 668 A.D to 935 A.D. it was served as a system that helps to promote the fitness of the soldiers. In later times it was turned into martial art technique. 

The Revival of the Taekwondo

Taekwondo was later named as Subak. The interest of Koreans increased in this art when the Japanese invaded the country.

Japanese banned all sorts of military practices and as a language all the Korean books were also banned. At that time some Korean patriots started practicing Taekwondo and other martial arts for self-defense. In 1943 martial arts such as Karate, Judo, and Kung Fu were officially introduced to the public. 

In 1945, several versions of Taekwondo were developed by Koreans. In 1945, in the city of Seoul, the first school was established to teach the technique of Taekwondo. 

On the 11th of April 1955, a board consisting of ministers and army officers was convened by Gen. Choi in order to officially name this art that he had researched into and invented.

First glimpses of Taekwondo in the US were observed in the 1950s. The first Taekwondo association in the US came into being in 1967. 

Rules used in Taekwondo

It is a Korean martial art that was developed by Koreans after World War 2. It is the best martial art for self-defense, and it is also the part of Olympic sport as well. This martial art primarily focuses on Kicking. You can see the experienced practitioners performing high head and jumping kicks. There are various administration bodies of Taekwondo. WTF and ITF are the main federations. 

Scoring points in a Taekwondo are very simple. Players will get points when:

• A player will get one point for a basic attack on the opponent’s torso
• A player will earn two points for a spinning kick to the opponent’s torso
• Three points will be earned by kicking on the head. 

In major fights, an electronic point scoring system is used. There is a panel of 4 judges and they press the button of a bell when they observe a scoring point. A point will be awarded when three judges agreed. 

There are some rules that must be followed for a Taekwondo fight. Major rules are given below:

• Taekwondo fights will be contested between the same sex and the same weight category. 
• The competition area will be 8 meters squared.
• There will be 3 x 2 minutes rounds and between each round, there will be the rest of one minute.
• Each opponent can earn a scoring point by hitting blows to the opponent’s head or torso. 
• You can only use punches to the body while kicks can be used even on the head as well.
• If during fight coaches think that a point was missed by the judges they can record a protest and then with the help of video replay judges will make a decision.
• In the case of penalties, fighters can lose their points.
• Points will be counted at the end of three rounds and the fighter with maximum knockout points will be considered as a winner. 
• In the case of a draw, there is a system of Golden point round. In this fight, a fighter who earns the first point will be declared as a winner.

Taekwondo Today

Nowadays Taekwondo is the most exciting than ever. Under the WTF federation, this sport has grown into an international art and now it is practiced in almost 190 countries. It was accepted as the official sport Amateur Athletes Union (AAU) in 1975 in the US.. It is now the official event that will be included in all Olympic Games. Just in the United States, there are over 5 Million practitioners that are practicing this art. This sport has gained popularity worldwide. It is now practiced in almost all major countries. You can better understand Taekwondo, if you are familiar with the history of Taekwondo.