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The
Art of Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do is a form of Korean martial arts.
This means that in the past, Tae Kwon Do has
been utilized as a systemized method of combat
and self-defense, and its roots are traced
particularly to the Koguryo dynasty between
37 BC to 668 AD. Despite this though, modern
Tae Kwon Do bears little or no resemblance
to Korean martial arts of this time. In fact,
the name Tae Kwon Do did not come to pass
until the 1960s after the Japanese occupation
in Korea had ended.The term Tae Kwon Do, loosely
translated means the way the foot and fist
strikes. This term for the Korean martial
arts was chosen to unify all the martial art
schools that existed in Korea after the Japanese
occupation. |
Actually, Tae Kwon Do is
a melting pot of martial art techniques from
Japan and China, combined with traditional
Korean martial arts. One can probably say
that Tae Kwon Do takes the best of all the
martial art schools from Korea, Japan and
China and masterfully blends it into the umbrella
of Tae Kwon Do. This particular martial art
relies on the philosophy that one's leg is
his longest weapon, which he can use to strike
his opponent at some distance. This is why
Tae Kwon Do is characterized by its kicks
especially in sparring competitions.
Remember that before the human civilization
became global and highly technological, wars
between and among dynasties in the eastern
nations were done by soldiers through one
on one combat utilizing the martial arts they
were trained in. More than a combat technique,
the reason why the word "art" is
added in this term is because aside from combat
training, students of certain martial arts
schools were also taught academic lessons
as well as philosophies, making martial arts
a certain way of life.
Now in this modern day, martial arts are no
longer taught for this purpose and instead,
individuals learn martial arts as a sport
or form of entertainment. In this regard,
Tae Kwon Do is a very popular method of martial
arts. It is Korea's public sport and it has
immense presence all around the globe with
federation head quarters not only in Korea
but in Austria and Canada as well.
Aside from this, Tae Kwon Do is one of two
martial art forms that are part of the Olympics.
In Olympic competition, grappling is not allowed
and instead, competitions are done by sparring,
where blows to the head and spine are also
not allowed. As with any other martial art
school, Tae Kwon Do students show their rank
and progress by acquiring different colored
belts depending on their level.
While belt colors and what they stand for
generally vary, it is most common to begin
at the white belt level and progress nine
colors further to reach the highest colored
belt of black. Even at the black belt level,
there are still ranks and levels that are
usually signified by silver or gold stripes
on the black belt.
Aside from grappling which is done only in
higher levels of Tae Kwon Do, and sparring,
Tae Kwon Do is also known for breaking techniques
such as smashing layers of bricks and other
sturdy materials. This is done for martial
arts demonstrations. |
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