Taekwondo (; ; ) is a

Korean martial art Korean martial arts ( or ) are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation. The history of K ...

and

combat sport A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knock ...

involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In addition to its five tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit, the sport requires three physical skills: ''poomsae'' (, Form), ''kyorugi'' (, Sparring) and ''gyeokpa'' (, Breaking Technique). Poomsae are patterns that demonstrate a range of kicking, punching and blocking techniques, kyorugi involves the kind of sparring seen in the Olympics, and gyeokpa is the art of breaking wooden boards. Taekwondo also sometimes involves the use of weapons such as swords and nunchucks (nunchaku). Taekwondo practitioners wear a uniform known as a . Taekwondo is a

which was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

and

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

. The oldest governing body for taekwondo is the

Korea Taekwondo Association Korea Taekwondo Association (; KTA), originally the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (1961),Park, S. H. (1993): About the author. In H. H. Choi: ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: Internatio ...

(KTA), formed in 1959 through a collaborative effort by representatives from the nine original ''kwans'', or martial arts schools, in Korea. The main international organizational bodies for taekwondo today are various branches of the

International Taekwon-Do Federation International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) is an international taekwondo organization founded on March 22, 1966, by Choi Hong Hi () in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Korean martial art of ta ...

(ITF), originally founded by

Choi Hong-hi Choi Hong-hi (; 9 November 1918 – 15 June 2002) was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of taek ...

in 1966, and the partnership of the

Kukkiwon Kukkiwon (), also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is where the official taekwondo governing organization was established by the South Korean government.Min, B.-H. (2005): (11 July 2005). Publishe ...

and

World Taekwondo World Taekwondo, formerly the World Taekwondo Federation, is an international federation governing the sport of Taekwondo and Para Taekwondo. WT is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The World Taekwo ...

(WT, formerly World Taekwondo Federation or WTF), founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively by the

. Gyeorugi (), a type of full-contact

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. It can encompass a range of activities and techniques such as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, wrestling or submission work dependent on style. Although the precise form varies, ...

, has been an Olympic event since 2000. In 2018, the South Korean government officially designated taekwondo as Korea's national martial art. At the Olympic and

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

level, taekwondo is governed by

History

Emergence of various ''kwans''

Beginning in 1945, shortly after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the Japanese occupation, new

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

schools called ''kwans'' opened in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. These schools were established by Korean martial artists with backgrounds in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and

. Early progenitors of taekwondo—the founders of the nine original ''kwans''—who were able to study in Japan were exposed to

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

, including karate,

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

, and

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...

,Park, S. W. (1993): About the author. In H. H. Choi: ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 241–274). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation while others were exposed to the martial arts of China and Manchuria. Discussions around the historical influences of taekwondo have been controversial, with two main schools of thought: traditionalism and revisionism. Traditionalism holds that the origins of taekwondo are indigenous while revisionism, the prevailing theory, argues that taekwondo is rooted in karate. In later years, the Korean government has been a significant supporter of traditionalist views as to divorce taekwondo from its link to Japan and give Korea a "legitimate cultural past".

Attempt to standardise taekwondo

In 1952, South Korean president

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

witnessed a martial arts demonstration by

South Korean Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...

officers

and Nam Tae-hi from the 29th Infantry Division. He misrecognized the technique on display as

taekkyon Taekkyon (; ), also spelled Taekkyeon, Taekgyeon, or Taekyun, is a traditional Korean martial art. It is characterized by fluid, dynamic foot movement called ''pumbalki'', or "stepping-on-triangles". Taekkyon includes hands and feet techniques to ...

, and urged martial arts to be introduced to the army under a single system. Beginning in 1955 the leaders of the ''kwans'' began discussing in earnest the possibility of creating a unified Korean martial art. Until then, "

Tang Soo Do Tang Soo Do (; ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean martial art based on karate which can include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by ...

" was the term used for Korean karate, using the Korean

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

pronunciation of the Japanese

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

. The name "Tae Soo Do" () was also used to describe a unified style Korean martial arts. This name consists of the

"to stomp, trample", "hand" and " way, discipline". Choi Hong-hi advocated the use of the name "Tae Kwon Do", replacing ''su'' "hand" with (

Revised Romanization Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Mi ...

: ;

McCune–Reischauer McCune–Reischauer romanization ( ) is a romanization system for the Korean language. It was first published in 1939 by George M. McCune and Edwin O. Reischauer. According to Reischauer, McCune "persuaded the American Army Map Service to ad ...

: ) "fist", the term also used for "martial arts" in Chinese (

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

). The name was also the closest to the pronunciation of "taekkyon", The new name was initially slow to catch on among the leaders of the ''kwans''. During this time taekwondo was also adopted for use by the South Korean military, which increased its popularity among civilian martial arts schools.

Development of multiple styles

In 1959, the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (later

or KTA) was established to facilitate the unification of Korean martial arts. Choi wanted all the other member ''kwans'' of the KTA to adopt his own Chan Hon-style of taekwondo, as a unified style. This was, however, met with resistance as the other ''kwans'' instead wanted a unified style to be created based on inputs from all the ''kwans'', to serve as a way to bring on the heritage and characteristics of all of the styles, not just the style of a single ''kwan''. As a response to this, along with political disagreements about teaching taekwondo in North Korea and unifying the whole Korean Peninsula, Choi broke with the (South Korea) KTA in 1966, in order to establish the

(ITF)— a separate governing body devoted to institutionalizing his Chan Hon-style of taekwondo in Canada. Initially, the South Korean president gave Choi's ITF limited support, due to their personal relationship. However, Choi and the government later split on the issue of whether to accept North Korean influence on the martial art. In 1972, South Korea withdrew its support for the ITF. The ITF continued to function as an independent federation, then headquartered in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. Choi continued to develop the ITF-style, notably with the 1983 publication of his ''Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do''. After his retirement, the ITF split in 2001 and then again in 2002 to create three separate ITF federations, each of which continues to operate today under the same name. In 1972, the KTA and the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established the

as the new national academy for taekwondo. Kukkiwon now serves many of the functions previously served by the KTA, in terms of defining a government-sponsored unified style of taekwondo. In 1973 the KTA and Kukkiwon supported the establishment of the

World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo, formerly the World Taekwondo Federation, is an international federation governing the sport of Taekwondo and Para Taekwondo. WT is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The World Taek ...

(WTF), which later changed its name to "World Taekwondo" (WT) in 2017 due to the previous initialism overlapping with an internet slang term. While the Kukkiwon focus on the martial art and self-defence aspects of Kukki-Taekwondo, the WT promoted the sportive side, and its competitions employ a subset of the techniques present in the Kukkiwon-style taekwondo. For this reason, Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo is often referred to as WT-style Taekwondo, sport-style Taekwondo, or Olympic-style Taekwondo, though in reality the style is defined by the Kukkiwon, not the WT. Since 2000, taekwondo has been one of three Asian martial arts (the others being

and

), and one of six total (the others being the previously mentioned, Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, and boxing) included in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. It started as a demonstration event at the 1988 games in Seoul, a year after becoming a medal event at the Pan Am Games, and became an official medal event at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. In 2010, taekwondo was accepted as a

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

sport.

Features

Taekwondo is characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. In fact, WT sparring competitions award additional points for strikes that incorporate spinning kicks, kicks to the head, or both.

Typical curriculum

While organisations such as ITF or Kukkiwon define the general style of taekwondo, individual clubs and schools tend to tailor their taekwondo practices. Although each taekwondo club or school is different, a student typically takes part in most or all of the following: * Forms ( or , also , and ): these serve the same function as in the study of karate *

Sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. It can encompass a range of activities and techniques such as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, wrestling or submission work dependent on style. Although the precise form varies, ...

( or ): sparring includes variations such as freestyle sparring (in which competitors spar without interruption for several minutes); seven-, three-, two-, and one-step sparring (in which students practice pre-arranged sparring combinations); and point sparring (in which sparring is interrupted and then resumed after each point is scored) * Breaking ( or ): the breaking of boards is used for testing, training, and martial arts demonstrations. Demonstrations often also incorporate bricks, tiles, and blocks of ice or other materials. These techniques can be separated into three types: ** Power breaking – using straightforward techniques to break as many boards as possible ** Speed breaking – boards are held loosely by one edge, putting special focus on the speed required to perform the break ** Special techniques – breaking fewer boards but by using jumping or flying techniques to attain greater height, distance, or to clear obstacles * Self-defense techniques () * Throwing and/or falling techniques ( or ) * Both

anaerobic Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to: *Adhesive#Anaerobic, Anaerobic ad ...

and

aerobic Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen. Aerobic may also refer to * Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity * Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise * Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cellu ...

workout, including stretching * Relaxation and

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

exercises, as well as

breathing Breathing (spiration or ventilation) is the rhythmical process of moving air into ( inhalation) and out of ( exhalation) the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxy ...

control * A focus on mental and ethical

discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...

etiquette Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...

justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

self-confidence Confidence is the feeling of belief or trust that a person or thing is reliable. * * * Self-confidence is trust in oneself. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do in the future. Sel ...

, and leadership skills * Examinations to progress to the next rank Though weapons training is not a formal part of most taekwondo federation curriculum, individual schools will often incorporate additional training with weapons such as staffs, knives, and sticks.

Styles and organizations

There are a number of major taekwondo styles as well as a few niche styles. Most styles are associated with a governing body or federation that defines the style. The major technical differences among taekwondo styles and organizations generally revolve around: * The

patterns A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated li ...

practiced by each style (called , ''pumsae'' , or , depending on the style); these are sets of prescribed formal sequences of movements that demonstrate mastery of posture, positioning, and technique * Differences in the sparring rules for competition. * Martial arts philosophy.

1946: Traditional Taekwondo

"Traditional Taekwondo" refers to the 1940s and 1950s martial arts by the nine original ''kwans''. They used a number of different names such as Tang Soo Do (Chinese Hand Way), Kong Soo Do (Empty Hand Way) and Tae Soo Do (Foot Hand Way). Traditional Taekwondo is still practised today but generally under names like

and

Soo Bahk Do Soo Bahk Do (수박도) is a martial art founded by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Kee, and now is taught by Kwan Jang Nim Hwang Hyun-chul, Hwang Hyun Chul, known as H.C. Hwang, and instructors who are certified by member organizations of the World Moo Duk ...

. In 1959, the name ''taekwondo'' was agreed upon by the nine original ''kwans'' as a common term for their martial arts. As part of the unification process, The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed through a collaborative effort by representatives from all the ''kwans'', and the work began on a common curriculum, which eventually resulted in the Kukkiwon and the Kukki Style of Taekwondo. The original ''kwans'' that formed KTA continues to exist today, but as independent fraternal membership organizations that support the

and Kukkiwon. The ''kwans'' also function as a channel for the issuing of Kukkiwon dan and poom certification (black belt ranks) for their members. The official curriculum of those ''kwans'' that joined the unification is that of the Kukkiwon, with the notable exception of half the Oh Do Kwan which joined the ITF instead and therefore uses the Chan Hon curriculum.

1966: ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo

(ITF)-style Taekwondo, more accurately known as Chang Hon-style Taekwondo, is defined by

's ''Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do'' published in 1983. In 1990, the

Global Taekwondo Federation __NOTOC__ Park Jung-tae (c. 1943 – 11 April 2002) was a South Korean master of taekwondo and a pioneer of that martial art in Canada.Younglai, R. (2002)Obituary of Grand Master ParkRetrieved on 14 February 2009.tul''; the specific set of tul used by the ITF is called ''Chang Hon''. Choi defined 24 ''Chang Hon'' tul. The names and symbolism of the Chang Hon tul refer to elements of

Korean history The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earli ...

, culture and religious philosophy. The GTF-variant of ITF practices an additional six tul. Within the ITF taekwondo tradition there are two sub-styles: * The style of taekwondo practised by the ITF before its 1973 split with the KTA is sometimes called by ITF practitioners "Traditional Taekwondo", though a more accurate term would be ''Traditional ITF Taekwondo''. * After the 1973 split, Choi Hong-hi continued to develop and refine the style, ultimately publishing his work in his 1983 ''Encyclopedia of Taekwondo''. Among the refinements incorporated into this new sub-style is the "sine wave"; one of Choi Hong-hi's later principles of taekwondo is that the body's centre of gravity should be raised-and-lowered throughout a movement. Some ITF schools adopt the sine wave style, while others do not. Essentially all ITF schools do, however, use the patterns (tul) defined in the Encyclopedia, with some exceptions related to the forms ''Juche'' and ''Ko-Dang''.

1969: ATA/Songahm-style Taekwondo

In 1969, Haeng Ung Lee, a former Taekwondo instructor in the South Korean military, relocated to Omaha, Nebraska and established a chain of martial arts schools in the United States under the banner of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). Like Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo, ATA Taekwondo has its roots in traditional taekwondo. The style of Taekwondo practised by the ATA is called ''Songahm Taekwondo''. The ATA went on to become one of the largest chains of Taekwondo schools in the United States. The ATA established international spin-offs called the Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) and the World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) to promote the practice of Songahm Taekwondo internationally. In 2015, all the spin-offs were reunited under the umbrella of ATA International.

1970s: Jhoon Rhee-style Taekwondo

In 1962 Jhoon Rhee, upon graduating from college in Texas, relocated to and established a chain of martial arts schools in the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

area that practiced Traditional Taekwondo. In the 1970s, at the urging of

, Rhee adopted ITF-style Taekwondo within his chain of schools, but like the GTF later departed from the ITF due to the political controversies surrounding Choi and the ITF. Rhee went on to develop his own style of taekwondo called Jhoon Rhee-style Taekwondo, incorporating elements of both traditional and ITF-style Taekwondo as well as original elements.

1972: Kukki-style / WT-Taekwondo

In 1972 the

(KTA) Central Dojang opened in Seoul; in 1973 the name was changed to

. Under the sponsorship of the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism the Kukkiwon became the new national academy for Taekwondo, thereby establishing a new "unified" style of Taekwondo. In 1973 the KTA established the

(WTF, now called

, WT) to promote the sportive side of Kukki-Taekwondo. The

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

recognized the WT and Taekwondo sparring in 1980. For this reason, the Kukkiwon-defined style of Taekwondo is sometimes referred to as ''Sport-style Taekwondo'', ''Olympic-style Taekwondo'', or ''WT-style Taekwondo'', but the style itself is defined by the Kukkiwon, not by the WT, and the WT competition ruleset itself only allows the use of a very small number of the total number of techniques included in the style.

Extreme Taekwondo

Extreme Taekwondo is a hybrid style created in 2008, by Taekwondo practitioner Shin-Min Cheol, who also founded Mirme Korea in 2012, a production company that helped spread his style. His company is based on promoting TKD tournaments, in a style which mixed other martial arts like Karate and Capoeira.

Hup Kwon Do

Hup Kwon Do is a hybrid style of Taekwondo created by a Malayan martial artist called Grandmaster Lee in 1989. He opened his first school in Penang, and originally developed this system as a self-defense technique, mixing Taekwondo with a multitude of other martial arts, such as Kendo, Bokken, Wado Shimpo, Kickboxing and Karate. It is mainly governed by the World Hupkwondo Council (WHC).

Han Moo Do

Han Moo Doo is a hybrid martial art created by Korean practitioner Yoon Sung Hwang in 1989, in Kauhava, Finland. Like other variations of Taekwondo, it first started out as a method of self-defense before spreading across Northern countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark. It combines Taekwondo with other Korean martial arts like Hapkido and Hoi Jeon Moo Sool. It mixes striking and grappling techniques, and some schools also incorporate weapons training into it.

Han Mu Do

Han Mu Do is a martial art developed by Korean practitioner Dr. Young Kimm, who founded the World Hanmudo Association to assure the preservation of his style. Its ideals are mostly based on the Han philosophy, mainly about the mind balance of the practitioner. Young Kimm studied Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Kuk Sul, Hapkido, Korean Judo and Kum Do, mixing all of their techniques together to create his own style.

Teuk Gong Moo Sool

Teukgong Moosool is a combat system developed in South Korea by the special forces units that is projected to stop the opponent as quickly as possible, although it was also used in sports competition. It is a hybrid style that mixes Taekwondo, Judo, Hapkido, Sanda (and other Chinese wushu styles) and Korean Kickboxing and it follows the Yin-Yang and five elements philosophy. Its origins date back to the 1960s–70s, but it was only introduced in special forces training in 1979.

Hoshin Moosool

Hoshin Moosool is a martial art and combat system founded by Taekwondo Grandmaster Lee Kwan-Young. Its techniques and method are inspired from Master Lee's experience as a close combat instructor during the Vietnam war, instructor for the French Police Elite Unit (

RAID RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...

) and time as a member of the Korean and French intelligence service.

Equipment and facilities

A Taekwondo practitioner typically wears a () uniform with a belt tied around the waist. When sparring, padded equipment is usually worn. In the ITF tradition, typically only the hands and feet are padded. In the Kukkiwon/WT tradition, full-contact sparring is facilitated by the employment of more extensive equipment: padded helmets called are always worn, as are padded torso protectors called ; feet, shins, groins, hands, and forearms protectors are also worn. The school or place where instruction is given is called a ().

Ranks, belts, and promotion

Taekwondo ranks vary from style to style and are not standardized. For junior ranks, ranks are indicated by a number and the term (, ''gup'', or ''kup''), which represents belt color. A belt color may have a stripe in it. Ranks typically count down from higher numbers to lower ones. For senior ranks (" black belt" ranks), each rank is called a or "degree" and counts upwards. Students must pass tests to advance ranks, and promotions happen at a progressive rate depending on the school. Titles can also come with ranks. For example, in the

, instructors holding 1st to 3rd are called (; "assistant instructor"), those holding 4th to 6th ''dan'' are called (; "instructor"), those holding 7th to 8th ''dan'' are called (; "master"), and those holding 9th ''dan'' are called (; "grandmaster").Choi, H. H. (1993): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence'', 3rd ed. (Vol. 1, p. 122). Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation. In WT/Kukki-Taekwondo, instructors holding 1st. to 3rd. ''dan'' are considered assistant instructors (), are not yet allowed to issue ranks, and are generally thought of as still having much to learn. Instructors who hold a 4th. to 6th. ''dan'' are considered master instructors (), and are allowed to grade students to ranks beneath their own. Those who hold a 7th–9th ''dan'' are considered Grandmasters. Kukkiwon-issued ranks also hold an age requirement, with grandmaster ranks requiring an age of over forty.

Forms (patterns)

Three Korean terms may be used with reference to taekwondo forms or patterns. These forms are equivalent to ''

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...

'' in karate. * ''

Hyeong The Korean terms hyeong, pumse, poomsae and teul (meaning "form" or "pattern") are all used to refer to martial arts forms that are typically used in Korean martial arts such as Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do. * Hyeong (형) is often romanized as '' ...

'' (sometimes ''hyung''; ) is the term usually used in Traditional Taekwondo (i.e., 1950s–1960s styles of Korean martial arts). * (sometimes or formerly ''poomse''; ) is the term officially used by Kukkiwon/WT-style and ATA-style Taekwondo. * ''Teul'' (officially romanized as ''tul''; ) is the term usually used in ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo. A

hyeong The Korean terms hyeong, pumse, poomsae and teul (meaning "form" or "pattern") are all used to refer to martial arts forms that are typically used in Korean martial arts such as Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do. * Hyeong (형) is often romanized as '' ...

is a systematic, prearranged sequence of martial techniques that is performed either with or without the use of a weapon. Different taekwondo styles and associations (ATA, ITF, GTF, WT, etc.) use different taekwondo forms.

Philosophy

Different styles of Taekwondo adopt different philosophical underpinnings. Many of these underpinnings however refer back to the Five Commandments of the

Hwarang Hwarang () were an elite warrior group of male youth in Silla, an ancient kingdom of the Korean Peninsula that originated from the mid 6th century and lasted until the early 10th century. There were educational institutions as well as social clu ...

as a historical referent. For example, Choi Hong-hi expressed his philosophical basis for taekwondo as the Five Tenets of Taekwondo: * Courtesy () * Integrity () * Perseverance () * Self-control () * Indomitable spirit () These tenets are further articulated in a taekwondo oath, also authored by Choi: * I shall observe the tenets of taekwondo * I shall respect the instructor and seniors * I shall never misuse taekwondo * I shall be a champion of freedom and justice * I shall build a more peaceful world Modern ITF organizations have continued to update and expand upon this philosophy. The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) also refers to the commandments of the Hwarang in the articulation of its taekwondo philosophy. Like the ITF philosophy, it centers on the development of a peaceful society as one of the overarching goals for the practice of taekwondo. The WT's stated philosophy is that this goal can be furthered by adoption of the Hwarang spirit, by behaving rationally ("education in accordance with the reason of heaven"), and by recognition of the philosophies embodied in the (the yin and the yang, i.e., "the unity of opposites") and the sam taegeuk (understanding change in the world as the interactions of the heavens, the Earth, and Man). The philosophical position articulated by the Kukkiwon is likewise based on the Hwarang tradition.

Theory of power

The emphasis on speed and agility is a defining characteristic of taekwondo and has its origins in analyses undertaken by

. The results of that analysis are known by ITF practitioners as Choi's ''Theory of Power''. Choi based his understanding of power on

biomechanics Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to Organ (anatomy), organs, Cell (biology), cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechani ...

and

Newtonian physics Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of objects such as projectiles, parts of machinery, spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. The development of classical mechanics involved substantial change in the methods ...

as well as Chinese martial arts. For example, Choi observed that the kinetic energy of a strike increases quadratically with the speed of the strike, but increases only linearly with the mass of the striking object. In other words, speed is more important than size in terms of generating power. This principle was incorporated into the early design of taekwondo and is still used. Choi also advocated a "relax/strike" principle for taekwondo; in other words, between blocks, kicks, and strikes the practitioner should relax the body, then tense the muscles only while performing the technique. It is believed that the relax/strike principle increases the power of the technique, by conserving the body's energy. He expanded on this principle with his advocacy of the "sine wave" technique. This involves raising one's centre of gravity between techniques, then lowering it as the technique is performed, producing the up-and-down movement from which the term "sine wave" is derived. The components of the Theory of Power include: * Reaction Force: the principle that as the striking limb is brought forward, other parts of the body should be brought backwards in order to provide more power to the striking limb. As an example, if the right leg is brought forward in a

roundhouse kick A roundhouse kick (also known as round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/ ...

, the right arm is brought backwards to provide the reaction force. * Concentration: the principle of bringing as many muscles as possible to bear on a strike, concentrating the area of impact into as small an area as possible. * Equilibrium: maintaining a correct centre-of-balance throughout a technique. * Breath Control: the idea that during a strike one should exhale, with the exhalation concluding at the moment of impact. * Mass: the principle of bringing as much of the body to bear on a strike as possible; again using the turning kick as an example, the idea would be to rotate the hip as well as the leg during the kick in order to take advantage of the hip's additional mass in terms of providing power to the kick. * Speed: as previously noted, the speed of execution of a technique in taekwondo is deemed to be even more important than mass in terms of providing power.

Competitions

Taekwondo competitions typically involve

, breaking, and

; some tournaments also include special events such as demonstration teams and self-defense (''hosinsul''). In Olympic taekwondo competitions, however, only sparring (using WT competition rules) is performed. There are two kinds of competition sparring: point sparring, in which all strikes are light contact and the clock is stopped when a point is scored; and Olympic sparring, where all strikes are full contact and the clock continues when points are scored.

World Taekwondo

Under World Taekwondo (WT, formerly WTF) and Olympic rules, sparring is a full-contact event, employing a continuous scoring system where the fighters are allowed to continue after scoring each technique, taking place between two competitors in either an area measuring 8 meters square or an octagon of similar size. Competitors are matched within gender and weight division—eight divisions for World Championships that are condensed to four for the Olympics. A win can occur by points, or if one competitor is unable to continue (knockout). However, there are several decisions that can lead to a win, as well, including superiority, withdrawal, disqualification, or even a referee's punitive declaration. Each match consists of three two-minute rounds, with one minute rest between rounds, though these are often abbreviated or shortened for some junior and regional tournaments. Competitors must wear a ''hogu'', head protector, shin pads, foot socks, forearm guards, hand gloves, a mouthpiece, and a groin cup. Tournaments sanctioned by national governing bodies or the WT, including the Olympics and World Championship, use electronic ''hogus'', electronic foot socks, and electronic head protectors to register and determine scoring techniques, with human judges used to assess and score technical (spinning) techniques and score punches. Points are awarded for permitted techniques delivered to the legal scoring areas as determined by an electronic scoring system, which assesses the strength and location of the contact. The only techniques allowed are kicks (delivering a strike using an area of the foot below the ankle), punches (delivering a strike using the closed fist), and pushes. In some smaller tournaments, and in the past, points were awarded by three corner judges using electronic scoring tallies. All major national and international tournaments have moved fully (as of 2017) to electronic scoring, including the use of electronic headgear. This limits corner judges to scoring only technical points and punches. Some believe that the new electronic scoring system reduces controversy concerning judging decisions, but this technology is still not universally accepted. In particular, the move to electronic headgear has replaced controversy over judging with controversy over how the technology has changed the sport. Because the headgear is not able to determine if a kick was a correct taekwondo technique, and the pressure threshold for sensor activation for headgear is kept low for safety reasons, athletes who improvised ways of placing their foot on their opponents head were able to score points, regardless of how true to taekwondo those techniques were. Techniques are divided into three categories: scoring techniques (such as a kick to the ''hogu''), permitted but non-scoring techniques (such as a kick that strikes an arm), and not-permitted techniques (such as a kick below the waist). * A punch that makes strong contact with the opponent's ''hogu'' scores 1 point. The punch must be a straight punch with arm extended; jabs, hooks, uppercuts, etc. are permitted but do not score. Punches to the head are not allowed. * A regular kick (no turning or spinning) to the ''hogu'' scores 2 points. * A regular kick (no turning or spinning) to the head scores 3 points * A technical kick (a kick that involves turning or spinning) to the ''hogu'' scores 4 points. * A technical kick to the head scores 5 points. ** As of October 2010, 4 points were awarded if a turning kick was used to execute this attack. As of June 2018, this was changed to 5 points.World Taekwondo Federation (Oct 7, 2010)
Competition rules & interpretation
(7 October 2010, pp. 31–32). Retrieved on 27 November 2010. The referee can give penalties at any time for rule-breaking, such as hitting an area not recognized as a target, usually the legs or neck. Penalties, called "Gam-jeom" are counted as an addition of one point for the opposing contestant. Following 10 "Gam-jeom" a player is declared the loser by referee's punitive declaration At the end of three rounds, the competitor with most points wins the match. In the event of a tie, a fourth "sudden death" overtime round, sometimes called a "Golden Point", is held to determine the winner after a one-minute rest period. In this round, the first competitor to score a point wins the match. If there is no score in the additional round, the winner is decided by superiority, as determined by the refereeing officials or number of fouls committed during that round. If a competitor has a 20-point lead at the end of the second round or achieves a 20-point lead at any point in the third round, then the match is over and that competitor is declared the winner. In addition to sparring competition, World Taekwondo sanctions competition in ''poomsae'' or forms, although this is not an Olympic event. Single competitors perform a designated pattern of movements, and are assessed by judges for accuracy (accuracy of movements, balance, precision of details) and presentation (speed and power, rhythm, energy), both of which receive numerical scores, with deductions made for errors. Pair and team competition is also recognized, where two or more competitors perform the same form at the same time. In addition to competition with the traditional forms, there is experimentation with freestyle forms that allow more creativity.

International Taekwon-Do Federation

The

(ITF) has sparring rules similar to the WT's, but they differ in some ways: * Hand attacks to the head are allowed. * The competition is not full contact, and excessive contact is not allowed. * Competitors are penalized with disqualification if they injure their opponent and he can no longer continue (knockout). * The scoring system is: ** 1 point for Punch to the body or head. ** 2 points for Jumping kick to the body or kick to the head, or a jumping punch to the head ** 3 points for Jumping kick to the head * The competition area is 9×9 meters for international events. Competitors do not wear the ''hogu'' (although they are required to wear approved foot and hand protection equipment, as well as optional head guards). This scoring system varies between individual organisations within the ITF; for example, in the TAGB, punches to the head or body score 1 point, kicks to the body score 2 points, and kicks to the head score 3 points. A continuous point system is utilized in ITF competition, where the fighters are allowed to continue after scoring a technique. Excessive contact is generally not allowed according to the official ruleset, and judges penalize any competitor with disqualification if they injure their opponent and he can no longer continue (although these rules vary between ITF organizations). At the end of two minutes (or some other specified time), the competitor with more scoring techniques wins. Fouls in ITF sparring include: attacking a fallen opponent, leg sweeping, holding/grabbing, or intentional attack to a target other than the opponent. ITF competitions also feature performances of patterns, breaking, and 'special techniques' (where competitors perform prescribed board breaks at great heights).

Multi-discipline competition

Some organizations deliver multi-discipline competitions, for example the

British Student Taekwondo Federation The British Student Taekwondo Federation (BSTF) is a national student sport federation and registered charity. The organisation was founded in 1986 and provides services and events to university Taekwondo clubs across the United Kingdom including ...

's inter-university competitions, which have included separate WT rules sparring, ITF rules sparring, Kukkiwon patterns and Chang-Hon patterns events run in parallel since 1992.

Other organizations

American

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) competitions are very similar, except that different styles of pads and gear are allowed.

List of competitions

World Taekwondo competitions

World Taekwondo (WT) directly sanctions the following competitions: * World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships * World Taekwondo Championships * World Para Taekwondo Championships (since 2009) * World Taekwondo Cadet Championships * World Taekwondo Junior Championships * World Taekwondo Team Championships * World Taekwondo Para Championships *

World Taekwondo Grand Prix The World Taekwondo Grand Prix is a taekwondo competition introduced by the World Taekwondo Federation in 2013 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic taekwondo tournament. It consists of four competitions per year in ea ...

* World Taekwondo Grand Slam * World Taekwondo Beach Championships *

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

(debut in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics)

Other tournaments

These feature WT Taekwondo only: *

African Games The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the ...

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition contested by athletes from countries served by national Olympic committees within the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the regional association for such committ ...

Pacific Games The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continent, continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 South Pacific Games, 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently i ...

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

Universiade The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a Blend word, portmanteau of the wor ...

Taekwondo is also an optional sport at the

Weight divisions

The following weight divisions are in effect due to the WT and ITFITF TOURNAMENT RULES
pages 21–22. tournament rules and regulations:

Taekwondo Korean terms

In taekwondo schools—even outside Korea—Korean language commands and vocabulary are often used.

Korean numerals The Korean language has two regularly used sets of numerals: a native Korean system and Sino-Korean system. The native Korean number system is used for general counting, like counting up to 99. It is also used to count people, hours, object ...

may be used as prompts for commands or for counting repetition exercises. Different schools and associations will use different vocabulary, however, and may even refer to entirely different techniques by the same name. As one example, in Kukkiwon/WT-style Taekwondo, the term ''ap seogi'' refers to an upright walking stance, while in ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo ''ap seogi'' refers to a long, low, front stance. Korean vocabulary commonly used in taekwondo schools includes:

Notable practitioners

Notes

References

External links

Kukkiwon's Guide to Technical Terminology in Taekwondo
{{Authority control Games and sports introduced in 1955 Culture of Korea Korean martial arts Mixed martial arts styles Sports originating in Korea Summer Olympic sports