Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art. It began as a form of unarmed self-defense and has developed over the centuries as a philosophy of life. It is a method of developing civic and moral character in a person. Tae means “to strike with feet,” Kwon means “destroying with the hand or the fist,” and Do means “way” or “method.” Collectively, Taekwondo translates as “the art of kicking and punching.” It is a nonviolent system of more than fighting techniques. In Taekwondo, you learn to respect life through mental and physical studies, some of which are listed below:
Mental Development
Physical Development
Philosophical Development
Obviously, Taekwondo is more that just a martial art. It is a guide for the formation of outstanding character and a strong basis for a fulfilling life.
Tenets of Taekwondo
History of Taekwondo
Taekwondo is the physical expression of the human will for survival and an activity to fulfill the spiritual desires of people. Essentially, all actions in Taekwondo arise from the human instinct for self-defense, reinforced with positive elements as needs arise, to reach an absolute state to overcome the ego and arrive at the moment of perfection, thus giving the sport a philosophical dimension.
Taekwondo, known as the oldest self-defense martial art in the world, is recorded in references from the Koguryo kingdom (founded in 37 B.C.E.) in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. Over two thousand years old, Taekwondo developed from different sources than Chinese Kung Fu or Japanese Karate.
Westerners were inclined to regard the feats of Taekwondo as mythical and Asian philosophy as unscientific. Recent study of Asian traditions and culture by the Western world has changed attitudes toward the Far East. Regarding Taekwondo, Occidental observers began to see the unbelievable power of the human mind, body, and spirit with which practitioners can break bricks, roof tiles, and concrete blocks with their bare hands and fists. These abilities have been acknowledged by scientists from many fields.
The Korean Taekwondo Association has devoted itself to developing and disseminating the skills, techniques, and philosophy of Taekwondo, which culminated in the formation of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and the first World Taekwondo Championship Competitions, held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in 1973. More than forty countries from all over the world participated.
The WTF was founded in 1973, and is the international federation governing the sport of Taekwondo. The federation has strived for worldwide propagation and development of Taekwondo, a martial art now found in 173 countries with over 100 million practitioners. First staged as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, Taekwondo was also a part of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics as a demonstration program. In 2000, Taekwondo was a gold-medal Olympic event at the Sydney Olympics, and again in 2004, at the Athens Games.
© 2008 World Martial Arts Institute.