Taekwondo, 10 9
Taekwondo, 10 9
Taekwondo, 10 9
integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit, also requires three physical
skills: poomsae (품새), kyorugi (겨루기) and gyeokpa (격파). Taekwondo is one of the
official events of the modern Olympic Games which rose to worldwide popularity,
especially young people.
Where Taekwondo come from? Taekwondo has been developing with a long history
of Korea, being called by several different names in the course. After the World War II
and the Japanese occupation, new martial arts school called kwans opened in Seoul.
At that time, kwans was considered as combain of Japanese and Chinese martial arts.
Because the founders were study in Japan and China. The South Korean government,
interested in promoting a national martial art, pressured the kwans to complete the
unification of the Korean martial arts. In 1955, Choi Hong-hi advocated the use of the
name "Tae Kwon Do". In 1959, the name Taekwondo was chosen to unify the arts and
the Korea Taekwondo Association was formed to serve as the central body of the
main kwans with Choi as its President. "Tae Kwon Do" composed of three parts as
shown in the English spelling, though it is one word in Korean. "Tae" means "foot,"
"leg," or "to step on"; "Kwon" means "fist," or "fight"; and "Do" means the "way" or
"discipline."
Taekwondo can be characterized by unity: the unity of body, mind, and life. A