Taekwondo

Anyone can learn taekwondo. The things that make great taekwondo athletes are the same things that make great athletes in every sport. Koreans tend to dominate the sport internationally because the martial art originated there. More people study taekwondo in Korea, and so the great Korean athletes are more likely to choose taekwondo as their sport.

No, Taekwondo is not Japanese. Taekwondo was developed in Korea, by Koreans, and its curriculum consists mostly of Korean culture, philosophy, and fighting tactics derived from native Korean Martial Art systems of subak, tae Kkyeon, and the code of the Hwarang Knights. Taekwondo was officially named on April 11, 1955 by Korean Martial Artists who combined their native Korean methods with the influences of Chinese hand fighting, and Japanese systems of Judo, Aikido, and Shotokan Karate.

As Taekwondo's curriculum became solidified during the 1960's and 70's, most of the Japanese influences were removed, and the modern tactics of Kicking as the primary weapon took over, and shaped the art. The grading system of belts used in Taekwondo, and most Asian Martial Art systems was borrowed from Jigoro Kano's Judo, and a modified version remains. The concept of forms (Kata) did not exist in ancient Korean Martial Arts, and was introduced during the Japanese occupation during WWII. Many of the founders of the Korean Kwans who developed the modern curriculum of Taekwondo were also Black Belt graduates of Shotokan Karate, and adopted the use of forms as a training tool.

Since the Shotokan Kata were designed to facilitate the teaching of Karate techniques and tactics, it became necessary to restructure the forms, and adapt them to coincide with Taekwondo's tactics. The forms have gone through several transitions, and are now labeled as either "tul," "hyung," or "Pumsae" (aka: Poomsae). There are similarities between all Asian Martial Art systems, as these neighboring countries have shared cultural and combative knowledge back and forth for centuries. Taekwondo is a unique system that was created in Korea, and has roots that go far back into Korea's history, but has been influenced in modern times by other sources.

Practice, practice, practice. To strengthen your kicks, you will need to strengthen your muscles. Improved flexibility will also increase the strength of your kicks. Finally, try kicking past the target. Instead of aiming for your opponents chest guard, aim for a point in space behind him.

It depends on the type of meet. There are some meets that are dual meets (as in only two teams running against each other). However, there are many meets where there are 20+ teams all running against each other.

The term black belt refers to a martial artist who has achieved a certain level of expertise in his chosen art. Many believe that a black belt is an expert, but its more accurate to think of a black belt as a graduate: like a high school graduate. A black belt might best be described as competent in his martial art.

Tsang Soo Do is a Korean translation of "China Hand Techniques".

I don't think so. I live in CT, but I take Tang Soo Do karate. I have been taking it for 6 years and I am a second degree blackbelt. I teach karate and I'm on Demo Team. I don't think you need a liscense. After all we have the Free Enterprise System. Go to your town hall of city hall and ask to see the law book or whatever. I am just a kid, so I wouldn't know to much about that.

There are hundred of points all over the human body that can be used to cause a person loss of consciousness or dysfunction. Causing someone unconsciousness is not the only form of "knock out". More common knock outs do not cause unconsciousness but are considered a "Technical Knockout" where the person is no longer able to defend themselves. By studying Kyusho, you can achieve both. Most common knockout points are many of the head and neck points. The mental nerve, ST-5, GB-20, and GB-14 are just a few. Many more can be listed however I would advise that anyone interested in Kyusho find a qualified instructor. A Kyusho Knockout is not done by strength or brute force which can cause trauma but is done by affecting the nervous system.

Short Answer:

Like most other Asian countries, Korea had its own native Martial Art systems that developed as a need for protection of individuals, villages, and Kingdoms which controlled shifting territories during feudal times. Evidence of Korea's earliest combative systems dates back to around the 1st century B.C. Some of these systems became labeled as "Subak" and "Tae Kyon."

Two thousand years later, during the Japanese annexation, and occupation of Korea (1910 - 1945), Korean culture, language, and history was being destroyed and displaced with the "Japanization" of Korea. Korean Martial Arts was also banned, but survived in secret. With the liberation of Korea at the end of WWII in 1945, Koreans began to restore their national identity by once again teaching native Korean language, and history in their public schools. The practice of Martial Art was also revived.

Taekwondo was created as a modern day form of self defense, exercise, and sport, as well as for personal development and enlightenment for the individual. As a country, Taekwondo was necessary for training of soldiers for combat, regaining national pride, and promotion of a popular sport to obtain international recognition and identity as an independent nation.

Detailed Answer:

Taekwondo is a martial art created by the efforts of several key Korean Martial Art figures during the post World War II era. One of the earliest pioneers was Won Kuk Lee, who founded the first official Martial Art school run by a Korean. He called his school Chung Do Kwan (School of the Blue Wave). In his youth, Won Kuk Lee had been introduced to the methods of Tae kyon, one of Korea's native fighting skills which employed kicking as a primary weapon. In the early 1940s Lee traveled to Japan and studied Shotokan Karate under the renowned expert, Gichin Funakoshi.

After the liberation of Korea at the end of World War II in 1945, many Black Belts of the Chung Do Kwan began opening Kwans (schools) under various names. Each school was teaching a myriad of self defense systems (Chinese, Japanese, and native Korean). One of Grandmaster Lee's students at the Chung Do Kwan, Choi Hong-Hi, had also been introduced to Tae Kyon as a youth, and later trained in Shotokan Karate under Sensei Funakoshi. Choi quickly rose through the ranks of the Korean military, and eventually became a Major General. He taught his own interpretation of Chung Do Kwan and Shotokan to Korean soldiers in the military school he called Oh Do Kwan.

During the 1950's a large number of Kwans were operating in Korea without any structure, leadership, or organization. Korea was beginning to regain its cultural identity that was nearly wiped out by the Japanese oppression. The practice and re-birth of Martial Art was becoming very popular, and it was decided among the leaders of the original Kwans that there needed to be unity in instruction, a clear curriculum based on native Korean Martial Art systems, and a new name to represent the national Korean Martial Art.

At a meeting in April of 1955, several Kwan directors, prominent historians and political leaders gathered and voted on ballots submitted. The ballot containing the term "Tae Kwon" ("Tae" meaning to smash with the foot, and "Kwon" to strike with the hand or fist) which closely resembled the native term Tae Kyon (kicking method) was chosen. It is debated among those who were present at this meeting as to who originally coined the name "Taekwon-do," but it is widely accepted that it was General Choi Hong Hi who submitted the ballot. Grandmaster Won Kuk Lee, founder of the Chung Do Kwan, said that several of his students consulted a Korean dictionary to arrive at this term. Nevertheless, the subsequent system of Taekwondo was created as a group effort that took more than a decade to agree upon the widespread use of the name, and an official curriculum.

Therefore, the art of Taekwondo was created for the rejuvenation of ancient Korean Martial Art, and to bring the various modern schools of self defense together under a united leadership. It was gradually restructured to remove the Japanese Karate influences that were prevalent in the early teachings of the Kwan founders. Taekwondo became more solidified in the 1960's when Kwans united in the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) and the sport began to emphasize the differences between Karate and Taekwondo tournament rules. This strategy supported Taekwondo's preference toward kicking, and facilitated a widespread molding of the structure, and physical attributes of techniques to support this philosophy.


The motivation behind the development of Taekwondo (besides individual gain) was to revive and preserve native Korean culture and traditions, establish a successful business market based on Korean Martial Art, unite modern Korean Martial Artist in a joint effort to improve the standards of teaching, testing, and promoting Black Belts, while also removing the influences of the hated Japanese oppressors. Taekwondo was first and foremost created as a means of self defense and deadly unarmed combat in war, and has been widely taught as a form of exercise, and sport entertainment.

Myong Namkung Mayes earned her ninth-degree black belt in December 2007 at the age of 53. She is the highest ranking woman by kukkiwon. In 1987, she founded the U.S. Taekwondo Center in Springlake, North Carolina.

Yes martial arts and Christianity can mix, many fighters depend on god to get a win or even to be blessed to be in the UFC or other mma events. MMA is just like any other sport, you face greed, pride, anger, but it comes with job!! MMA and Christianity can mix.

Junbi: 준비 (pronounced June-be) means "ready."

Sijak: 시작 (pronounced She-jahk) means "start" or "begin."

Mitchell Bobrow trained with Master Ki Whang Kim in the early 60's and quickly developed as Great Grand Master Kim's first Grand Champion student. Mitchell Bobrow was known for his ruthless unedited continuous attacks using a unique combinations of kicks, punches and sweeps including his Trademark Jump Back Kick that scored on his opponents with either leg. Bobrow was nick named by Blackbelt magazine the "Boy Wonder" in 1967. Bobrow fought with competitors Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Ron Marchini, Toyotara Miyazaki, Thomas La Puppet, David Moon, Louis Delgado, Bill Wallace just to name a few during the golden era of Martial Arts in the US. Bobrow was a personal friend of Bruce Lee as Lee was often seen on the sidelines when Bobrow competed. Blackbelt magazine yearbook rated Bobrow as a top ten fighter in the world throughout the 60's and Karate Illustraded magazine gave Bobrow the honor of #1 in 1969 above Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. Bobrow was inducted into the Inaugaral Taekwondo Hall of Fame as Best Fighter of the 60's and Honored as the Official Chairman of the event, Bobrow in 2009 was selected ast a Technical Advisor for the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. He represented the United States in Tokyo, Japan in the First World Karate Championships at the Budokan.Grand Champion at the 1969 All American Open Championship at Madison Square Garden [14], American Invitational Tournament of Champions, Marine Corp Champion, International Heavyweight Champion. Universal Open Champion. Bobrow was the founder of the first chartered Karate Club in the United States at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in 1966. Bobrow is currently the founder/owner of Otomix Martial Arts Gear. Otomix is the Official Sponsor of the American Taekwondo Association and was the Official Sponsor of the 1st UFC mixed martial arts fighting championships. http://www.otomix.com Mitchell Bobrow has appeared in films and television Visit http://www.imdb.com

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It is possible that you are referring to Dangun Wanggeom (aka: Tan Gun or Tangun) who was the legendary founder of Joseon (later referred to as "Gojosen" or "Old Joseon when the final Yi Dynasty was called Joseon), which was the first kingdom established near the top of the Korean peninsula.

Dangun was not directly involved in Taekwondo, but was a legendary figure of Korean history, therefore his name was used by Korean Army General, one of Taekwondo's early pioneers, as the name of the second student practice form in his Chang Hon system that he implemented in his Oh Do Kwan ("Gym of My Way") for the Korean military, and later in his ITF (International Taekwondo Federation).

Instructors might have their own specific list, but here are some possibilities.

Hand positions:

1. Closed hand (clenched fist)

2. Extended Knuckles

3. Tiger Claw (claw hand)

4. Open hand with thumb at the side (also known as a knife-hand)

5. Ridge-hand with thumb tucked under palm (also known as a reverse knife-hand)

Striking positions.

1. Horizontal punch (foreknuckle with palm facing downward)

2. Vertical punch (fist turned 90 degrees with index finger on the top)

3. Back-fist (striking with the back of the first two knuckles)

4. Hammer-fist (Striking with the pinkie side of the clenched fist)

5. Upset punch (a punch upward)

Chambering the fist at the hip is a type of ready position or "junbi."

Start with it flat on the ground with the part that protects you chest on the ground. Fold the part that protects your side in to the middle, then put the straps that go over your shoulders straight down and flip the Hogu over and cross the straps over where the Hogu is closest to you neck, then tie it in a bow. This makes is easy to carry and smaller. Hope this helped.

Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art. Krav Maga is an Israeli martial art. Both involve the use of kicks and punches, but the philosophies are different (as is their history).

Contact the instructor, school, or organization that issued the certificate, and ask if you can get a replacement certificate issued. You might need exact dates of your promotion test, and other details, plus there will likely be a fee for a new certificate.

Since this is a rather vague, and general question, the answer will vary depending on the specific rules, organization, and time period in question. Also, the subject of "competition rules" covers a wide range of categories, including forms (tul, hyeong, or poomsae), weapons, board breaking, and free-sparring (gyorugi), as well as weight classes, divisions, ring dimensions, floor surfaces, safety gear, scoring equipment, and the training and rules regarding coaches and tournament officials.

Many early Taekwondo tournaments used "stop point" sparring similar to Karate matches where the corner judges called for "Point!" The center referee would stop the match and judges would vote to validate and award a point, or not. As the sport aspect of Taekwondo developed, tournaments began to used continuous matches where the corner judges would sit in chairs and score with pencil and score sheets that were collected at the end of each round and submitted to the "Head of Court" or scorekeeper for tally.

In more recent times, electronic scoring has allowed for judges to push buttons attached to wires connect to a computer with a large display screen of the current match score visible to spectators, athletes, coaches and officials (the method currently used in Olympic Taekwondo). Some chest protectors have been wired with sensors to help determine valid points through the vibration of the impact, but still require judges to validate proper execution without obstruction or violations.

Competition rules for most major Taekwondo associations and the World Taekwondo Federation rules for Olympic competitions are constantly being revised to promote the preference of kicking by raising the point value for a kick over a punch, a head kick over a body kick, and advanced or jumping kicks over basic kicks.

In early tournaments, there was little to no safety equipment required. If any, the groin cup for males, and mouth guards were used. Throughout the 80's and 90's, more equipment was designed and required including cloth or dipped foam forearm and shin & instep guards, foot boots, and foam gloves. Reversible (red & blue) chest guards, and foam headgear also became standard equipment.

Various penalties have been added, deleted, or modified over the years. Early competitions may have permitted foot sweeps, knee checks (tapping the knee with the foot), and punches to the face (some tournaments still permit this). Typically, holding, pushing, grabbing, throwing, and ground grappling are not permitted in the sport of Taekwondo (conversely, the Martial Art aspect of Taekwondo contains all of that and more). For a detailed comparison of rule changes, consult the competition rules for each individual association.

For changes in World Taekwondo Federation and Olympic rules, visit their website (related link below).

In Korean terminology, 5th degree is Oh dan, and 6th degree is Yuk dan, and that's it. In Japanese they would be Godan and Rokodan.

Any titles in addition to that must be earned separately. There are no titles that are automatically assigned to a rank. Titles of Instructor, Master, Grandmaster, etc. are independent of rank, although many organizations require a minimum of specific rank level to be eligible for such titles. The rank eligibility for such titles vary between organizations, and are awarded at the discretion of the director or Grandmaster (Kwanjangnim in Korean).

George Chung is a former 5 time world karate champion and is a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame.