MAIN Recreation Sports Taekwondo

Taekwondo or tae kwon do (literally, "foot fist way") has a long history that dates back to 50 B.C. when its precursor, Taek Kyon, was first practiced in Korea.

Unfortunately, during the Japanese occupation of Korea the complete outlawing of martial arts resulted in the destruction of many books that documented the ancient forms.

Today, modern practice of taekowndo may be more influenced by Chinese and Japanese practices than the historical Korean martial arts.

However, the debate is ongoing, and without texts to document the development of Korean martial arts, your own personal point of view probably determines which historical details you intuit to be true.

Taekwondo or "TDK" has become the most popular and most practiced of martial arts - as fun to watch as it is hard to master! There are two modern forms. One taught by the WTF and one by the ITF. Although there are many similarities between the two, there are also substantial differences. In 2000, Tae Kwon Do was officially recognized as an Olympic event in which the WTF's classic tenets of Tae Kwon Do are key elements in competition.

As its name implies, taekwondo mixes self defense with grace & beauty, and in practice is completely devoid of supernatural flying kicks or extreme aggression as depicted in Hollywood or Asian cinema.

also see in Sports -> Judo

More about taekwondo around the Web:

Elsewhere on the Web, find out more about TDK including more information on its history, practical resources for beginners, professional competition schedules, suggested reading, and inspirational quotes for millions of adherents worldwide, who have come to think of taekwondo as more than just a sport but a philosophy of life ...

World Taekwondo Federation - WTF is an international governing body with information on the sport's history & philosophy, official rules & regulations, events & competitions calendar, related news, photo galleries, online bulletin board.

International TaeKwon-Do Association - ITF is also a worldwide clearinghouse for facts, advice, tips & information with in-depth articles on Tae Kwon Do theory, practice, tenets and philosophy, suggested videos and books in the online shop, related links.

Tae Kwon Do Network - One-stop browsing for a complete overview, historical facts & timeline, an extensive link list of Taekwondo federations & associations worldwide, suggested reading, online shop.

Taekwondo - Good, general overview of moves & kicks featured in the sport with related pictures plus rules of Olympic competition and a great link list to more information, from Wikipedia. [The complete history of this martial art is a point of contention and has led to a sometimes interesting unending dispute between the editors at Wikipedia.]

TaeKwonDo Times - Online magazine featuring informative articles, latest news, daily blog.