Sports such as football, basketball, and even rugby and baseball are popular in modern South Korea. But this country has its own national sports and martial arts, which have gained worldwide popularity. We are talking, of course, about taekwondo. In addition, traditional sports in Korea are also Jokgu, which is a mixture of modern volleyball and football. There is also Ssireum – a traditional Korean sport, a kind of wrestling, where the opponent must put any part of the opponent’s body above the knee on the ground.
Yet Korea is best known for martial arts. It has over 5,000 years of history and had different naming in different eras. It’s not just physical combat skills, but much more. This is the whole teaching that shows how training the body and brain can improve the life of a practician.
Yes, the best-known martial art is taekwondo. We will consider it in more detail below. But some other unique martial arts are worth mentioning. These are Taekkyeon, Hopaesool, and Hanmudo.
History of Tae Kwon Do
And possibly the greatest development of this sport was in the small but wise kingdom of Silla. It was very small and was continuously attacked by stronger in many neighbors. Then King Jin Hyun founded a group of warriors.
The group consisted mainly of aristocrats. They were taught numerous martial arts, including hand-to-hand combat. But not only. Much attention was also paid to the education and development of mind and spirit. This doctrine was later called Hwarang Do.
The next dynasty, after the Silla – Koryo dynasty, made it an arranged sport with thorough regulations. This practice lately became known as Subak Do.
And all of this still has a great influence on modern taekwondo. Now in many essay samples, you can find a detailed history and origins of this sport. Also, if you need help with essay, you can view the options for taekwondo essays from database. There you can find many useful articles and information on the topic.
Despite its history, which dates back ages ago, taekwondo is a modern type of Korean martial art. It received its current naming only in the 1950s. The name stands for Tae (leg), Kwon (arm), and Do (art), and it aptly describes the quintessence of martial arts.
Today, this sport is recognized worldwide and is one of the official events at the Olympic Games. It is also studied as an academic course by thousands of people around the globe.
Taekwondo is an art of self-protection that originated in Korea more than 2,000 years ago. In fact, this martial art has existed for as long as Korea does. There are mentions of it, library records with this training existed in almost all kingdoms in this area for centuries. It is one of the oldest by the time of origin martial arts in the world.
What is taekwondo as a martial art?
Taekwondo is a systematic traditional Korean martial art that not only trains you how to use physical fighting but also shows ways to improve your life by training your body and mind.
Today, taekwondo has many things in common with other types of combat used in Asian countries. In the process of evolution, it was influenced by different styles of Korea’s neighboring China or Japan.
The basis of taekwondo as a style is the right way to use fists and feet. Even more – it is a way to use all the body and its parts, which are represented by fists and legs. This is the first thing a student will start learning almost from the first lesson.
Taekwondo is largely influenced by Japanese karate. It uses hand techniques, kicks, locks, throws, and takedowns. Weapons such as staff are also sometimes used. This sport is best known for its variety of leg kicking techniques. However, it has the same number of hand techniques, throws, blocks, and takedowns as leg kicks.
At sports competitions, athletes wear a uniform consisting of a dobok, a white jacket, and loose-fitting pants. Athletes also wear protectors for the torso, groin, legs, forearms, and helmet to protect the head. No taekwondo footwear are worn.
The most popular Korean martial art – taekwondo, stands out among others for speed of kicks, sweeping kicks, and strong punches. Like judo, taekwondo evolved from a martial art to a sport, as well as a whole moral code and philosophy.
Korean martial arts have taken pride of place in world culture, practiced by millions of people around the world. It brings us the harmony of physical movements, skills, how to defeat the enemy, as well as the life philosophy of maintaining peace.
Taekyun or Taekkyeon
This is a common Korean martial art that preceded Taekwon-Do. It evolved from a game in the Joseon period, which was very popular among the youth of that time. This martial art was used by the Korean military until the 19th century. Now Taekyun is a World Heritage Site on the UNESCO list.
Taekyun specifics as a discipline are hand techniques that are used for attack and smooth, fast-speed kicks. They aim to hit down the enemy according to the rule of PUM (triangle), which is unique to this art.
Hopaesool
Its name comes from a kind of passport made of wood, which was carried by men and boys for over 16 years in the Joseon period and, in the event of danger, used for self-protection.
Later, these methods of self-defense with the use of weapons became a separate martial art. For a long time, it remained closed to the general public due to its danger.
Hanmudo
It is a complex martial art consisting of the study of “empty hands”, weapons, inner energy, breathing exercises, and martial arts philosophy.
This system is quite new to Korea and was founded by He-Young Kimm in. He researched different combat styles of Korean classical disciplines and developed his own methodology based on them. This is an officially registered martial arts style in Korea.
