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TAE KWON DO |
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History of Taekwondo
Literally,
“Art of kicking and punching”, Taekwondo is a native Korean form of
fighting that embraces kicking, punching, jumping, blocking, dodging and
parrying. It is a system for training both the mind and body, with an
emphasis on the development of moral character. Modern Taekwondo is a
combination of the hyung (patterns) of its ancestral combative arts, taekyon
and subak and the kata (formal exercises of
the Okinawan Shuri and the Naha schools of karate). Taekwondo
incorporates the abrupt linear movements of karate and the flowing,
circular patterns of kung fu with native kicking techniques. In
modern times, hand techniques have become increasingly more important in
this art. The use of the feet, however, remains the trademark and beauty
of Taekwondo. When a new student enters a dojang (practice gym), he/she
becomes part of a family in which he/she is the youngest member. This
concept applies to everyone. The instructor is the head of the family
and all who study with him or her are children at different levels of
development, designated by means of colored belts: white, yellow, green,
blue, red and 1st black through 9th black. All
grade levels below black are called gup or kup; black belt ranks are
called dan. Taekwondo
is famous for its flying kicks, a spectacular assortment of techniques
which, when executed by an expert, are devastating. All of the basic
Taekwondo kicks can be delivered in a jumping or flying motion. Flying
kicks are considered the ultimate in the Taekwondo practitioner’s
arsenal of weapons. Although noted for its kicks, Taekwondo
practitioners also use a large array of hand techniques to punch, strike
or block. As in karate, all parts of the hand and arm are used in
attacking as well as defending. Taekwondo
develops in a practitioner the power to disable an antagonist with the
bare hands and feet. But it is also a study in discipline. A Taekwondo
master can make a punch, forcible enough to smash boards, or touch a
sheet of fragile rice paper without breaking it. Taekwondo
is a method of self-defense without weapons. Flesh and bone, the
natural, vulnerable equipment of the body, are the only resources of the
Taekwondo practitioner. What is “soft” is pliable and is therefore
not used to resist an attack so much as to give way before the
onslaught, allowing the opponent’s own momentum to carry him off
balance. What is “hard” is naturally resistant and is therefore used
to fend off blows to which the soft parts of the body should be
vulnerable. What is “hard” is also forcible and is thus a logical
striking point. The
center of force is in the abdomen. It is at this point that the flow of
energy begins and it is from here that it goes outward, through the body
to the extremities. Thus, concentration-the integration of strength,
speed and muscular coordination-begins at the center. The
origins of Taekwondo can be traced to the Koguryo dynasty, founded in
37B.C. The long, intense experience of ancient people in defending
themselves against animal attacks, as well as their imitation of the
offensive and defensive positions assumed by animals, slowly led them to
develop more effective skills of their own, creating a primitive form of
combat called taekyon, an early name for Taekwondo.
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