Taekwondo

Taekwondo

The Taeguk, one of the major symbols in Taekwondo, represented in the flag of South Korea
Taekwondo sparring match
Also known as	Tae Kwon Do, Taekwon-Do
Country of origin	Korea
Parenthood	Historic
Olympic sport	Since 2000

Taekwondo (also spelled taekwon-do or tae kwon do) is a martial art and combat sport originating in Korea. One of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world, it is the national sport of South Korea and one form of sparring, shihap kyeorugi, is an Olympic sporting event.

Etymology

In Korean, derived from hanja, tae (跆) means to destroy with the foot;kwon (拳) means to strike or smash with the hand; and do (道) means art, or way of life. Hence, taekwondo is loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist". Taekwondo's popularity has resulted in the divergent evolution of the martial art. As with many other martial arts, taekwondo is a combination of combat technique, self-defense, sport, exercise, entertainment, and philosophy.

Style differences

Although there are great doctrinal and technical differences among public and private taekwondo organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, using the leg's greater reach and power to disable the opponent from a distance. In sparring, turning, front, reverse turning and side kicks are most often used; advanced kicks include jump, spin, and skip kicks, often in combination. Taekwondo training also includes a system of blocks, punches, open-handed strikes, various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and some joint locks.

History

Traditional roots

The oldest ancestor of taekwondo is an amalgamation of unarmed combat styles developed by three rival Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje. Young men were trained in unarmed combat techniques to develop strength, speed, and survival skills. The most popular of these techniques was subak, with taekyon being the most popular of the segments of "subak".

File:Tkddemonstration.jpg

Taekwondo practitioners demonstrating their techniques.

As the Goguryeo kingdom grew in power, the neighboring Silla kingdom became comparatively weaker, and an effort was undertaken among the Silla to develop a corps of special warriors. The Silla had a regular army but its military training techniques were less advanced than those of the Goguryeo, and its soldiers were generally of a lesser caliber. The Silla selected young men, some as young as twelve, and trained them in the liberal arts. Those who demonstrated strong natural aptitude were selected as trainees in the new special warrior corps, called the Hwarang. It was believed that young men with a talent for the liberal arts may have the grace to become competent warriors. These warriors were instructed in academic as well as martial arts, learning philosophy, history, a code of ethics, and equestrian sports. Their military training included an extensive weapons program involving swordsmanship and archery, both on horseback and on foot, as well as lessons in military tactics and unarmed combat using subak. Although subak was a leg-oriented art among in Goguryeo, Silla's influence added hand techniques to the practice of subak.

In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and traditional martial arts, Korean martial arts faded into obscurity during the Joseon Dynasty. Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism and martial arts were lowly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings. Remnants of traditional martial arts such as Subak and Taekyon were banned from practice by the general populace and reserved for sanctioned military uses although folk practice by the common populace still persisted into the 19th century.

Foreign influence

During the Japanese occupation (1910-1945), the practice of taekyon was banned. Although practice of the art nearly vanished, Taekyon survived through underground teaching and folk custom. As the Japanese colonization established a firm foothold in Korea, the few Koreans who were able to attend Japanese universities were exposed to Okinawan and Japanese martial arts with some even receiving black belts under Gichin Funakoshi. Koreans in China were also exposed to Chinese martial arts. By 1945, when the Korean peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonization, many martial arts schools were formed and developed under various names such as Tang Soo Do reflecting foreign influence.

At the end of World War II, several Kwans arose. They were: Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Jidokwan (or Yun Moo Kwan), Chang Moo Kwan, Han Moo Kwan, Oh Do Kwan, Jung Do Kwan, Kang Duk Won, and Song Moo Kwan.

Modern taekwondo

By the end of the Korean War, nine martial arts schools (translated as kwan) had opened, and South Korean President Syngman Rhee ordered that the various schools unify under a single system. A governmental body selected a naming committee's submission of "tae-kwon-do," submitted by General Choi Hong Hi, a general in the South Korean army and the founder of the Oh Do Kwan, for the new unified form. Following taekwondo's official name submission on April 11, 1955, The Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed in 1959 to facilitate the unification. Shortly thereafter, taekwondo made its debut in North America. Standardization efforts in Korea stalled, as the kwans continued to teach differing styles. Another request from the Korean government for unification resulted in the formation of the Korea Tae Soo Do Association, which changed its name back to the Korean Taekwondo Association in 1965 following a change of leadership. This new leader was General Choi Hong Hi who ended up falling out of favor in South Korea following a trip to communist North Korea. This resulted in Choi's separation from the KTA and the founding of a new, private organization, the International Taekwondo Federation, in 1966.

In 1972, the Korea Taekwondo Association Central Dojang was opened. A few months later, the name was changed to the Kukkiwon, which means "National Technique Center." The Kukkiwon remains the World Taekwondo Headquarters to this day. The following year, the World Taekwondo Federation was formed. The International Olympic Committee recognized the WTF and taekwondo sparring in 1980, and the sport was accepted as a demonstration event at the 1988 Seoul and the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games. It became an official medal event as of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Taekwondo is one of two Asian martial arts (judo being the other) in the Olympic Games.

The public WTF and private ITF, the two largest taekwondo organizations, operate and train in hundreds of nations and teach the martial art to millions of people each year. Although competition has always been a significant feature of Taekwondo, the majority of practitioners compete and practice taekwondo for personal development, self-defense and fun.

Organizations

The largest taekwondo organizations are the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). The WTF is headquartered in South Korea and was founded in 1973 by a group of various national Taekwondo teams. Its purpose is to coordinate international competition events under the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Although the terms "WTF" and "Kukkiwon" are often mistakenly used interchangeably to refer to this organization, the "Kukkiwon" is the physical building that contains the administrative offices of World Taekwondo Headquarters (aka Kukkiwon) in Seoul, South Korea, a completely different organization which trains and certifies instructors and issues official Dan and Poom certificates worldwide. World and Olympic taekwondo competition is administered by the World Taekwondo Federation, and WTF rules are used for World and Olympic taekwondo competition.

The official training headquarters of the International Taekwondo Federation is located at the Taekwondo Palace located in Pyongyang, North Korea. Today, the International Taekwondo Federation is headquartered in Canada, with two alternative organizations using the same name, located in Austria and North Korea.

File:Breaking concrete.jpg

Four concrete paving bricks broken with a knife-hand strike. Breaking techniques are often practiced in taekwondo.

Outside of the World Taekwondo Federation and the International Taekwondo Federation, a large number of organizations exist, such as American Taekwondo Federation™, ATF®, National Progressive Taekwondo Association NPTA, ATA, ITU, ITA, UTF, WTU, CTF, ICTF, WCT, UITF, USTF, TAGB, WTA, and so on. These private organizations require that students belong to a member club or school. Events and competitions held by private organizations are mostly closed to other taekwondo students. However, the WTF-sanctioned events allow any person, regardless of school affiliation or martial arts style, to compete in World Taekwondo Federation events as long as he or she is a member of the WTF Member National Association in his or her nation, which is open to anyone to join. The major technical differences among these many organizations revolve around the poomsae|tul, a set of prescribed formal sequences of movements that demonstrate mastery of posture, positioning, and technique, sparring rules for competition (e.g. WTF full-contact versus ITF light-contact), and philosophy.

In addition to these private organizations, the original schools (kwans) that formed the organization that would eventually become the Kukkiwon continue to exist as independent fraternal membership organizations that support the WTF and the Kukkiwon. The official curriculum of the kwans is that of the Kukkiwon. The kwan also function as a channel for the issuing of Kukkiwon dan and poom certification (black belt ranks) for their members. Each kwan has its own individual pledge of tenets and manners that describes the organization's goals for personal improvement. For example, the tenets of oh do kwan and the ITF have become very popular. The ITF / oh do kwan tenets are: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. In contrast, the jidokwan manners are: view, feel, think, speak, order, contribute, have ability and conduct rightly.

Some organizations recognize one or two additional tenets beyond the five original ones. These are community service (sa-hui-bong-sa 사회봉사) and love (sa-rang 사랑).

Features

Stretching to increase flexibility is an important aspect of Taekwondo training.

See also: List of Taekwondo techniques and Kick

Taekwondo is famed for its use of kicking techniques, which distinguishes it from martial arts such as karate or certain southern styles of kung fu. The rationale is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes without successful retaliation.

Taekwondo as a sport and exercise is popular with people of both sexes and of many ages. Physically, taekwondo develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one's strength.

Although each taekwondo club or school will be different, a taekwondo student can typically expect to take part in most or all of the following:

• Learning the techniques and curriculum of taekwondo
• Both anaerobic and aerobic workout, including stretching
• Self-defense techniques
• Poomse, or patterns (also called forms) -- tul, hyeong, palgwe, or taeguk
• Kyeorugi (or Matsogi in ITF) (Sparring), including 3-, 2- and 1-step sparring and/or free-style, arranged, point, hosinsul (self-defense) and much more
• Relaxation exercises
• Breaking (using techniques to break boards for testing, training and martial arts demonstrations)
• Exams to progress to the next rank
• A focus on mental and ethical discipline, justice, etiquette, respect, and self-confidence.

Some of the best-known taekwondo techniques include:

• Front Kick (앞 차기 ap chagi): This is a very linear kick. The practitioner raises the knee to the waist, pulls the toes back and quickly extends the foot at the target. It is also known as the snap kick. The front kick is one of the first kicks learned in TKD; if mastered it can become one of the most powerful.
• Side Kick (옆 차기 yeop chagi): A very powerful kick, first the practitioner simultaneously raises the knee and rotates the body 90 degrees, and then quickly extends the leg, striking with the heel or the side of the foot.
• Roundhouse Kick or Turning Kick (돌려 차기 dollyeo chagi): The practitioner raises the knee, turns the hips, pivots on the non-kicking foot, and snaps the kick horizontally into the target at a 90-degree angle, either with the instep or with the ball of the foot (in the latter case, with the toes pulled back out of the way as in a front kick).
• Back Kick (뒤 차기 dwi chagi): Here the practitioner turns the body away from the target and pushes the back leg straight toward the target, hitting it with the heel while watching over the shoulder. The turning motion helps to give this kick a lot of power.
• Reverse Side Kick (반대 옆 차기 bandae yeop chagi): Similar to the back kick, here the body turns further, allowing the heel to hit the target with the foot pointing to the side as in a regular side kick, instead of more downward as in a true back kick.
• Hook Kick (후려 차기 huryeo chagi): A less popular kick traditionally, it has found increasing favor in modern competitions. The practitioner raises the knee in a fashion similar to the roundhouse kick, then extends the foot outward then snaps it around in a dorsal arc, with the heel as the intended striking weapon.
• Axe Kick (내려 차기 naeryeo chagi): Another kick that has increased in popularity due to sparring competitions. The leg is raised in front of the body. The leg remains straight or close to straight as it rises, then the leg is pulled down with the heel pointed downward. It is typically targeted toward the head or shoulders and requires significant flexibility to employ effectively.
• Crescent Kick (반달 차기 bandal chagi): There are two variations of this kick: the outer crescent and the inner crescent. In the outer, the practitioner raises the extended leg as high as possible, and slightly up across the body, (a bit across the centerline of the body), then sweeping outward to the side, in a circular movement. In the inner, the motions are the same but the direction of the kick changes, this time originating from the outside of the body, heading towards the inside, or centerline of the body. These kicks are also called "Inside Kick" and "Outside Kick" at some taekwondo schools, and "Inside-Outside" and "Outside-Inside" at others.
• Spin Kicks (반대 돌려 차기 bandae dollyeo chagi): There are several spinning kicks that involve the rotation of the entire body and head before the kick is released. Spinning kicks include the back pivot kick (dweel chagi), spinning hook kick (dweel huryeo chagi), spinning axe kick, returning kick, 360 turning kick, and a number of other kicks of varying popularity.
• Jump Kicks (뛰어 차기 ttwieo chagi): There are also many kicks that involve jumping before their execution. These include jumping front kick (ee dan ap chagi), jumping side kick (이단 옆 차기 idan yeop chagi), flying side kick, jumping axe kick, jumping roundhouse (ee dan dollyeo chagi), jumping spinning hook kick, jumping spinning roundhouse kick, butterfly kick or "shuffle jump kick," jumping (or counter) back kick, and jump spinning side kick. Normally, jumping kicks involve pulling up the back leg to help gain height during the jump and then performing the kick itself with the front leg.
• Advanced Kicks : There is a variety of kicks that can be used in combination or stem out from a simple kick to create more difficult ones. Some of these include 540 Kick (One spins 1 1/2 times in mid-air and does a kick, usually a back spinning hook kick) and Triple Aero Kicks (One does round house kick, back spinning hook kick, and another round house kick in mid-air). More of these Advanced Kicks can be seen here
• Fast Kicks: Also, many kicks can be employed using a fast kick style. The practitioner shuffles the back leg forward to the front leg, and the front leg comes up and kicks closer to the enemy than the practitioner had been before execution. This can be used with side kick, roundhouse kick, front kick, hook kick, and axe kick. They are called Fast "insert kick name".

Some taekwondo instructors also incorporate the use of pressure points, known as ji ap sul as well as grabbing self-defense techniques borrowed from other martial arts, such as Hapkido and Judo.

Ranks, belts, and promotion

Like many martial arts, taekwondo has ten student ranks (called a geup, 급, also romanized as gup or kup) and nine or ten black belt ranks (dan, 단) or "degree". New students begin at 10^th geup (white belt) and advance down in number to 1^st geup. At many schools, students then advance into an intermediate rank called cho dan bo or dan bo, meaning "black belt candidate". After some prescribed amount of time has passed, the student takes a dan test, after which the student becomes a 1^st dan.

Dan ranks then increase to a maximum of either 9^th dan (ITF) or 10^th dan (Kukkiwon). The Kukkiwon does not allow students under 15 to attain dan ranks. Instead they earn poom ranks, or "junior black belt". Underage students may earn up to 4^th Poom, and all poom ranks convert automatically to dan ranks when the student comes of age and passes his or her next promotion.

The grading in taekwondo consists mainly of patterns, techniques and theory. The patterns are a display of punching and kicking techniques, and may also contain others such as breathing and stances. Theory is displayed verbally and expresses information on Korean words, vital information (such as vital points and rules) and a general understanding and knowledge of taekwondo.

Geup ranks and belt colors

The colored belt system is an artifact of Japanese influence on Korea during the occupation, and thus ultimately from Jigaro Kano, the founder of judo. Some organizations' leaders, like General Choi Hong Hi, assigned meanings to the various colors of the ranks, representing the progression of a student from white, the innocence of a beginner, into the maturity of the black belt, who is impervious to darkness and fear. The interpretation of the colors of the belt vary from school to school, and are sometimes omitted from instruction, as they did not have meaning when they were originally chosen. Neither the World Taekwondo Federation nor the Kukkiwon assign official meanings to the colors.

The correspondence of belt color to geup varies drastically from school to school, and can even change within the same school over time. Belt colors are most useful in allowing students and instructors within a school to quickly determine rank. The traditional and most common rank-color correspondence found in Kukkiwon and ITF schools in the USA are:

The student pictured here is testing for promotion.

GUP	Kukkiwon Belt Color	ITF Belt Color
10th	White Belt	White Belt
9th	varies	White with Yellow Stripe
8th	Yellow Belt	Yellow Belt
7th	varies	Yellow with Green Stripe
6th	Green Belt	Green Belt
5th	varies	Green with Blue Stripe
4th	Blue Belt	Blue Belt
3rd	varies	Blue with Red Stripe
2nd	Red Belt	Red Belt
1st	varies	Red with Black Stripe

In most schools, the method by which colors are assigned for intermediate belt rankings (odd-numbered geup) is far less uniform. The three most common approaches are: creating a new color for each odd rank (such as a purple or orange belt for 7^th geup), marking the increase of rank with a stripe on the belt, or wearing a "mixed" belt blending the two neighboring even-numbered colors together. There is little uniformity between schools in the new created colors, or how the "mixed" belts are created. The system commonly used by the Kukkiwon schools outside the USA includes only 5 colored belts (white, yellow, blue, green, and red) with two levels of each color indicated by a stripe on the belt. Including the first white belt brings the total to 9 geups to 1st Degree black belt.

Even the typical even-numbered geup colors are sometimes altered or omitted, and even the names of the same color can vary from school to school (for example, calling it a "gold belt" instead of a yellow belt). Because of this large variety in color naming systems, for clarity, taekwondo practitioners should always refer to their rank by number ("7^th geup") instead of by belt color.

The time required to advance in each geup level also varies from school to school, but typical rates are quarterly or monthly. Not all students advance at each promotional testing, and students at advanced geup ranks often wait one or more testing periods for their next promotion. Students with good attendance and strong aptitude may earn faster promotions than those with irregular attendance or effort. Geup rank advancement records are usually kept by the school of origin, and sometimes by the association headquarters.

Dan belts

The black belt system is more formal and standardized across the different schools of taekwondo. Generally, a dan（단/段）black belt is either an unadorned black belt (the same for all ranks), or has a stripe across the tip for each rank (usually gold, silver, red or white). For example, a 5^th dan could have five lateral gold stripes across the end of the belt. Some schools instead write the Dan degree in Roman numerals. Many black belts also have the name of the school on the right side of the belt, and the taekwondo practitioner's name on the left. The names can be written in any language, though having the school's name in Korean and the practitioner's name in his native language is common.

In the ITF, the maximum rank is 9th Dan; in the Kukkiwon, it is 10th Dan. According to General Choi, "The reason for nine black belt degrees is that the number three is a powerful number in the orient, and therefore three threes must be the most powerful." The 10^th dan in the Kukkiwon is a very rare rank, generally awarded posthumously only to persons who have made great contributions to taekwondo. It is not the same as an honorary 10th dan. The Kukkiwon has only awarded five standard 10^th dan to the following men: Un Yong Kim (living), Byong Lo Lee, Chong Soo Hong, Il Sup Chun, and Nam Suk Lee. The WTF has also awarded two "honorary" Kukkiwon 10^th dan, both to individuals who were members of the IOC - IOC Presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch and Jacques Rogge. The WTF Member National Associations and the Kukkiwon issue many honorary dan to political and non-political persons who make a contribution to the growth of taekwondo.

Generally speaking, one must wait one year per current dan level to progress to the next level. For example, a 3^rd dan must wait three years before he can progress into 4^th dan. There can also be an age requirement. For example, one must be at least 30 years old to qualify for 6^th dan in the Kukkiwon. The Kukkiwon allows shortened promotion times for exceptional accomplishments. For example, a practitioner who wins the World Championships is accorded an 80% discount on both the minimum time to advance and minimum age requirements, up to a maximum promotion of 7^th dan.

Time & Age Limits for Poom or Dan Promotion
Poom/Dan	Minimum Time Required for Promotion	Age Limits for Promotion
		Start from Dan	Start from Poom
1st Poom	N A	N A	Less than 15 Years Old
1st to 2nd Poom	1 years	N A	Less than 15 Years Old
2nd to 3rd Poom	2 years	N A	Less than 15 Years Old
3rd to 4th Poom	3 years	N A	Less than 18 Years Old
1st Dan	N A	15 years and above	N A
1st to 2nd Dan	1 year	16 years and above	15 years and above
2nd to 3rd Dan	2 years	18 years and above	15 years and above
3rd to 4th Dan	3 years	21 years and above	18 years and above
4th to 5th Dan	4 years	25 years and above	22 years and above
5th to 6th Dan	5 years	30 years and above	30 years and above
6th to 7th Dan	6 years	36 years and above	36 years and above
7th to 8th Dan	7 years	44 years and above	44 years and above
8th to 9th Dan	8 years	53 years and above	53 years and above
9th to 10th Dan	9 years	60 years and above	60 years and above

For Kukkiwon practitioners, all ranks of 1^st dan and above must be registered with the Kukkiwon if the black belt wishes to participate in the Olympics, as a WTF International Referee, attend the Kukkiwon Instructor Course, attend the Kukkiwon Poomsae Presenter Course and so on. In the US and a few other countries, a Kukkiwon certificate is not needed for competition.

The Kukkikwon requires special promotion tests to advance to the 8^th dan and beyond. These tests must be taken at the Kukkiwon. For lower dan in category 2 nations of the World Taekwondo Federation, tests can generally be administered by any Kukkikwon-certified black belt of at least 4^th dan who is also at least one dan rank higher than the person testing. However, in category 1 nations, only the National Taekwondo Association of the WTF can apply to Kukkiwon for the dan/poom test.

Dan titles

Officially, the Kukkiwon recognizes the following titles for dan ranks:

• 1st to 5^th Dan: "Master"
• 6th to 9^th Dan: "Grandmaster"

Officially, the Kukkiwon assigns the following instructor ranks, which are separate from Dan ranks. One must graduate the Kukkiwon Instructors Academy at Kukkiwon in Seoul, Korea and pass the Sabum test. The certified instructor program (which must be taken before one can establish a new taekwondo school in Korea), is only offered to practitioners who are certified Kukkiwon 4^th dan and who have passed a week-long course held annually at the Kukkiwon.

• 3rd Class Sabum Certificate
• 2nd Class Sabum Certificate
• 1st Class Sabum Certificate

However, in practice titles vary on a school by school basis. The following is an example of how titles might be assigned to Dan ranks at a school:

• 1^st Dan - 2^nd Dan: "Assistant Instructor"
• 3^rd Dan - 4^th Dan: "Instructor"
• 5^th Dan - 7^th Dan: "Master"
• 8^th Dan - 10^th Dan: "Grand Master"

"Assistant Instructor" and "Instructor" are unofficial rank titles, and although dan holding these titles often help with instruction, this arrangement is independent of the Kukkiwon's official "Instructor" program.

ITF schools use a standard ranking system:

• 1^st Dan - 3^rd Dan: "National/Assistant Instructor" (Boo-Sabum)
• 4^th Dan - 6^th Dan: "International Instructor" (Sabum)
• 7^th Dan - 8^th Dan: "Master" (Sahyun)
• 9^th Dan  : "Grand Master" (Saseong)

Modes of address

The word "Master" carries a different connotation in Korean than it does in English. While in Korean the term is often used for all dan grades, in America, the term is often only applied to those of the 4^th dan and up. While a 1^st dan could technically (by Kukkiwon rules) refer to himself as a "Master" in English, he would likely meet with disapproval if he did so.

In the United States, black belts at the Instructor level and lower are usually addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am" and those of the Master level are called "Master". Dan of the Grand Master level are called "Grand Master" or "Grandmaster", often with their last name appended for additional formality ("Yes sir, Grandmaster Lee!"). However, students who train directly with a Grandmaster often simply use the address "Master", reserving "Grandmaster" for more formal occasions. In Korea, and the rest of the world, the word sabum is often used ("Lee sabum"), for Master or Grandmaster level.

Title	Meaning
Panjanim	Higher Ranking Student
Sunbaenim	Senior Student
Jokyonim	Assistant Instructor (Variant of Assistant Instructor)
Kyosanim	Assistant Instructor
Sabumnim	Instructor
Kwanjangnim	Head of a Kwan (not School)
Kuk Sa Nim	National Teacher

Korean commands

In Taekwondo, Korean language commands are often used. For words used in counting, see Korean numerals.

General

• Cha-ryot - 차렷 - Attention.
• Gyong-rye - 경례 - Bow.
• Sabum nim ke gyong-rye - 사범님께 경례 - Bow to the Instructor (Only when bowing to an instructor - see modes of address).
• Ba-ro - 바로 - Return.
• Swi-eo - 쉬어 - At ease.
• Ki-hap - 기합 - Yell (Usually said at the end of a combo or an attack. The h is nearly silent. To Westerners it sounds like: Ki-up.)
• Muk-nyeom - 묵념 - Meditation.
• Shi-jak - 시작 - Begin.
• Hae-san - 해산 - Dismiss.

Sparring

• Jun-bi - 준비 - Ready.
• Shi-jak - 시작 - Begin.
• Gal-ryeo - 갈려 - Break.
• Gyae-sok - 계속 - Continue.
• Geu-man - 그만 - Finish.

General competition

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An axe kick is thrown during a taekwondo sparring match in the UK.

Although only sparring is contested in the Olympics, breaking and poomse are also contested frequently in other competitions. All three are parts of a traditional taekwondo curriculum, with a fourth part being Hosinsul (self-defense). Olympic style sparring consists of 3 non-stop rounds of contact with rest in between. Colored belts fight in one minute rounds with a 30 second break while black belts fight in 2 minute rounds with 1 minute breaks. Olympic style sparring count as points only full force kicks or punches that make contact with the opponents hogu, mid-section cover that functions as a scoring target, or any full force kick to the head and face.

Taekwondo sparring match in Madrid (Spain).

Points must be clearly scored and make solid contact that causes abrupt displacement of the body or head. Head kicks are worth 2 points. Head kicks that result in an 8 count are 3 points. Punches or kicks to the body are 1 point, body strikes that result in an 8 count earn 2 points. Knockout wins the match. There are many knockouts in Olympic Style Taekwondo competition. No punches may make contact with the head, and no attacks are legal below the belt. Winners score more points than their opponent and if one fighter is up by 7 points, the match is awarded to him/her. If one person scores 12 points then the match will also be awarded to them. In the event of a tie, there is a one minute overtime round, where the first point wins.

This differs from the ITF sparring rule set (which is not an Olympic sport). The main differences are that punches to the head are allowed (1 point for a punch regardless of target), and that flying techniques scores higher than grounded techniques (+1 points for a flying technique, for example: hitting the chest with a grounded kick = 1 point, hit the chest with a flying technique = 2 points. ). Points are scored for proper technique to the front of the body above the belt. There is no hogu as used in the Olympic style sparring, but it is compulsory to use approved type of feet protection and approved type of gloves.

Olympic competition rules

The sparring regulations of the WTF, adopted by the International Olympic Committee, emphasize full contact blows, allow knockout and other logistics of the Olympic sports. These rules are different from taekwondo sparring based on poomsae technique, grabbing self-defense. There are over 18 different types of taekwondo sparring.

File:Armedforces taekwondo.jpg

Rachel Marcial of the US Armed Forces team (blue) competing in a taekwondo match.

Official WTF trunk protector (hogu), forearm guards and shin guards

The official, current WTF competition rules can be found at the WTF website. These rules govern many aspects of tournament sparring, summarized below:

• The competition area measures 10m x 10m.
• The contestant shall wear the trunk protector (hogu), head protector, groin guard, forearm guards, shin guards, hand protectors, and a mouthpiece.
• The duration of the contest is non-stop three rounds of two minutes each, with a one-minute rest period between rounds. In case of a tie score after the completion of the 3rd round, a 4th round of two minutes will be conducted as the sudden death overtime round.
• Permitted and prohibited techniques:
  • Fist techniques are only allowed with a closed hand, and only with the leading part of the hand (no backhand or hammer techniques).
  • Foot techniques are only allowed by using the parts of the foot below the ankle bone (no shin or knee techniques).
• Permitted areas
  • Trunk: Full force attack by fist and foot techniques on the areas covered by the trunk protector are permitted. Attacks on the part of the back not covered by the trunk protector are permitted so long as they are not direct hits to the spine.
  • Head: Full force, knock out attack to the head is only allowed by foot techniques. Attack to the back of the head is prohibited, as are all hand techniques to the head.
• Points are awarded when permitted techniques deliver full force, abrupt displacement and trembling shock to the legal scoring areas of the body. Points may be awarded by judges for a successful technique as follows:
  • One point for attack on trunk protector.
  • Two points for attack on the head.
  • One point if a punch is thrown and stops the opponent in their tracks.
  • One additional point if the opponent is knocked down and the referee counts.
  • Declared winner if knock-out of the opponent with foot kicking to the legal area of head and face.
• Deduction of points. Two types of penalties may be assigned for prohibited acts, "kyonggo" (warning penalty) and "gamjom" (deduction penalty). Two "kyonggo" deduct one point, rounded down (an odd "kyonggo" is not counted in the grand total), and a "gamjom" deducts one full point. When a contestant has been deducted four points, the referee shall declare him/her loser by penalties.
  • "Kyonggo" penalties include: evading by turning the back to the opponent; falling down; avoiding/stalling the match; grabbing, holding, or pushing; attacking below the waist; pretending injury; butting or attacking with knee; hitting the opponent’s face with the hand.
  • "Gaamjan" penalties include: attacking the opponent when the round is stopped; attacking a fallen opponent; intentionally attacking the opponent’s face with the hand.
• In the event of a tied score after the sudden death round, the judging officials decide the match based on the initiative shown during the final round.

Media depiction

Despite martial arts movies being seemingly dominated by Japanese and Chinese martial arts, taekwondo is actually one of the most popular martial arts employed in film, largely because of the impressive kicking techniques used in taekwondo. Taekwondo is also fairly common among fighting video games.

See also

• Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics
• International Taekwondo Alliance

External links

• Official site of the WTF World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)
• Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters
• Official Sites of International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF): Site 1, Site 2, Site 3
• Associação Portuguesa de Hapkido Yang Hum Kwan - http://www.yanghumkwan.pt/
• Official site of the BTCB British Taekwondo Control Board (BTCB)