Modern Olympic Taekwondo

Modern Olympic Taekwondo

In 1909, Japan occupied Korea banning the Korean language and forcing martial arts underground. At the end of the occupation, Korean martial arts resurfaced gradually began to unite and grow in popularity under a nationalistic theme. Several new and different systems ("kwans") emerged.

General Choi Hong Hi learned the ancient foot-fighting technique of taekyon in his teens and then went to Japan, where he studied karate. He returned to Korea and developed his new system, which he taught to army personnel and to Americans fighting in Korea. In 1955 tae kwon do was accepted as the name for his new martial art and, in 1960, he introduced the art to the US. Later, he founded the International Tae Kwon Do Federation.

In 1955, General Choi Hong Hi, often referred to as the father of modern tae kwon do, revealed his new art to the public. Although controversy surrounds the inclusion certain punching techniques into tae kwon do, most notably the reverse punches that bear a resemblance to karate, these hand techniques were most probably of Chinese origin. They were introduced into the Japanese islands of Okinawa, and then later incorporated into karate, before they were returned to Korea. The name tae kwon do was chosen because of its resemblance to the original kicking art, taekyon. Many of the acrobatic martial techniques in movies such as Enter the Dragon derive from tae kwon do and so stunt men have developed a familiarity with its practice. In the 360-degree spinning round kick, for example, the practitioner spins and jumps into a turning roundhouse kick that is placed on to either the temple or jaw of an opponent, often with devastating results. Bruce Lee probably incorporated tae kwon do kicking techniques into his art of jeet kune do.

Rules and regulations

There are two important but separate systems in modern tae kwon do. One is promoted by the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF), with centers in Austria, North Korea, and Canada. The other is the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF), which has its headquarters in South Korea and coordinates the international competitions, including the tae kwon do events at the Olympics. Practitioners of tae kwon do wear a uniform called the "dobahk," which is similar to a long-sleeved T-shirt. Unlike the "gi" worn by karate practitioners, this one-piece top does not tie from side to side and is often made from lighter material because there is little grappling taught in tae kwon do.

Under the WTF rules, as commonly practiced in the West, two commonly light three rounds on a square area of 328ft x 328ft (10m x 10m). Junior ranks fight one-minute rounds with 30 seconds in between. Senior ranks fight two-minute round one minute in between.

Scoring points

Kicks or punches must make contact with a reasonable amount of force in order to score points. A kick or punch to the body scores one and a kick to the head scores two. An extra point is scored for knocking an opponent the ground with a clean technique. Punches to the head are not allowed. To win a match a competitor must have either a seven-point lead the first to reach 12 points. In event of a tie, the winner is the first to score in a sudden death match.