by Devon McNeely
Here are 12 Interesting Facts about Taekwondo:
1. Taekwondo is a martial art from Korea. It is taught to the Korean military in both North and South Korea and is also Korea’s national sport.
2. ‘Tae’ means foot, ‘Kwon’ means hand, and ‘Do’ means way. Taekwondo then means ‘The Way of the Fist and Foot. It can also be translated as ‘The Art of Kicking and Punching’.
3. Taekwondo is primarily a striking art though training may also include grappling, throws and joint locks. It specializes in fast powerful kicks.
4. Taekwondo was created in the 50’s when 9 kwans (schools) came together to unite as a singular Korean art
5. The original name for Taekwondo was Tae Soo Do but it was changed after the suggestion of General Choi Hong Hi
6. General Choi Hong Hi was known as the father of Taekwondo, he founded the international Taekwondo federation (ITF) to spread the art globally.
7. Instructors in Korea separated themselves from ITF and formed the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). The World Taekwondo Federation changed its name to World Taekwondo (WT) to avoid any negative connotations of the acronym WTF.
8. Taekwondo is an Olympic sport, it was added in 1988 as a demonstration event and given medal status in 2000.
9. Taekwondo is one of 3 Asian martial arts in the Olympics, the others being Judo and starting in 2020 Karate.
10. Jhoon Rhee who is known as the father of American Taekwondo, trained with Bruce Lee learning Jeet Kune Do from him and in turn teaching him Taekwondo style kicks.
11. Traditionally taekwondo has no weapons training though some defensive techniques are designed to be used against an attacker with a weapon. Some styles and schools have also added weapon training to their curriculum.
12. Taekwondo is popular in movies due to its flashy kicks. Martial arts actors such as Scott Adkins, Ernie Reyes Sr. and Jr., Chuck Norris and many more have either trained in taekwondo primarily or cross-trained in it.