Taekwondo

1222 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of physical activity

Introduction

One of the most popular sports at present is Taekwondo. It is loosely defined in Korean as "the way of the foot and fist". It is from the word "Tae", which means "foot", "Kwon" for "fist" and "Do" for "the way or method". (Southwick, 1998) Thus, taekwondo is a free-fighting combat sport using bare hands and feet to repel an opponent. (Lee, 1995) It requires proper and skillful execution of techniques such as punching, jumping kicks, blocks, dodges, parrying actions with hands and feet. Taekwondo is a sport that uses the entire body as a weapon to attack and beat the opponent with his hands, feet, elbows, knees or any part of his body. A person who knows Taekwondo should be able to stand against any opponent, but its code forbids unfair assaults or unnecessary use of force. (Lee, 1995) This essay will define Taekwondo’s history, expected learning outcomes and how it is used as a means of self-defense.

History

The origins of Taekwondo come from the Koguryo, Baekchae and Silla Dynasties of Ancient Korea (Marinoy, Iordanov ,& Tzvetkova, 1998) . Mural paintings from royal tombs in Muyongchong and Kakchuchong were found in Koguryo Dynasty (Lee, 1995). Lee further explained that in Muyongchong’s mural paintings, there was a drawing of two men facing each other in a Taekwondo practice. While in the Kakchuchong’s royal tombs, was a painting of two men who were having a wrestling fight or like one of Korea’s traditional form of wrestling, cireum. A Japanese historian named Tatashi Saito said in the “Study of Culture in Ancient Korea” (as cited in Lee, 1995, p. 14) :

“The painting either shows us that the person buried in the tomb practiced Taekwondo while he was alive or it tells us that people practiced it, along with...

... middle of paper ...

...ondo: The five tenets of taekwondo. Taekwondo

(pp.19-23) . London: Amber Books Ltd.

3. Lee, K. M. (1995). The history of Taekwondo: Koguryo dynasty. Dynamic Taekwondo (pp.13-

14). United States of America: Hollym International Corp.

4. Lee, K. (1995). Overview and history: Introduction to Taekwondo. Dynamic Taekwondo (pp.2-5).

United States of America: Hollym International Corp.

5. Marinov M., Iordanov S., and Tzvetkova P. (1998) History. Oracle Think Quest. Retrieved

November 7, 2011, from http://library.thinkquest.org/16082/history/index.html

6. Southwick, R. (1998). A Brief History of Taekwondo. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from

https://www.msu.edu/~spock/history.html

7. World Taekwondo Federation. (2009) Ancient Timers. World Taekwondo Federation. Retrieved

November 7, 2011, from http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/about_taekwondo/ancient_timers.html

Show More
Related

  • A Biomechanical Analysis of the Roundhouse Kick

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tae Kwon Do is a Korean, unarmed martial art and is best known for its kicks (Park, 2001). The roundhouse kick is a turning kick and happens to be the most commonly used kick during competition (Lee, 1996). For this reason, the roundhouse kick will be analyzed in reference to sparring competition.

    Read More

  • Japanese Katana

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stories about war and implements of such can be observed throughout the course of Japanese history. This shows the prevalence of martial training and the profession of arms as a tradition that has not faded since ancient times (Friday and Humitake 13).

    Read More

  • MMA Vs. Boxing

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever wondered, “What is the difference between MMA and boxing?” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights originated as hand-to-hand combat performed as a sport called Pankration from the greek words Pan and Kratas, meaning “all powers” (Shamrock). Often a practitioner of one of the skill groups in martial arts challenged a practitioner of a different skill for ultimate bragging rights (Shamrock). In 393C.E. Roman emperor Theodosius the first banned the Olympic games,spelling the end of Pankration as a popular sport (Shamrock). This style of fighting later resurfaced in the twentieth century in Brazil via a combat sport known as vale tudo”,anything goes” (“Encyclopedia Britannica”). MMA

    Read More

  • Martial Arts: Religion, Foundation and Movements

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    mind. In a general sense, many view martial arts as a sport that involves hurting one another. On

    Read More

  • American Flag Descriptive Writing

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    The class begins with middle punches. This entails bringing the left foot out into a sitting stance where our legs reflect a person riding a horse. The hip is rotated backwards then propelled forwards as the fist on the belt twists towards our imaginary opponent in front of us. Then Master Copper pairs each student with a partner of equal height to practice kicks. When my partner extends his sidekick, the crusty dirt on the sole of his foot brushes past my eyes, and the speed of the kick creates a breeze of stale air. In the middle of class, we incorporate the punching bags into our workout. The low belts use the tall, thin sun colored bag, and the high belts utilize the thick, blood colored bag. However, the black belts utilize “Bob the Bully”, the tan, lifelike bag with dense padding and broad shoulders. After six hours of school and at least four hours of homework, punching and kicking the toned face and rippling abs of Bob brings a substantial amount of satisfaction. As my knuckles make contact with Bob’s rigid jaw, I grit my teeth and each blow connects with more power than the last. Beads of sweat roll down my face as Bob’s head shifts from side to side following each blast of force. The instep of my foot creates indents in the sides of Bob as my half turning kicks

    Read More

  • Athletic Training

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Choosing a vocation can be a daunting task. With the world ever-evolving, one may come across a new attractive career every year. In order to ensure optimal job satisfaction, it is vital to educate oneself about every alluring prospect prior to committing. Simple factors like the time commitment and salary can mean the difference between a content existence and a miserable one.

    Read More

  • Jujitsu Essay

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    To a person not conversant with this art, Jujitsu may be considered as a foul or derogatory term in Japanese. However, Jujitsu us one of the most effective and deadly forms of martial arts taught today. Unique among other forms of combat, Jujitsu holds the position of a “parent art”, of from which other forms of martial arts such as Aikido, Judo and several Karate styles were extracted. Jujitsu is a combination of all levels of combat. It incorporates chokes, striking, grappling, nerve and pressure point attacks, joint locks, redirection of momentum and throws.

    Read More

  • Philosophy

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    The philosophy of Tae Kwon Do is to build a more peaceful world. To accomplish this goal Tae Kwon Do begins with the foundation, the individual. The Art strives to develop the character, personality, and positive moral and ethical traits in each practitioner. It is upon this "foundation" of individuals possessing positive attitudes and characteristics that the "end goal" may be achieved.

    Read More

  • Gymnastics

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout sports history in America, minorities have had a sever disadvantage to succeeding. While the country has come a long way in integrating capable athletes in professional sports, there are several sports that have a white dominance. One rarely sees a minority on the swimming team. Caucasians dominate the golf and hockey leagues as well. One of the most prominent sports that is working on overcoming their racial barrier is gymnastics. Gymnastics is a white dominant sport, not only in America but around Europe as well. Ever since Dianne Durham was first African American to start competing on an elite level in the 1980s, there have only been a handful of black gymnasts recognised on the national level. It took until 1996 for a black gymnast to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Dominique Dawes competed in Atlanta and made history for being the first black person of any nationality to win a gold medal in gymnastics. While gymnastics has made progress including African Americans, they still have prejudices to overcome.

    Read More

  • The Film Hero: Chinese Culture And Culture Of China

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film demonstrates the long-lasting martial arts through the sword fight between the warriors. Chinese martial arts are a unique mixture of self-defense, exercise, meditation, harmony, and self-discipline. Additionally, it uses the strength of body and brain. Each battle scene in the movie depicts that martial arts virtue peace instead of violence. It is shown in the scene, where nameless (Jet Li) is fighting with broken sword while floating on the lake and drawing a pattern with their sword. The martial arts define the styles of Chinese tradition and life of the warriors. It is one of the important aspects of Chinese culture as it is deeply imbedded in China, and it serves as a representative of the culture. It has enhanced my understanding on importance of martial arts in Chinese culture.

    Read More

  • Jhoon Rhee and His Tae Kwon Do Philosophy

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the cessation of the century approached, Rhee had accomplished more than he had ever hoped, garnering awards and apperceptions virtually too numerous to count. He had been denominated one of President George Bush’s Daily Points of Light. His ebony belt students included not only Members of Congress, but eminent figures like Tony Robbins, Jack Valenti, and Jack Anderson. He had appeared on the cover of Parade magazine with Cheryl Tiegs. And he had been designated by Ebony Belt magazine as one of the top two living martial artists of the 20th Century.

    Read More

  • yoga

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    “We’ve done dental hygiene but not mental hygiene. So the question is, ‘How do we go from where we are now to where we need to be?’” (Khalsa, 2012)

    Read More

  • Analysis of Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mark Salzman was perfecting his calligraphy skills and as weeks had passed he began to make progress. He was getting tired of the models and wanted to try something new. When he told Hai Bin,(his teacher), he frowned and said,”Some people spend their entire lives researching a single model. You should be willing to spend a year on this one.” This is an example of the dedication and perseverance these men have towards their chosen artform or skill. Another example of this theme, was Mark’s Wushu teacher, Pan, who punched a fifty pound plate of steel up to ten thousand times a day. Mark’s relentless practicing of the many forms of Wushu was influenced by Pan.

    Read More

  • Sociological Analysis Of Taekwondo

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    Taekwondo is a martial art that originated from Korea about 2,300 years ago. Along with being a sport, it is also a way of life. The word Taekwondo “literally means ‘the way of the foot and fist’” (Southwick, 1998). From observing the social group, there are sociological elements that differed from normal society.

    Read More

  • greek vase painting

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...des us with a glimpse into the ancient culture using beautiful and detailed designs. The art form has been sustained in fired clay for thousands of years indiscriminately telling its story to the world and to history.

    Read More

More about Taekwondo

Open Document