What is taekwondo?

Answer 1

Taekwondo (also Tae Kwon Do, or Taekwon-Do) shares its name with both a martial art that developed out of a Korean method of self defense, and a the national sport of Korea. In Korean, taemeans "to stomp or smash with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "the art, the way, and the path" ; so "taekwondo" is loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching."

It was first named on April 11, 1955, although the roots and influences go back far into Korea's history. Some of the martial art influences comes from Tae Kkyeon, an ancient Korean method known for its kicking. Also Tang Soo Do, Chinese hand-fighting from the Tang Dynasty. Its earliest origins were from the Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo Kingdoms which co-existed on the Korean peninsula between the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD before they united as the Silla Dynasty.

Taekwondo became mandatory training for soldiers in the Korean Army, and members of Korea's police force. It was used during the Korean War (1950 - 1953), and the Vietnam War. The various Kwans (schools) of Taekwondo were united in 1961 under the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA). It was gradually introduced to the rest of the world throughout the 1960's and 70's, and has risen to popularity during the 1980's.

Taekwondo has experienced commercial success due its appeal to a wide range of participants (as young as 4 years old and up to 80+). Practitioners are interested in a range of benefits from self defense, physical fitness, sports competition and self discipline. On the international stage, much of the success since the early 1970's is due to the leadership provided by the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) for technical requirements, evaluation standards, and certification, and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) setting the standards for competition.

Taekwondo has spread to most nations of the world, and became an official Olympic Sport in 2000, having been introduced as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

Answer 2

Defining the Korean word Taekwondo, and each of its parts:

(sometimes written as Taekwon-Do, Tae Kwon Do, or Taegwondo)

"Tae" means to stomp or strike with your foot

"Kwon" means to strike with your hand or fist

"Do" means the art, way, and path. (note: "and," not "or" since it is not one of these, but "Do" includes the meaning of all of these as described below)

As a basic, rudimentary translation of its three parts, "taekwondo" could be defined as "the art of foot and hand striking." Korean words are often read in reverse order, so this would render a translation of "the way of the hand and foot."

A more in-depth answer would be that Taekwondo is one compound word that has a different meaning than the individual parts. While it can be broken down, and dissected into segments, the real meaning of the word is much more profound than this.

Put together, "taekwon" is meant to indicate a method of unarmed self defense using the whole body, hands and feet, from head to toe. The key element is contained in the "do" which represents a way of life. "Do" is borrowed from the Chinese "Tao" and refers to "ideal action." It teaches harmony with nature, value of life, and the importance of living by a moral and ethical code. As a whole, Taekwondo can be defined as the ideal action in any given situation of life.

In Korean, the term 태권도 consists of three syllables but forms one compound word. Although it is sometimes written in English translations as three separate words (TAE KWON DO), or Hyphenated (Taekwon-Do), the official version most often used by the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, Korea) is as one word.

The first syllable "tae" (태), is the part of the word that means to stomp or smash with the foot.

The second syllable "kwon" (권), is the part of the word means to strike with the hand or fist.

The third syllable "do" (도) is the word that comes from the Chinese term "tao" and relates to the philosophy of the Tao Te Ching - - the art of appreciating life, the way of ideal action that is in harmony with nature, and the path of right behavior.

Taekwondo = a way of training your body, mind, and spirit to be in balance, to find your ideal path and seek enlightenment, to build your character, morals, and ethics to the highest level of integrity, and to effectively use your entire body as a weapon when defending yourself, others, or fighting for a just cause.

Taekwondo utilizes skills unique to Korean Martial Art which are adaptable to any situation, at any range: Long Distance (LD), Mid-Range (MR), and Close Quarters (CQ), including ground-fighting. However, the primary tactics and strategy of Taekwondo is to strike using the strongest weapon of the leg and foot with the longest reach, followed by hand, elbow, knee, and head-butt strikes, then throws (sweeps, reaps, and flips), and finally grappling (joint locks and manipulations, nerve centers and pressure points, releases and escapes).

While some poorly run schools claim to teach authentic Taekwondo, but lack in providing a complete and effective system for Reality Street Defense, these are not true and accurate representations of the genuine Korean art of Self Defense named Taekwondo. Sport Taekwondo is a game based on rules, and not the actual Martial Art. Competitors who excel at Taekwondo games under specific rules, often would not transfer well to a different sport with different rules which restrict the most deadly application of Taekwondo kicks and hand strikes. In many cases, the athletes do not possess the full knowledge and complete skills of Taekwondo, and primarily train only for competitions.
hello,iam glad to answer dis ?

tae means- foot,or to kick. kwon means -hand or to stike with hand,-and do means-the art or the way, in other words respect, i know this because i take tae kwon doe classes,is besti =)

Answer 3

Here's a definition of philosophy...

'a system of values by which one lives'

Each martial art has it's own set of values and each is slightly different. One must also take into account the social values and laws of any given society where one currently lives or visits. In addition, Taekwondo's philosophy encourages harmony with nature, so one's actions should not contribute to his or her environment or to society in a negative way.

The taekwondo philosophy is based on the 5 tenets.

Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit.

These are a set of ideas and values that can help you through life. And in time it can become an unconscious process.

If you embrace taekwondo then taekwondo philosophy can embrace you.

For us...

We just live it. We train. We listen. We absorb the good stuff.

And the philosophy, 'do' or way of life becomes part of us.

Answer 4

Defending oneself from a fight but a true taekwondo in heart never starts a fight unless needed. Like franz peter n. Fabila, he has already won 15 gold medals in philippine taekwondo yet he doesn't boast about it.