THE SPIRIT OF TAEKWONDO : FROM KOREA TO THE WORLD

What do you think when you see or hear the word “taekwondo” if you want to know about taekwondo and history you have come to the right place.

“Taekwondo” is a broad practice that combines mental discipline, physical training and self defence technique and promoting personal growth and development. Taekwondo was developed and unified during 1940s and 1950s with the name “Taekwondo” official adopted in 1955. It is recognized as on of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world.

The name Taekwondo was selected for it’s appropriate description of the art: Tae(foot), kwon(hand) and Do(art). Taekwondo often translated as ‘the way of the footband fist’ is a traditional Korean marital art that emphasizes kicking techniques, hand strikes and jumps is disciplined form of self defence that goes beyond physical combat, incorporating mental and ethical principles.

HISTORY OF TAEKWONDO

Taekwondo martial arts training thought to be around the first century on the peninsula of korea over 2000 years ago. Taekwondo evolved from traditional Korean martial arts it was influenced by Japanese karate during the Japanese occupation of korea. But it was officially named and formalized in 1955. The name of taekwondo was proposed by General choi Hong Hi. The taekwondo has since grown into a global sport with the international Taekwondo federation (ITF) and world taekwondo (WT).

ANCIENT ORIGINS:-

Goguryeo Era: The birthplace of korean martial arts is believed to be the goguryeo kingdom, one of the three kingdoms of korea. The kingdom military developed unique fighting styles, including taekkyeon, a form of martial arts that highlight kicking techniques.

BUDDHISM’S AND CONFUCIANISM:-

The influence of buddhism and confucianism on taekwondo is profound and multifaced. Taekwondo’s philosophical foundations are rooted deeply in the traditions of Buddhism and confucianism , reflecting Korea’s historical context and culture. Buddhism and confucianism philosophies have shaped the martial arts development, self control, respect and compassion, loyalty and moral character.

[BUDDHISM’S INFLUENCE ON TAEKWONDO]:-

1) MENTAL DISCIPLINE– In taekwondo, this means to foster a strong mind and body connection, allows practicing to stay composed and focused in important situation.

2) SELF DISCIPLINE– In taekwondo self discipline means controlling one’s emotions, action and reaction, even in the face of adversity buddhism teaches self control and self awareness.

[CONFUCIANISM INFLUENCE ON TAEKWONDO]:-

1) MORAL CHARACTER– In taekwondo, this means cultivating virtues such as integrity, honesty and humility.

2) LOYALTY– Confucianism teaches loyalty for authority, traditional and community.

[SOME SHARED VALUE OF BUDDHISM AND CONFUCIANISM]

1) DISCIPLINE– Both emphasize the importance of discipline which is reflected in taekwondo rigorous training and self control.

2) RESPECT– Both principals teach respect for other traditions and communities. The learner should have respect for their instructors, fellow practitioners and opponents.

3) SELF CULTIVATION– Both points up the importance of self cultivation and personal growth. This teaches us to have self improvement and self awareness.

MODERATION (1950s-1960s)

CHOI HONG HI- He is known as founder of taekwondo and he also served as president of the international (I.T.F) for many years. He is often credited with modernizing and standardising taekwondo. He was an army general and a korean martial artist who played a key role in developing the modern style of taekwondo. During his military career, general choi deeply researched various martial arts mainly Taekyon , kung fu and karate drowning from each to create the version of taekwondo. In 1965, the south Korean government gave approval to General choi’s martial art and declared it as Korea’s National martial art. General choi also led a good will mission on tour of Asia, Europe, Africa and the middle East. On March 22nd 1966. General choi hong hi formed the international taekwondo federation in Seoul Korea. Because of unwavering dedication to taekwondo led him to profound choices in the face of extreme hate. In 1971, the south Korean president park Chung hi began to use taekwondo as anti communist political propaganda. Because of this he got death threats as well but despite all this , he stood fiercely against this, and went to deportation in Canada . He continued to teach taekwondo throughout the world including North Korea and in 1974 he organised the first taekwondo world championship in Montreal. General choi died because of cancer on 15 June 2002 in Pyongyang north korea. But we should also know that world taekwondo portray choi as either an unimportant or dishonorable figure in taekwondo history because of his apostasy to north Korea is a point of contention leading the same to minimize his contribution. This difference in people’s perspectives highlights the complexities surrounding General choi’s impact on the global development of taekwondo.

GLOBAL SPREAD

When taekwondo was introduced to the world it quickly became popular as martial arts and sports. Taekwondo became an Olympic sport in 2000, with the World Taekwondo federation (WTF) growing the sport boosting its global popularity. The World Taekwondo federation is the government body for Olympic style Taekwondo, while the international Taekwondo federation (ITF) governs traditional Taekwondo. Taekwondo has developed all over different continents of the world. Each region has its unique style, competition and training method. Taekwondo has facilitated the cultural exchange between korea and other countries, promoting mutual understanding and respect. Now we can say that taekwondo is practiced by millions worldwide with its global spread continuing to shape the martial art and sport.

EVOLUTION

Taekwondo has evolving the competition formats to enhance safety, improve scoring system and boost Spector experience. Changes in rules, equipment being arranged to make the sport more engaging and scoring methods.

Training methods are also becoming more innovative with more focus on safety, injury prevention and teaching techniques. Coaches and instructors are trying to introduce new training methods to improve athletes overall performance without injuries.

With modern time Taekwondo is adapting to modern trends in sport science, technology and SNS/Media to enhance its global appeal and presence by adapting modern trends we can think about technology for scoring, promoting the sport through digital media and incorporating sport science so it can help for better athlete performance.

” Many may think that taekwondo is about kicking and punching, but they don’t understand that the meaning of this beautiful art is about building a character and discipline in person”