taekwondo

After the merger of the 4 kingdoms of Koguryo, Silla, Baekje and Koryo, Taekwondo began to be systematized in Korea. In 1790, in the Joseon Dynasty, an illustrated book on various martial arts was published, which also covered Taekwondo in detail. Taekwondo came to Europe via America in the 1960s.

Taekwondo is a self-defense system that is practiced by women and men in different weight classes and also contains elements of other Asian martial arts. Fighting takes place on a 10 x 10 m area, kicks and punches are allowed. However, punches must not hit the opponent's head. Thanks to special protective equipment, injuries are extremely rare.

After the ban on practicing martial arts was lifted in 1943 and after Korean independence in 1945, a handful of Koreans who had studied abroad, primarily Japanese karate, returned. They opened the 5 original martial arts schools that would later become Taekwondo.

A form of taekwondo consists of different foot positions combined with hand defenses, kicks and punches that blend together, complement each other and as a whole represent a fight against one or more imaginary opponents. The rhythm of the movements and correct breathing play an important role in correct execution.

There are 2 types of combat. The so-called one or three-step fight takes place according to a prescribed scheme. Errors and omissions can be corrected immediately. It is also particularly suitable for demonstrations. In unprogrammed, free combat, a large number of attack and defense techniques learned are used in any combination.

Taekwondo was represented as a demonstration sport at the Summer Olympics in Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992). Taekwondo was made an Olympic discipline for the first time at the Sydney Games in 2000.