Tae Kwon Do
The History of TaeKwonDo
In the beginning there was...
Taekwondo (TKD) can be traced to tae kyun, a form of kicking- and leg- manoeuvring exercise long a part of Korean history. Some sources indicates that tae kyun was taught and practised among Hwarang-do over 1000 years ago. Hwarang-do was organised as a national group of outstanding youths who were hand picked for training in swordmanship of the country of Silla which was then one of the three ruling countries of Korea until all three were later unified by Silla in the 7th century.
It is assumed that tae kyun was practised as part of the daily curriculum by the Hwarang-do, who lived deep in the mountains or near waterfalls. Initially, to those who were planning to be professional soldiers, ruling officials or leaders of the people, tae kyun was merely a form of bodily training and physical conditioning. As time passed tae kyun is believed to have been influenced by karate which must have been introduced from the neighbouring country of China.
Tae kyun, which was not primarily based on the Buddhist doctrine, did not have national support during the period of the Koryu Kingdom of Korea (918 to 1392 A.D.). Koryu, which experienced a flowering Buddhist culture, became widely known throughout the world as Korea, which was derived from the pronunciation of Koryu. The reign of the Yi dynasty which followed the Koryu dynasty was unfortunately characterised by national chaos and social confusion which lasted for over 500 years until the beginning of the 20th century. The replacement of Buddhism by Confucianism at that time resulted in power struggles and ideological confusion. During this period, it is believed that tae kyun was practised by a small select group who did not share their expertise with the people at large. The modern art of Taekwondo was finally born with the turn of the 20th century and is highly influenced from Chinese and Japanese martial arts.
(Tae Kwon Do - Secrets of Korean Karate; Sihak Henry Cho; 1992)
The Kwans
The five original Korean Kwans ("schools") were: Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan (the art of Tang Soo Do), Yun Moo Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan, and Chi Do Kwan. These were founded in 1945 and 1946. Three more Kwans were founded in the early 1950's - Ji Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan, and Oh Do Kwan.
(The rec.martial-arts FAQ - Part 2 of 2)
Development
After 50 years of occupation by Japan (which ended in 1945) and after the division of the nation and the Korean War, Korean nationalism spurred the creation of a national art in 1955, combining the styles of the numerous kwans active within the country (with the exception of Moo Duk Kwan, which remained separate - therefore Tang Soo Do is still a separate art from TKD today). Gen. Hong Hi Choi was primarily responsible for the creation of this new national art, which was named Tae Kwon Do (tae = foot, kwon = fist, do = martial art) to link it with Tae-Kyon (a native art). Earlier unification efforts had been called Kong Soo Do, Tae Soo Do, etc. Many masters had learned Japanese art during the occupation, or had learned Chinese arts in Manchuria. Only a few had been lucky enough to be trained by the few native martial artists who remained active when the Japanese banned all martial arts in Korea. Choi himself had taken Tae-Kyon (a Korean art) as a child, but earned his 2nd dan in Shotokan Karate while a student in Japan.
(The rec.martial-arts FAQ - Part 2 of 2)
The International Taekwondo Association (ITF)
ITF was founded in 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi. The general was forced to leave Korea and the ITF was therefore set up with Canada as its base. After the general left WTF was founded in Korea, and the two organisations became rivals, and finally ITF was left out when Taekwondo became an Olympic sport.
Choi Hong Hi argues today that TKD is no sport and is better of staying out of the Olympics.
(Svenska Fighter; Nr 5/94)
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Kukkiwon
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Facts: November 30, 1972 - Construction of Kukkiwon was completed.
May 25, 1973 - The first World TKD Championships were held
May 28, 1973 - The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was established
October 18, 1974 - The first Asian TKD Championships were held
October 5, 1975 - The WTF became an affiliate of the General
Association of the International Sports Federation.
April 9, 1976 - CISM (Counseil International Sportive Militaire)
Executive Committee adopted TKD as an official sport.
July 17, 1980 - The WTF was granted recognition by the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 83rd general session in Moscow.
February 5, 1982 - TKD was adopted as a demonstration sport for the
1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
July 3, 1986 - The first World Cup TKD Championship was held in the USA
October 7, 1987 - The first Women's World TKD Championships were held
in Spain.
August 3-5, 1992 - A Demonstration sport for the second straight
Olympiad in Spain
1995 - Tae Kwon Do becomes an official Olympic Games sport
Ranking System
White belt 10th grade / kup
White belt with a yellow stripe 9th grade / kup
Yellow belt 8th grade / kup
Yellow belt with a green stripe 7th grade / kup
Green Belt 6th grade / kup
Green belt with a blue stripe 5th grade / kup
Blue belt 4th grade / kup
Blue belt with a red stripe 3rd grade / kup
Red belt 2nd grade / kup
Red belt with a black stripe 1st grade / kup
Black belt 1st to 9th degree dan
Meaning of belt colours
White. signifies innocence, as that of a beginner who has no previous knowledge of Taekwondo.
Yellow. Signifies the earth from which a plant sprouts and takes root as the TKD foundation is being laid.
Green. Signifies the plant's growth as the TKD skill begins to develop.
Blue. Signifies the heaven, towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training in TKD progresses.
Red. Signifies danger, cautioning the student to exercise control and warning the opponent to stay away.Black. Opposite of white, therefore, signifying the maturity and proficiency in TKD. It also indicates the wearer's imperviousness to darkness and fear.
The above colours were chosen because of their historical relevance. Black, red and blue denoted different levels of hierarchy during the Koguuryo and Silla kingdoms.
(Tae Kwon Do - Korean art of self defence; Yeo Chin-Huat; 1988)
Competition
Competition is conducted in 3 rounds of 3 minutes each with 1 minute recess between rounds. The games are played within an 8m x 8m contest area enclosed by a 12m x 12m competition are line. The winner is determined by superior points totals of successful hits (solid contact) using hands and feet.
One referee, four corner judges, and two juries make the decision and control the competition. The four judges keep the score and the jury decides the winner after confirmation of the referee's declaration of warnings, deduction of points, and the referees and judges' score cards. Valid scores are scored points recognised by the majority of the judges. In the case of a tie, the referee decides the winner. The jury publicises valid scores, superiority, deduction of points and warnings of each round. The jury's decisions are posted on the electronic scoreboard after each round.
(The Tae Kwon Do Reporter; October 1995; http://www.tenerten.com/tkdrpt/feature_flying.html)
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