Taekwondo
태권도The Korean art of high, dynamic kicks, unified after the Second World War from nine schools. A full Olympic discipline since 2000.
Quick Facts
South KoreaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Taekwondo
About Taekwondo
Taekwondo took shape in Korea after the Second World War, when the heads of nine schools (kwans) agreed to unite under a single name. Its roots reach back to native taekkyon and subak as well as to Japanese karate, which arrived in Korea during the occupation. Two main branches exist today: WT (formerly WTF), whose sport format has been Olympic since 2000, and ITF, which retains a more traditional technical syllabus. Kicking is the defining feature. Taekwondo developed it further than most arts — head kicks, spinning and jumping techniques form the core of both training and scoring. The hands are used mainly for guarding and for body punches; in WT competition punches to the head do not score, which strongly shapes the competitive style. Training rests on three pillars: forms (poomsae in WT, tul in ITF), technical drills, and sparring. Progress runs through coloured belts (gup) to black-belt dan grades, often with intermediate stripes for children. Alongside the sporting line there is a traditional syllabus emphasising self-defence and breaking. For a beginner taekwondo is accessible and systematic: clear grading, a large club network, and a well-graduated training load. It does demand above-average hip flexibility — that is what decides how high and how cleanly the kicks are delivered.
Styles & Branches
The older of taekwondo's two main branches, founded in 1966 by General Choi Hong-hi. It has its own patterns — twenty-four tul — and more hand technique.
Unarmed contest attested in Korean historical works from the Goryeo dynasty on. No manual survives, so the claim of a direct line to taekwondo has no support.
The competitive and Olympic branch of taekwondo under World Taekwondo, founded in 1973. Bouts are decided by an electronic scoring system.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.