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Beginning of Taekwondo |
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The roots of Taekwondo date
back to approximately 50 B.C, when modern Korea
was divided into three Kingdoms - Silla, Koguryo
and Baekche. The earliest painted murals depicting
ancient martial arts techniques known as ¡°Tae
Kyon¡± were found in caves within the Kogoryo
Kingdom (37 B.C. - A.D. 668). Records of a ¡°hand
and foot¡± style of martial arts used by commoners
were also discovered within the Baekche Kingdom
(18 B.C. - A.D. 600). However, it was the Hwarang,
a society of young, elite warriors for the nobility
of the Silla Dynasty in the Silla Kingdom (57
B.C. - A.D. 935), who incorporated the Tae Kyon
techniques into their military training curriculum,
bringing prominence to the ¡°Tae Kyon¡± techniques
and its rigid principles throughout ancient
Korea.
During the Silla Dynasty (A.D. 668-935), the
Buddhist monk Won Kwang Bupsa, authored the
basic five commandments known as ¡°Sesokokye¡±,
which were followed by the Hwarangdo (Flower
Knights) of the royal families and became the
foundation from which modern Taekwondo tenets
evolved.
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Be loyal to your country.
Honor your parents.
Be faithful to your friends.
Never retreat in battle.
Use good judgment before killing living
things. |
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¡°Tae Kyon¡± evolved into ¡°Subak¡± during the
Koryo Dynasty (A.D. 936-1392) and became more
popular with the commoners, while losing prominence
with the nobility and military. Through the Yi
Dynasty (1392-1910), ¡°Subak¡± strengthened its
reputation as a sport for ¡°the people¡± and solidified
the art as an unarmed means of self-defense and
physical training system with deep roots in moral
discipline. The spread of Subak was one of the
driving forces that helped unify the remaining
kingdoms of the Korean peninsula by the end of
the nineteenth century. |
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When Japan began its occupation
of the Korean peninsula in 1909, Subak was prohibited,
as the Japanese viewed it as a threat. This ban and
the forced integration of Japanese martial arts and
culture only strengthened the resolve of Koreans to
continue practicing their own martial art style, largely
in secret. With the defeat of Japan in 1945 and the
end of WWII, came the liberation of Korea, thus opening
the doors to modern Taekwondo. |
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Modern Taekwondo |
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Fueled with the freedom to once
again practice their own ¡°Taekyon¡± based martial arts
and to reaffirm their Korean heritage, the masters from
various ¡°Kwans¡±, or martial arts schools, collaborated
with the goal of uniting the schools and merging regional
styles into a superior martial art form and national
sport. Differences in the various Kwans¡¯ styles and
systems delayed the formation of a central regulating
system to promote a unified martial art style for ten
years. |
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In 1955, the name, ¡°Taekwondo¡±,
formally emerged as a collective term describing the
fusion of the martial arts styles that emphasized hand
and foot techniques from the various Kwans. In the next
decade, the Korean Taekwondo Association was formed
with the main purpose of protecting the quality of the
sport. This was of great importance with the onset of
the Communist regime, who actively searched to eliminate
Taekwondo masters, and the Korean War, which has since
resulted in enduring division in the Korean peninsula. |
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With the creation of the Korean
Taekwondo Association, the progress of modern
Taekwondo continued with the development of standardized
rules and a governing body to enforce the rules.
It is a continuing goal is to maintain the integrity
of the art and facilitate its globalization.
The subsequent formation of the World Taekwondo
Federation in 1973, has been instrumental in securing
those efforts. |
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The following summarizes significant developments and
events in the growth of modern Taekwondo. |
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1965 - Korea Taekwondo Association formed.
1973 - World Taekwondo Federation formed in Kukkiwon with
35 countries participating.
1975 - General Association of International Sports Federations
recognizes the WTF.
1976 - Taekwondo accepted as a Consul International du
Sport Militaire sport (world level military sports organization).
1980 - International Olympic Committee recognizes the
WTF.
1981 - Taekwondo accepted as a World Games sport
1983 - Taekwondo accepted as a Pan American Games and
All Africa Games sport
1985 - Taekwondo adopted as a demonstration sport for
the 1988 Olympic Games.
1986 - Taekwondo accepted as a Federation International
du Sport Universitaire sport
(world university level sport organization).
1992 - Taekwondo is an Olympic demonstration sport in
Barcelona, Spain.
1994 - Taekwondo selected as a full Olympic sport for
the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
1996 - Taekwondo is an Olympic demonstration sport in
Atlanta.
2000 - IOC (International Olympic Committee) confirms
Taekwondo as Olympic sport for the Athens 2004 Olympic
Games.
2004 - Practitioners from 124 countries compete in Taekwondo
event in Athens Olympic Games
Today -
Membership of WTF exceeds 180 countries. Tae Kwon Do is
by far the most widely practiced martial art in the world. |
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