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Tae Kwon Do fighters on an Olympic arena are a bit unique in that the feet and legs are used almost exclusively with the fists playing minor roles such as blocking and setting-up kick points- almost the opposite of boxing. Matches are breathtaking to watch as experienced fighters let loose with a flurry of kicks at seemingly superhuman speed.
Inclusion in the Olympics and the accompanying exposure has gained this devastating but graceful Korean martial art a huge international following. In fact, it has the most number of practitioners around the world (30 million practitioners with 3 million black belt holders)- making it the most popular martial art in terms of membership. On the other hand, spectators that are non- practitioners and oblivious to the fact that sport Tae Kwon Do athletes are bound by Olympic rules, criticize it for being 'soft' and unbalanced with not enough upper body technique. Truth is, traditional Tae Kwon Do training is far from being incomplete and is one of the most well-rounded hard style martial arts in existence. It would hardly be included in South Korean military training if it was otherwise
'Tae Kwon Do' is a combination of three Korean words: Tae meaning to kick or hit with the feet; Kwon to punch or hit with hands; and Do, just as in Japanese means art, style or 'way'. The meaning of Tae Kwon Do translated in English then is 'The Art of Kicking And Punching.'
Traditional Tae Kwon Do (as opposed to sport Tae Kwon Do) is not as competition-oriented and training focuses on traditional self defense techniques and values of this relatively young martial art. It has been divided into two styles- the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) and the International Tae Kwon Do Federation (ITF). The sparring rules for Olympic Tae Kwon Do matches came from the latter with its (WTF) headquarters located at Kukkiwon in South Korea. The two forms are different in that the ITF rules allow punches to the head and give bigger points on spectacular airborne kicks. The obligatory headgear and body armor in Olympic Tae Kwon Do matches are absent in ITF tournaments with only protective padding for the feet and fists are required.
Despite these differences in sparring rules, the two Tae Kwon Do divisions are basically the same in principle- taking advantage of the leg's longer reach and relatively greater power. Typical of hard-style martial arts, training for Tae Kwon Do involves rigorous body conditioning and countless hours of practice in blocking, kicking, fist, and hand strikes. Tae Kwon Do fighting techniques also incorporate an array of leg sweeps, throws, and trapping/locking.
The origins of Tae Kwon Do are quite unclear and accounts of its development are quite conflicting. It's certain though that the ancient Korean martial arts of Subak and Taekyon were main influences. The name for Tae Kwon Do was officially adopted in April 11, 1955 and the Korean Tae Kwon Do Association was formed a few years after in 1961.
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