The worldwide success of Taekwondo
If you ever get the chance to visit the spectacular country of South Korea (also known as the Republic of Korea), chances are you’ll be mesmerized by the hordes of Korean children running through the streets in their ‘doboks’. Taekwondo, which means uniform. .
Is it the latest fashion among Korean children? The answer is no; Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea and parents regularly enroll their children in lessons after school.
Even though cricket is England’s summer sport, how often do you see kids running around in cricket gear during the warmer times of the year? Probably never, right? Well, it seems there are other reasons why Korean parents are so eager for their sons and daughters to master the art of Taekwondo.
They say that Taekwondo is not just about self defense techniques; it also teaches you to control your mind and the sport promotes self-discipline, among other life skills, to help you lead a happy life. Koreans believe in the power of Taekwondo and it seems that people all over the world like it too as it is now practiced in more than 100 countries.
spreading the word
Taekwondo is currently the most popular form of martial arts in the world and this may be due to the fact that General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of taekwondo, traveled all over the world to promote Korea’s national sport during the 1970s.
General Choi chose the best black belts from the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) to accompany him on his tour to demonstrate the art of Taekwondo in each country.
Demonstrations took place amid much fanfare in countries as far afield as Australia, the Netherlands and Malaysia, and new ITF branches began to open around the world. With General Choi’s dedication and hard work, Taekwondo came back stronger than ever.
Taekwondo as a martial art
Taekwondo is not just about sparring while yelling, throwing punches and showing off impressive kicks; it also has many advantages for mental health and physical well-being. Looking at Taekwondo as a marital art form rather than just a sport, there is more emphasis on patterns also known as ‘poomsae’.
During Taekwondo classes, students begin by learning basic poomsae, which is a sequence of movements that incorporates kicks, punches, and blocks. It takes a lot of concentration to perform all the moves in the right order, and as a result, the participants’ breathing, stamina, and fighting techniques are often greatly improved.
People are realizing that Taekwondo is a form of meditation that connects the body with the mind. The beauty of Taekwondo is that you can start practicing from a young age or even learn the Korean martial art in your 70s, there is no age restriction.
Taekwondo as a sport
Perhaps the most significant factor in Taekwondo becoming known worldwide as a sport was its debut in the Olympic capital of South Korea in 1988. It was performed as a demonstration sport and received praise for its ability to capture the viewers’ attention thanks to his graceful kick and spike techniques. -biting action, Taekwondo made a name for itself.
Since then, the sport has featured again and again in Olympic events, from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics to becoming an official Olympic event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Taekwondo gained increasing recognition after appear in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing in 2008.
London 2012
It is important to note that while there are many governing organizations for Taekwondo around the world, the two main ones are the ITF, founded in 1966, and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), founded in 1973.
To illustrate the popularity of Taekwondo, a total of 109 countries applied to participate in the four-day World Taekwondo Ranking Tournament held in Azerbaijan this year. Of the 345 athletes who entered (a mix of men and women), only 24 qualified to compete in the London 2012 Olympics.
Taekwondo in the UK
The British Taekwondo Control Board (BTCB), part of the WTF, is charged with promoting awareness of Taekwondo and helping the Korean martial art flourish in Britain. The BTCB is also responsible for selecting teams to compete in national and international competitions.
With the help of funding from reputable associations like Sport England, academies like Great Britain Taekwondo are able to give aspiring stars the training and support they need to help them reach their full potential.
aiming for gold
While 345 athletes from around the world battled it out in Azerbaijan to qualify for the London 2012 Taekwondo Games, four members from the UK will automatically apply to participate. As hosts of the 2012 Olympics, there is pressure for Team GB to perform well during the games.
However, things are looking encouraging for the athletes in Britain’s Taekwondo World Class Performance Program. Reigning women’s welterweight world champion Sarah Stevenson has her eyes on gold at the upcoming Olympics and we have high hopes that she will achieve it.
The continued success of Taekwondo
Although Korean athletes led the way at the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships with 10 medals in total, Iran followed closely behind by winning six medals, three of which were gold. Iran also knocked out South Korea from the top of the list in the men’s team overall ranking table.
Other Asian countries, such as China, are catching up with the country that gave the world Taekwondo by falling just three points short of the lead in the women’s team ranking table. European countries that made it to the top 10 in the men’s and women’s team rankings include the UK, France, Spain and Italy.
Americans have also been fans of Taekwondo since General Choi’s visit during the 1960s. The General met with students at the Karate Club owned by Jhoon Rhees in San Antonio. It was here that the Korean general convinced the students to use the name Taekwondo instead of Karate. For more information on this topic, click here for Taekwondo equipment and doboks.