Taekwondo originated over 2,000 years ago in Korea. It is now practiced in over 160 countries not just as a form of martial arts and fitness activity but has also evolved into an Olympic Sport.
In 1973, the official governing body of Taekwondo was formed and is called The World Taekwondo (“WT”) with the headquarters based in Seoul, Korea. The rapid growth of Taekwondo as a sport was demonstrated when it was introduced as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Taekwondo became an official Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and continues to grow in popularity as an Olympic Sport and Martial Art.
Taekwondo is now a Global Modern Olympic sport and Traditional Martial Art. It has been contributing significantly to the health and fitness of millions of taekwondo practitioners for many years.
Taekwondo literally means the art of kicking and punching –
- Tae - means combination of leg and foot techniques
- Kwon - means combination of hand and arm techniques
- Do - means the internal essence of martial arts
Taekwondo practitioners develop strong physical fitness and mental strength through the knowledge and practice of the basic techniques, forms (poomsae), breaking (kyukpa) and sparring (kyorugi). The result of this combination of physical and mental training is the cultivation of character, health & fitness and the discovery of the ideal path in one’s life. Taekwondo is the unity of the body, mind and spirit.