Taekwondo (also known as Tae Kwon Do) is the art of self defense that originated in Korea. It is recognized as one of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world, reaching back over 2,000 years. The name was selected for its appropriate description of the art: Tae (foot), Kwon (hand), Do (art). Taekwondo in the United States
The introduction of Taekwondo in the United States began during the
1950’s when a handful of pioneering master instructors travelled to America to spread the art. Throughout the next few decades Taekwondo grew in popularity, not only as a martial art, but as an international sport. In that same year, the World Taekwondo Federation was established as the international governing body for the sport aspects of Taekwondo. Today the WTF counts 120 separate countries as its members, representing 20 million practitioners. These numbers earn Taekwondo the distinction of being the most practiced martial art in the world. Taekwondo first gained acceptance as an Olympic sport when it appeared as a demonstration event in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Taekwondo became a full medal sport competition beginning in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. What is Karate ? a martial art developed in Okinawa, Japan that stresses striking techniques, such as punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands (karate chop). In comparison to tae kwon do, karate tends to focus more on hand strikes, whereas tae kwon do emphasizes kicking techniques. The major traditional styles of karate are Shotokan, Sh*to Ryu, Goju Ryu, Wado Ryu etc.
