History of Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do is the Korean martial art of kicking, blocking, and punching. It originated in Korea. The name literally means hand and foot art . This martial art is not purely physical: it emphasises Duty & Loyalty, Justice & Morality, Complete Sincerity, Polite Courtesy, Compassion, Heroic Courage, and Honor. These values are known as the Seven Tenets.

Some say that Tae Kwon Do's history reaches back over 2000 years. A mural painted on the wall of a tomb in the Korean kingdom of Koguryo (37 B.C. - 66 A.D.) depicts two men facing each other in fighting stances. These stances resemble the same ones used today. In the kingdom of Silla King Jin Heung established a group of elite warriors, consisting of the sons of noblemen, to defend his small kingdom. The warriors were trained in an unarmed combat known as Tae Kyon, which thought not only the importance of a healthy body but also a healthy mind, just as Tae Kwon Do does today.

The Koryo dynasty (935 A.D. - 1352A.D.), from which Korea takes its name, practiced a martial art known as Subak Do. This martial art became a popular organized sport, with the encouragement of the royal family, thus causing martial arts to become an important part of Korean culture.

In the year 1790 the Yi dynasty monarch, Chongjo, ordered one of his generals to compile a reference book of all forms of martial arts in Korea. The book called, Muye Dobo Tongi, was the first of its kind.

The Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII put a ban on all martial art training. If caught practicing martial arts, one could be tortured to reveal the name of the teacher and be put to death. Martial arts training at this time was done in secret.

In 1955, a group of instructors and historians met and decided on the name Tae Kwon Do, because of its accurate description of the art. Tae Kwon Do was introduced to the United States in the 1950's by masters who wanted to spread the art. Tae Kwon Do grew as a martial art and a sport over the next few decades. Then in 1973, Korea held the first Tae Kwon Do World Championships and the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTKDF) was created as a governing body for the sport aspects of Tae Kwon Do. The 1988 Seoul Olympic Games showed Tae Kwon Do as a demonstrative event and in the 2000 Sydney games it became a full metal event. With 120 countries belonging to the WTKDF and with 20 million practitioner's world-wide, Tae Kwon Do is the most practiced martial art in the world.