Examination of the origins and attributes of Korean martial arts Tae Kwon Do.
Discusses the art’s special features and what makes it unique. Compares it to other forms of martial arts. The paper presents the main ideas and philosophy of Tae Kwon Do and how these are practiced by those who follow the art in their daily life.
Dozens of martial arts are practiced around the world but few are as popular as the Korean art of Tae Kwon Do. It is no surprise that Tae Kwon Do attracts hundreds of millions of students: it comprises the grace and flexibility training of yoga, the self defense potential of Judo, and the mental prowess of Aikido. But Tae Kwon Do surpasses all other martial arts in its attention to all facets of the human being. Tae Kwon Do affects the practitioner on the mental as well as the physical level. Tae Kwon Do is practiced by an estimated 30 million people in almost 150 nations around the world (World Taekwondo Federation, http://myhome.elim.net/taekwondo/wtf/ ). Up to 3 million Americans practice Tae Kwon Do for health and fitness (?History of Taekwondo and the United States Taeqwondo Won,? http://www.ustw.org/index.htm). Its presence in the Olympics testifies to its worldwide presence and acceptance as the best martial art form. Even Karate-do, also immensely popular, cannot match Tae Kwon Do’s universal appeal. Contrary to popular belief, Tae Kwon Do can be practiced by anyone, even those in a weakened physical state. The martial art is extremely easy to learn and incorporate into daily life.