What is Taekwondo

1.

Simply put, Taekwondo is a martial art that uses bare hands to fight with opponents to protect oneself without any weapons. To put it in more detail, Taekwondo is a method and technique of exercising hands, feet and various parts of the body through intense mental and physical training for legitimate defense. Taekwondo not only focuses on power and technology, but also emphasizes strict discipline, superb technology and strong spiritual education to cultivate a unique martial art with a sense of justice, fortitude and courageous qualities. Therefore, real Taekwondo people are fundamentally different from those specious Taekwondo people who only learn extremely limited techniques that can be used in fighting and are satisfied with pleasing the audience on the competition field. It can be said that this is one of the reasons why Taekwondo is called the art of self-protection. Taekwondo not only teaches people how to think and live, but also cultivates people's restraint and cultivates noble personality. So many people say it is almost a martial art of faith. Literally explained, Taekwondo is: Taekwondo means kicking and stepping with your feet. Quan means to stab or break with fist.

This means moving forward along the path paved by the ancient sages, which is to practice spiritual cultivation. All in all, it is to protect yourself with your bare hands and feet. It is a martial art that applies jumping, kicking, stabbing, blocking, dodging and other movements to the moving target quickly and appropriately, giving the greatest impact to the technical skills and spiritual cultivation. Indeed, Taekwondo allows those who are born with weak bodies to, through scientific training, Also has the strength and self-confidence to defeat powerful enemies. But if used improperly, it is tantamount to using a murder weapon. Therefore, spiritual education must always be emphasized and its misuse must not be tolerated.

If you break out of this misunderstanding and boldly attack or counterattack, you will realize that your opponent is not as scary as you think.

2.

The so-called Taekwondo, Tae (TAE) means kicking and hitting with feet; KWON (Kwon) means striking with fists; Dao (DO) is a kind of artistic method. Taekwondo is an art form that utilizes fists and kicks. It is a Kung Fu that focuses on footwork, with footwork accounting for 70%. Taekwondo has 24 sets of routines; in addition, there are weapons, grappling, lock-breaking, sparring and self-defense techniques and more than 10 basic skills. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art developed through East Asian culture. It is based on the Eastern soul, inherits a long tradition and is based on the martial arts spirit of "beginning with etiquette and ending with etiquette".

Today's Taekwondo is not only a highly offensive method, but also an exquisite physical art and fitness method. Skills and control are the basic qualities that Taekwondo learners must possess. Every skill is exciting and competitive. Taekwondo trains with bare hands to cultivate perseverance and explosive power, and trains practitioners how to use punches and kicks to protect themselves in appropriate environments. It can make the hands and feet into formidable weapons, and when attacking with concentration, it can often produce astonishing destructive power that can kill with one blow. This power is the result of the combined action of internal strength and external strength. Taekwondo uses the movement of bones, muscles, and joints to adjust the body, so it is a whole-body exercise. The movements of Taekwondo are adapted to the physiological characteristics of the human body, and the practice process has reasonable stages, so it is rigorous and scientific. Its training procedures can be summarized as follows: introspection-judgment-courage-confidence-self-defense-self-reliance-independence-calm-leadership-courage-cooperation-patriotism. After mastering the basic skills and routines of Taekwondo, learners can learn to fight freely. And through mutual training and sweating to build a relationship of sincere trust between each other, it is by no means just focusing on the technology of self-protection. It not only cultivates the perseverance and outstanding spiritual strength to protect the country and the people, but is also an activity that exercises the spirit of humility and tolerance. This kind of confrontation is very dangerous, and both sides of the confrontation practice or competition must wear protective gear to protect important parts of the body. Taekwondo is a fierce and powerful sport, and it is very dangerous to attack human subjects in experiments. Therefore, masters use bricks or wooden boards to show their skills, and often throw their attack targets into the air, and then jump to defeat them.

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The origin and history of Taekwondo

Taekwondo in ancient times

During the primitive society, the people of the Korean nation Part of the family life is farming, and the rest of the time is supplemented by hunting. In order to obtain food, fight against the invasion of foreign forces, and resist the attacks of wild beasts, people gradually developed some methods of exercising and participating in combat through repeated practice. These instinctive inventions gradually evolved into Purposeful and conscious fighting activities formed the prototype of ancient Taekwondo.

At that time, the purpose of people's fighting skills was not only to obtain food, fight against invasions and defend against wild beasts, but also to participate in fighting activities. There are records in history books, which shows that fighting skills were quite popular at that time.

Taekwondo forms in the Three Kingdoms Period of Korea

The Three Kingdoms Period of the Korean Peninsula was a period when the three kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje coexisted. Around the first century BC, the Three Kingdoms emerged one after another, and Goguryeo In the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, Silla is in the southeast and Baekje is in the southwest. Disputes arose in order to compete for territory. Therefore, the form of Taekwondo developed rapidly during this period to adapt to the needs of the war. According to ancient books, "Taekwon means using hands and feet to hone the flexible use of limbs and body, which is the basis of martial arts." Swordsmanship is based on the operation of knocking down the opponent with bare hands. It can be seen that martial arts practitioners at that time could use their hands and feet flexibly to defeat their opponents and become excellent warriors. Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje all had different names for Taekwondo at that time.

Taekwondo in the Silla Era

Silla was small and weak, and was surrounded by powerful countries on all sides, but it lasted the longest among the Three Kingdoms. Due to the invasion of Goguryeo, Silla recognized the value of martial arts. The youth martial arts group called "Hwarang Dao" founded by King Chen Heung, with the purpose of "loyalty to the emperor, filial piety to relatives, trust in making friends, never retreating in the face of battle, and choosing to kill oneself", organized young people to gather together Practice knowledge together and waste martial arts. This system created a group of brave and fearless warriors, defended Silla, and laid the foundation for the unification of the three kingdoms. There are many historical facts proving the widespread popularity of martial arts in Silla. For example, there are records about the form of Taekwondo in "Emperor Yun Ji", "Three Kingdoms", "Ancient Events" and other historical materials.

Taekwondo ruins of the Baekje Dynasty

Baekje was the country with the weakest military strength among the three kingdoms at that time. The written records or relics of Taekwondo about Gomyeongryeo and Silla are recorded in historical materials. This kind of competition method is similar to today's Taekwondo, and can be considered as a prototype of Taekwondo. According to the "Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms", most of the kings of Baekje promoted martial arts and required everyone in the country to learn martial arts such as equestrianism, archery, and taekwondo (original taekwondo). There are also records of "arm beating" in the historical materials at that time, and various techniques were widely used by the army and the common people.

Taekwondo in the Goryeo Dynasty

Goryeo was a unified country that established diplomatic relations on the Korean Peninsula in 918 AD. King Chunghye of Goryeo loved Taekwondo very much, so he asked the army to practice competitive sports of "taekwondo" with the characteristics of Taekwondo. Soldiers often hit walls, wooden blocks and bricks with their fists to hone their attacking abilities. King Zhonghui also invited Jin Zhenxi, a soldier with outstanding martial arts skills, to perform hand fighting skills in the palace. The "hand fighting" skills were highly praised by both the government and the public, which greatly increased the reputation of Taekwondo and became popular among the people. It was also prescribed as military training. compulsory items. According to the "History of Goryeo", hand fighting is one of the competitive sports that Goryeo people generally like.

Taekwondo in the Joseon Dynasty

In 1392 AD, the Goryeo Dynasty was replaced by the dynasty established by Li Chenggui, and the country was named Joseon. During the Joseon Dynasty, due to the recommendation of Buddhism and the emphasis on literature over martial arts, North Korea's Taekwondo skills did not receive official attention during this period. However, among the people, "hand fighting" and "Taekwondo", the initial skills of Taekwondo, have never stopped. At the same time, the army also uses "hand fighting" and "taekwondo" as methods to select soldiers. If a person wants to be a military attaché, he must use "hand fighting" or "taekwondo" skills to defeat three or more people during competition.

Taekwondo in Modern Times

After Japan invaded and occupied North Korea in 1910 and established a colonial government, it once ordered a ban on all Korean cultural activities. Taekwondo was naturally included in the ban. During this period, Taekwondo skills disappeared in North Korea, and they were preserved only by the fusion of Taekwondo artists who wandered to Japan and China with Japanese and Chinese martial arts. This in turn enriched and developed Taekwondo, and gradually formed a new technical system of Taekwondo. After the Second World War, North Korea became independent, and the country's political and social outlook changed day by day. Self-defense techniques also emerged again. Many Koreans who had been forced to stay in foreign lands returned to their hometowns one after another, and at the same time they also brought martial arts skills from various countries with them. Returning to his home country, he further integrated these skills with Taekwondo techniques, eliminated the waste and retained the essence, integrated and developed, and gradually formed the basic system of modern Taekwondo.

Closing eyes and blinking

Newbies who have just come into contact with Taekwondo will inevitably have some problems when transitioning from sparring and other exercises to free actual combat.

Don't be discouraged, because closing eyes and blinking are the most common mistakes among beginners in Taekwondo combat. Closing eyes and blinking are the human body's instinctive protective reactions in daily life and can protect the eyes.

But in actual Taekwondo combat, this instinctive habit must be overcome. You must keep your eyes on the opponent, grasp the opponent's movements, and clearly see the opponent's attack or counterattack punches and kicks, so that you can effectively organize a counterattack. or attack. Therefore, beginners should pay attention to the training of their eyes in daily life, so as not to blink or close their eyes in actual combat, focus on a point on the opponent's body and observe his whole body with the peripheral vision. With the increase of practice times and correct efforts, you will definitely develop a pair of eyes that can discern everything in the actual Taekwondo combat with fists and kicks.

It is normal to not dare to approach the opponent, and any Taekwondo master will do it. Come through this stage. After practicing at this stage, your confidence in life and your perseverance to overcome difficulties will be greater. This is also a common mistake for beginners.

As long as the opponent moves, he will run far away and will not move to both sides, and he will not dare to approach the opponent to use moves for fear of being hit by the opponent. If this continues, there won't be much progress. The reason is that if you don't get close to your opponent, you will never be able to defeat him, and you will only learn how to escape. There are two reasons for this phenomenon: one is lack of confidence in oneself and dare not use moves; the other is lack of actual combat practice under prescribed conditions and not knowing how to break the opponent's attack up close. People who have this problem can practice more actual combat exercises under certain conditions, gradually adapt to the close combat, and gradually get rid of this problem.

Some Taekwondo practitioners who dare not perform basic training methods do not dare to use their skills in a real two-person confrontation. They do not dare to counterattack when the opponent attacks, fearing that their counterattack will fail; they do not dare to attack when the opponent has a flaw. Attack, fearing that this is a trap set by the opponent, etc. This kind of inner concern has caused them to be timid in their actions, and they dare not use their skills even if they have them. As a result, they are very passive. This phenomenon is largely not a problem of technical level, but caused by too many doubts. They imagine that their opponents are too powerful. If you get out of this misunderstanding and boldly attack or counterattack, you will realize that your opponent is not as scary as you think.

Characteristics of Taekwondo

Legs are the main method, with hands as the supplement, and the main joints are weaponized

The dominant method of Taekwondo is the leg method. Leg technique accounts for about 3/4 of the overall application, because the length and strength of the legs are the longest and largest in the human body, followed by the hands. There are many forms of leg techniques, which can be high or low, close or far, left or right, straight or bent, turned or rotated. They are extremely threatening and are an effective method to defeat the enemy. The second is the technique. The arms are very flexible and can be freely controlled to complete defensive and offensive movements. Tongjin can also be transformed into various uses of fists, palms, elbows and shoulders for actual combat. In actual Taekwondo combat other than horse racing rules, some major joints of the human body can also be used as offensive weapons, or in defensive combat, some major joints of the human body can also be used as offensive weapons or defensive shields. This is the essence of Taekwondo technology. Joints such as the hands, elbows, knees, and feet of the human body are the most commonly used and effective striking weapons in Taekwondo battles.

The method is simple, be direct and direct, and use less dodge defense. Whether in competition or in actual combat, Taekwondo's offensive methods are very simple and effective.

During the confrontation, both sides draw direct contact, use force to control force, and use simple and tough methods to directly hit the opponent. There are many changes; the defensive operation is also based on direct blocking, followed by continuous counterattacks. action. When defending, you rarely use dodge to prevent disease and abide by the law. Just come and go, fight hard, keep or shorten the distance between the two sides as much as possible, so as to ensure the effectiveness of the blow and strive for victory in the game or actual combat.

Taekwondo trains both internally and externally with a unique method, and tests the level by strength

Taekwondo theory believes that after specialized training, human joints can produce incredible power, especially fists, elbows, and The four parts of the body are the knees and feet, especially the feet and hands. Long-term dedicated practice of Taekwondo can achieve the level of internal and external integration, that is, the peak of the unity of internal strength and external strength. Since it is impossible to determine the power and potential of weaponizing human body joints, the skill level of practitioners can only be measured and verified by hitting objects such as wooden boards, bricks and tiles. Skill test is an important part of Taekwondo training level, promotion examination, performance and competition, in order to show the unique skills and characteristics of Taekwondo.

The role of Taekwondo is to cultivate one's self-cultivation and excellent will quality

Taekwondo practice advocates the martial spirit of "beginning with etiquette and ending with etiquette". "Unyielding" is the purpose. Therefore, it can cultivate people's tenacious, decisive and hard-working spirit, temper their perseverance and positive qualities, develop the virtues of courtesy, humility and generosity towards others, cultivate people's love for the motherland and the courage to devote themselves to the idea, and serve Society and the country create builders with excellent qualities.

Strengthen the body and defend yourself, and cultivate a sound body. Taekwondo exercise is intense and highly confrontational, which can make people strengthen their muscles and bones, improve the flexibility of each joint and the stretch and contraction ability of muscles, and improve people's health. It improves the speed, reaction, agility, strength and endurance qualities of the human body, improves the function of the human internal organs and the flexibility of the human nervous system, and enhances the human body's ability to hit and resist blows. Through offensive and defensive exercises, you can learn to master practical martial arts and self-defense abilities, and learn true skills to protect your own safety and maintain social justice.

Watch the competition and enjoy the beauty of the art of striking. During Taekwondo competitions or actual combat, the kicking skills of both sides are incisively and vividly displayed in the confrontation. It not only gives people a beautiful enjoyment, but also stimulates people's emotions. Fighting spirit inspires people to work hard and cultivates people's moral sentiments. It allows people to subtly receive good will and quality education while appreciating it.

"Etiquette" in Taekwondo

"Etiquette" in Taekwondo is the concrete embodiment of the basic spirit of Taekwondo. Although Taekwondo training is conducted in the form of fighting, no matter how intense it is, since both parties have the purpose of improving their skills and honing their qualities, both parties must have the mentality of respecting and learning from the other party deep in their hearts. Therefore, you must salute each other before and after practice or competition. That is, Taekwondo is a comprehensive training of the practitioner's mind and body, so that the practitioner can cultivate an ideal personality and physique through difficult training, and can truly master the ability of self-defense. , so the spiritual training of practitioners must include the education and edification of "etiquette".

"Etiquette" is an essential and very important part of Taekwondo. Etiquette is a must-have and code of conduct during Taekwondo practice. People who practice Taekwondo must have a correct attitude towards practice and understanding, and have a comprehensive understanding of the history, content, characteristics, functions and educational significance of Taekwondo.

During practice, you must be well-dressed and have neat hair, and you must show respect, obedience, humility, and a mentality of mutual help and learning to coaches and peers. Modesty and correct speech, humility and friendly attitude, modesty and studious style are also important etiquette to be followed in Taekwondo practice.

Etiquette is not just a formal expression, but must be implemented from the heart. In the process of long-term practice and competition, the etiquette form will gradually be transformed into psychological motivation. The most commonly used expression of etiquette is to salute coaches and peers.

The specific requirements for the salute are: stand straight facing the other person, bend forward 15 degrees, and bend your head forward 45 degrees. At this time, your hands are close to your legs and your heels are together. During training, after entering the gymnasium, salute the national flag with an upright posture, and then salute to the curator, coach and elders in order. Always move in a quiet atmosphere in the gym; keep your clothes and other items properly; when your clothes come loose during exercise, stop exercising, turn around and straighten towards the national flag, conference flag and fellow coaches, and then turn back to the original position after sorting the direction. direction.

In addition to training, whether you are talking, eating, making phone calls, introducing others, or visiting relatives and friends at school or at home, you must follow certain etiquette to bring etiquette awareness to the practitioner's life, study, and practice. In all aspects of work, we cultivate the moral qualities of self-restraint, courtesy, generosity and respect and humility.

Taekwondo rules

The basic philosophical idea of ??Taekwondo is: those who practice this sport must cultivate their moral character, moral education first, and sports skills second. The sport is an interesting combination of strict etiquette and strict etiquette. On the one hand, Taekwondo originated from the elegant etiquette of traditional Korean society. The opponent in front of him bends his head and body at a prescribed angle and bows gracefully. On the other hand, the rules require athletes to wear protective gear on the body and head, and recommend wearing protective gear on the groin, forearms and shins and a mouthguard inside the gi. As part of the balance, the hands and feet are equally important for offense and defense. .

After all, the hands and feet must fend off the sport's "trademark" - the combination kick

Competition

Taekwondo competition consists of two parties - "Chung" (blue) and "Hong" "(Red), both sides score by kicking the opponent's head and body or punching the opponent's body. The game is divided into three rounds, each round is three minutes, and there is a one-minute rest between rounds. Players can win by knocking the opponent out of the field, scoring the highest score, causing the opponent to be penalized to 3 points, or the opponent is deprived of the qualification.

Before the start of the game, after the referee issued the "cha-ryeot" and "kyeong-rye" instructions respectively, the two sides stood at attention and bowed to each other, and then the referee shouted "Shi-jak"! to announce the start of the game.

Score

A point will be scored for each reasonable attack. The following are reasonable attacks:

a. Hit the opponent's scoring part, except the head. Scoring areas include the abdomen and sides of the body, and these three areas are marked on the opponent's protective gear. It is forbidden to hit the opponent below the lower abdomen.

b. Hit the opponent with a body part permitted by the rules. The opponent must be struck with the front of the index and middle fingers of a properly clenched fist or the area below the ankle joint.

If at least two of the three referees identify and record the hit, the score will be valid.

Fouls

Fouls are an important factor in Taekwondo, not least because a three-point penalty - extremely rare in high-level competition - means an automatic failure. Just one penalty point can determine the outcome of the game.

There are two types of Taekwondo fouls: Kyong-go and gam-jeom. The most common type of foul, a kyong-go or warning, means a penalty of 0.5 points, but if there is only one such foul, it will not be counted as a penalty point, unless a second foul will result in a cumulative penalty of 1 point. If a player grabs, hugs, pushes the opponent, turns away from the opponent in an evasive manner, pretends to be injured, etc., it will be judged as Kyong-go.

Another more serious foul is called gam-jeom, which will result in a penalty of 1 point. Typical fouls include throwing an opponent, intentionally knocking an opponent down while their feet are off the ground during a fight, intentionally striking an opponent in the back, and punching an opponent in the face. Knockout

After a player is knocked down, the referee starts a 10-second countdown like a boxing match. In a Taekwondo match, if one party touches the ground with any part other than the soles of his feet due to the opponent's exertion of force, he will be deemed to have been knocked down. The referee may also start the countdown if a player has no intention or is unable to continue the game.

Once there is a knockdown, the referee shouts "kal-yeo" which means "pause", instructs the other side to step back, and the referee starts counting the seconds from 1 to 10 in Korean. Even if a knocked down player stands up and wants to continue the match, he or she must wait for the referee to continue counting to 8 or "yeo-dul", and then the referee will determine whether the player can continue the match. If he is unable to continue, the other side wins by knockout.

Winner

If the game ends in a draw except for the finals, the team with the higher score wins. If the two sides are still tied, the referee will decide which side has the upper hand in the three three-minute rounds based on the initiative shown by both sides during the game. If it is a final for the gold medal, the two sides will compete in the fourth round, which is the sudden death round. The first to score wins. If no one scores, the referee will determine the final winner by judging who has the upper hand in that round. Heavyweight division

In the World Taekwondo Championships, men and women are divided into the traditional 8 levels. It first appeared as an official event in 2000

When the Sydney Olympics were held, men and women were divided into eight levels. It is divided into four levels:

Men and women are below 58 kg, below 49 kg, below 68 kg, below 57 kg, below 80 kg, below 67 kg, above 80 kg and above 67 kg Equipment: < /p>

Competition area

The competition area is a square venue with a size of 12 square meters. It is built on a platform about 1 meter above the ground and is covered with elastic mats. For safety reasons, The sides of the platforms on both sides of the site are slightly tilted toward the ground. In the center of the venue is an 8-square-meter blue square area, with a red warning area outside it to remind players that they are approaching the sideline or the edge of the platform.

Once a player's foot enters the warning area, the referee will automatically suspend the game. Deliberately entering the warning zone will be deemed Kyong-go, while intentionally crossing the sideline will be deemed gam-jeom.

Protective Clothing

Taekwondo is a full-contact sport that requires contestants to wear protective clothing and protective gear on their head, body, forearms, shins, and groin. All competitors will be inspected prior to competition to ensure they are wearing the required protective gear. Other rules:

a. If more than one foul occurs at the same time, the referee will punish the foul with the greater severity.

b. If both parties are knocked down and cannot recover after the countdown reaches 10, the one with the higher score before knocking down wins.

c. If a player commits a foul immediately after scoring, the points earned may be invalidated, such as an intentional fall (a tactic to avoid being hit).

d. Players who are hit in the head and fall to the ground are not allowed to participate in the competition within 30 days.

Competition format:

The Taekwondo competition in the Sydney Olympics will be a single-elimination tournament until the final championship and runner-up finals. The bronze medal was decided in a more complicated way. All players who lost to the two finalists were given another chance to compete in a secondary competition to determine the bronze medal. The two losers of the semi-finals will advance directly to the secondary competition. All other players who lost to the two finalists will compete in a single-elimination bracket in their original group, with the two winners claiming the remaining two semi-final spots. The winner of each group competes with the loser of the semi-final of the other group in a crossover semi-final, with the two winners competing for the bronze medal.

Qualification

*** There are 100 athletes - 52 athletes and 48 female athletes - who will compete for the first batch of taekwondo medals in the Sydney Olympics. In July 1999, the top four in each category in the Croatian Olympic Special Qualifiers received Olympic tickets. In addition, the top two in each level in the Asian, European, Pan-American and other regional qualifiers and the first place in each level in the African qualifiers will also receive Olympic tickets. As the host nation, Australia gets one place in each category. There is a wild card for each level in the men's competition, resulting in a difference in the total number of male and female participants

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Rank standards and differences in Taekwondo

Taekwondo, like judo, Go and other sports, uses ranks to express Taekwondo's academic attainments, technical level and skill. Taekwondo is divided into Level 10 and Level 9 according to the level of the practitioner. Beginners start from Level 10 and gradually advance to Level 1, and then enter Dan. The higher the level, the higher the level. The highest level reaches Level 9, from Level 10 to Level 1. It is the level standard for beginners; among them, beginners from level 10 to level 7 wear white belts, while level 3 and level 1 wear red belts. After entering the rank, black belt guests all expressed that the first to third rank are considered to be the evaluation of novice black belts, the fourth to sixth rank are high-level ranks, and the seventh to ninth rank are awarded to those outstanding people with high academic attainments. The rank of a person or a person who has made outstanding contributions to the sport of Taekwondo. The ranks of black guests are distinguished by special marks on the black guests.

The promotion standards and requirements of Taekwondo

From the beginning of getting involved in Taekwondo, there have been certain requirements for practitioners’ learning content, time and assessment standards. According to the specific requirements of International Taekwondo and World Taekwondo, promotion is basically assessed based on the following standards.