Taekwondo is a martial art independently developed over 20 centuries ago in Korea. Over the many years it has become a popular international sport. The main feature of Taekwondo is that it is a free-fighting combat sport using the bare hands and feet to repel the opponent. The name Taekwondo literally means "The Way of Kicking and Punching". It consists of sharp, strong angular movements with free-flowing circular movements to produce a balance of beauty and power. With Taekwondo's trademark kicking techniques, it is a complete system of self defense and personal improvement. All of its activities are based on the defensive attitude that originally developed for protection against enemy attacks.
The most important fact about Taekwondo is that it is not only a superior art of self-defense, but of the mind as well. It gives its practitioners self-confidence that provides an advantage over weaker opponents. This mental characteristic, along with the physical ability, is beneficial to the mental life of individuals as well as to their families and friends. With its practical means of self defense, its complete regiment of physical conditioning, and its aid to improved concentration and mental performance, Taekwondo offers a total fitness program integrating mind, body, and spirit.
Today, Taekwondo is the most recognized Korean Martial Art. It first came to be recognized as a system of self-defense in the 1950's when a group of leading Korean martial artists came together and unified their various art forms under a single style of hands and feet fighting. They named their style Taekwondo, and in the last 30 years have developed it into one of the most effective styles of unarmed self-defense in the world today. The popularity for Taekwondo is not only here in the U.S., but internationally as well. Its evolution and development as an international amateur sport have grown quickly, allowing Taekwondo to become the only martial art accepted into the Olympic Games.
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