Art 1st, Sport 2nd

art 1st, sport 2nd

I am not here to tell you that TaeKwon-Do is better in one form or the other. We have our preferences, but tradition and traditional aspects is the root of true TaeKwon-Do. Throughout the many centuries of evolvement and refinement, our beautiful art has managed to surface to the top of the field. More so than judo, kung fu, kickboxing, and aikido, TaeKwon-Do and Karate is the most popular and most widely practiced martial arts today in the world.

I am here to establish the differences between the ART aspect of TaeKwon-Do, and the SPORT aspect of Taekwondo. Hence, the spelling of the name of our art. It is our art, and only in our art that the practitioners and lovers of TKD have been torn, confused, left in the dark, and just plain ignored, so I am here to shed a little light on what I know is the correct answer. For starters, I'll begin with the spelling and try to give you more clues from there.

Spelled the original way, TaeKwon-Do, is a product of rich Korean culture that comes froma over 2,000 years of struggle as a nation to preserve it's skills for survival as a Martial Art. It is spelled with no space between the Tae and the Kwon because it represents the 'mind' and 'body' as one. There is a dash separating the 'TaeKwon' from the 'Do' because it represents another word, or meaning, but still plays a connecting role in the overall concept of the name. (Confused yet?) Those who don't know this, or don't really care, spell it with a capital 'T' and blend it in as one whole word.

Some say that the spelling depends upon the organization. ITF, TaeKwon-Do, and WTF, Taekwondo. It is important to us, as martial artists to pay attention to tradition and code of conduct when it comes to learning TaeKwon-Do. If we do not know what our history is, we cannot truly know where we are headed. This is why in today's society of confused martial artists, there is no accord, tranquility, or grace that comes with the overall presentation. Many of today's multi-art mixed-martial artists make claims to know this art and that, but what that means, is that they know a little bit of a lot of things. It's kind of like a jack-0f-all-trades, master of none.

If you're going to learn something, pick one thing, and learn it well. It's not quantity, right? Under the direction of a qualified, instructor, a student (only when ready) will unlock his undeveloped skills and create a solid foundation of habit in personal character development that most inexperienced martial arts instructors overlook due to lack of wisdom and improper training on their own part.

When it comes to TaeKwon-Do in general, kicking is considered to be superior to hand techniques. Also, using kicks keeps the attacker at a longer distance and utilizes the 'one-hit-knockout' concept. That is how the sport aspect evolved into mainly a game of tag with kicking. Speed and timing are key factors in the ring needed in order to successfully navigate through the competition circuit. In modern sport Taekwondo, almost 90% of all techniques are made and scored with the feet.

Traditional TaeKwon-Do, is where sport Taekwondo was borne out of. The techniques, stepping, original instructors, and coaches all came from a Traditional TaeKwon-Do background. It is from Traditionalism that the culture and the authenticity of TaeKwon-Do lives on. Consider Traditional TaeKwon-Do as a 'ROOT' and Sport Taekwondo as a 'BRANCH'. Sometimes, the branch can be as big, or bigger than the root. Think about this, though, if the root, dies, the branch dies. I believe this about TaeKwon-Do.

With all of the history that comes with TaeKwon-Do, a student should always be thinking about their relationship between themselves, their art, and their Master. It is a unique link that many people in the world never get to experience. The magic that happens with a true martial artist with rich tradition unfolds endlessly into a fulfilling journey that can never be faked, or simulated.

kang's institute of taekwon-do | 6005 s mingo rd | tulsa, oklahoma 74146 | 918.994.7979

universal taekwon-do federation world headquarters dojang