Taekwon-Do a brief history:

 

Taekwon-Do was officially founded 11^th April 1955, but many of the techniques found in Taekwon-Do

 actually date back many hundreds of years. Taekwon-Do is often said to be a blending of Tae Kyon,

 Korean foot fighting and Japanese Karate, which General Choi the Founder, studied whilst he was

in Japan.

 

Historians often claim that the source of the bare/open hand fighting systems can be traced back

 to the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma (448-529 A.D.), but wherever people met some form of

unarmed combat was bound to develop. There have been various forms of unarmed combat practiced

all over the world in such places as China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia and France.

 

Bodhidharma is reputed to have taught Buddhism to the Chinese monks at the Shaolin Temple in

520 A.D. His mental and physical training was said to have aided them in their search for enlightenment.

 

In Korea it is recorded that during the 7^th Century, the legendary Hwa-Rang were the power to

be reckoned with on the battlefield; with great feats of bravery and skill attributed to them.

The Hwa-Rang were said to have blended Buddhist techniques with Tae Kyon.

 

It is wise to bear in mind that as China is often regarded as the cradle of oriental culture, and has

the longest history, it is easy for it to have the oldest records pertaining to the martial arts.

 

The victors write the history books, in Korea Silla were victorious so the feats of the Hwa-Rang

were recorded, but in contrast to western culture, Koreans also remember those who fought

valiantly and lost, such as General Ge-Baek, who was defeated by the Hwa-Rang, Kim Yoo-Sin.

 

Suffice it to say that Taekwon-Do has roots that span many centuries and techniques that

may be borrowed and refined from other martial arts, but it is this mix that makes Taekwon-Do

 a great all round martial art.

 

Taekwon-do is a military martial art from Korea, known as a scientific martial art because of its ability to be constantly improved.