🥋 What is Taekwondo?

My favorite type of sport

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and combat sport that involves punching and kicking techniques. The name Taekwondo translates to "strike with foot," "strike with hand," and "the art or way." This sport emphasizes five tenets: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. It requires three physical skills: poomsae (patterns), kyorugi (sparring), and gyeokpa (breaking boards). Developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists experienced in arts like karate and Chinese martial arts, Taekwondo has grown to be a widely practiced sport. The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), formed in 1959, is the oldest governing body. Today, the main international organizations are the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), founded in 1966 by Choi Hong-hi, and the partnership of Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (WT), founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively. Gyeorugi, a type of full-contact sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000. In 2018, the South Korean government officially designated Taekwondo as Korea's national martial art.

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