The Real History Of Taekwondo: What Goes Around Comes Around   by Al Case

The history of Taekwondo is generally assumed to be short, merely back the forties. This, in fact, is not so. The history of Taekwondo stretches not just through the millennium, but through arts imported into Korea.

A couple of thousand years ago, when Korea was still divided into three kingdoms, young men were selected for special training in warfare. This training consisted of all aspects of military training, including archery, equestrian sports, combat strategy, and so on. These men were the cream of the crop, selected because of their high athletic and mental abilities.

These young warriors were called the Hwarang, and they specialized in a martial art called Subak. The various styles of Subak were combined to give high training in footwork and fistwork. The most popular of the Subak arts was called taekkyeon.

During the middle ages martial arts training moved into the background. This was because of Chinese Confucianism. Society became more concerned with manners, learning how to be polite and get along, and the practice of the martial arts was more confined to backyards.

Then World War Two arrived, along with the Japanese influence. The Japanese stamped out anything resembling Korean culture, and any traces of Taekyyeon or Subak were ruthlessly suppressed. While this was cruel and oppressive, there was a bright side, for the Japanese introduced their own martial arts to Korea.

Koreans practiced the hard core concepts of Karate zealously. The martial arts grew, and became consolidated in the nine Kwans, or houses. After the war, the nine kwans were united under the Taekwondo banner.

Still, the Koreans strived for their own cultural identity, and the Japanese forms, and even the accompanying Chinese influences, were neglected for new forms. These new forms, though sometimes lacking in power, were easier to learn, and taekwondo began to be taught to the world. Currently, Taekwondo is one of the most popular martial arts on the globe, being learned in over 123 countries, and having over 30 million practitioners.

The final step in this history of Taekwondo is now happening. Koreans are beginning to search for the power and beauty of their original arts, and even examining the heavy duty influences of the Japanese influenced kwans. Ultimately, the Korean martial art of taekwondo will reabsorb the power of the Japanese forms, the exotic principles of the Chinese arts, and yet forge a link with the original Subak arts taught so long ago.

About the Author

If you are a student of Taekwondo History, you will want to Head on over to Monster Martial Arts. You can get three complete arts for the price of one, including the Kang Duk Won, which was one of the original Kwans,

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