Taekwondo Is a Korean martial art which emerged in the mid 20th century, and has become one of the most practised martial arts in the world. The art is characterised by powerful hand strikes and high kicks which are used self defence or in sport competitions such as the Olympics.
Like many Asian martial arts, Taekwondo emphasises the unification of mind, body and spirit; improving the human character; social responsibility; and the appropriate use of force.
Therefore the art involves mental and physical training.
Taekwondo focuses on fast, powerful kicking and punching techniques which are blended with sophisticated footwork, jumps, blocks and avoiding actions. In recent years joint locks, throws and groundwork has been added.
The five core activities of Taekwondo are
Practice of basic techniques
Self Defense
Sparring (free and one step)
Breaking
Patterns
These five core activities are intended to have both combat value and help practitioners evolve physically, mentally and spiritually, all activities are inter-related. None is more important than the other and all are interdependent.
