History of taekwondo

While Taekwondo is relatively modern - it was only named in 1955 - its roots trace back many centuries.

There are many myths and legends about the origins of martial arts, but it’s generally accepted that bare-hand combat was introduced by an Indian Buddhist monk called Bodhidharma (448-529 AD).

He reputedly travelled from an Indian monastery to China to instruct in Zen Buddhism. During his visit, he introduced Buddhist monks in the Shaolin Temple to a form of training, which included mental and physical conditioning and a set of 18 postures (similar to Tai Chi) imitating temple idols.

As a result, these monks became the most formidable fighters in China. Their style later became known as Shaolin boxing.

Buddhism became increasingly popular, and both Buddism and martial arts spread throughout other Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and Japan. Increased interaction between these countries allowed for some comparisons and further development of their fighting styles, and variations in styles started to appear between countries.

Korean fighting styles can be traced back hundreds of years to the three major Kingdoms of Korea: Silla, Koguryo, and Baek Je (6th Century AD).

During these times there was constant and violent feuding between the Kingdoms and with their sworn enemy, the Japanese. The survival of the Kingdoms depended on the development of strong armies. For these ancient warriors, mastery of the fighting skills was paramount, as any mistake would result in almost certain death.

The famous Hwa-Rang Warriors, an elite fighting corps, was formed during the Silla Dynasty. These warriors underwent the most intensive training rituals, severe physical and mental conditioning, including mountain climbing, swimming turbulent rivers in freezing conditions, as well as training in fighting weapons including spear, bow, sword and hook.

They placed as much emphasis on training the mind as they did punishing their bodies, and ultimately discovered that mastery of the body comes as a result of mastery of the mind.

Each soldier strictly followed the Haw-Rang Warrior Code:

• Be loyal to your King

• Be obedient to your parents

• Be honourable to your friends

• Never retreat in battle

• Make a just kill.

The Haw-Rang Warriors became legendary. Because of their superior courage, ability in the battlefields, and their strict loyalty
and philosophy, they gained the respect of even their most bitter enemies, and would go down in history.

And because of the dominance of these warriors, the Silla Dynasty - although it was the smallest - became the most powerful of the three Korean kingdoms.

But eventually the Silla Dynasty fell, and the arts of Taekyon and Soo Bak Gi flourished during the Koryo Dynasty (935 AD).

Training in Taekyon became compulsory for all soldiers, and perfection was the only way of being promoted through the ranks. Soldiers had to prove their mastery at an annual competition at the Kak Chon temple. Major governmental positions were determined by performance in these fighting skills.

But over the next thousand years, martial arts generally became less pronounced in Korea, apart from in the military. Finally in 1909, when the Japanese occupied Korea, the practice of martial arts by Koreans was forbidden.

The only, major survivor of this ban on martial arts was Taekyon. Training was carried out in secret, and many Koreans made their way to foreign countries where they could test their martial art against other styles including Karate, Jiu-jitsu, Judo, Kung Fu and Tai Chi. This enabled them to improve their own style and learn techniques from other styles.

Korea was liberated from Japanese rule in 1945. Many Koreans who were abroad returned to their homeland, bringing back with them the martial arts knowledge they’d gained while being away.

At this time, the Republic of Korea (ROK) armed forces was formed. And this was a major turning point in Taekwondo history.

Choi Hong Hi, then a 2nd Lieutenant in the ROK army, began teaching his style of unarmed combat after his release from a Japanese prison camp in 1946. Choi was primarily responsible for the fighting training of ROK soldiers, but in time General Choi’s teaching would be adopted by armies in other major countries.

The ROK demonstration teams, led by Choi, became famous for their displays of amazing martial arts skills while spreading the art across Asia and the rest of the world. Many famous Taekwondo masters of today were members of these demonstration teams.

On 11th April 1955, a panel of instructors, politicians and historians, including General Choi, named Korea’s national martial art Taekwondo.

General Choi Hong Hi was credited with the development of Taekwondo, and is universally referred to as the founder and father of Taekwondo.

Choi Hong Hi in Korean is 최홍희.

General Choi researched and developed a modern martial art with new techniques, systems, methods, rules, practices and philosophy.

Since then, Taekwondo has been refined and further improved in both its techniques and the overall physical fitness benefits it imparts.

The International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was founded on March 22, 1966, by General Choi in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of Taekwondo.

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