Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, “tae” means “to strike or break with foot”; “kwon” means “to strike or break with fist”; and “do” means “way”, “method”, or “art”. Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as “the art of kicking and punching”.
Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing your spirit and life through training the body and mind. Today it is a global sport that has gained an international reputation, and is one of the official games in the Olympics.
Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks. Some taekwondo instructors also incorporate the use of pressure points, known as jiapsul, as well as grabbing self-defense techniques borrowed from other martial arts, such as hapkido and judo (a Japanese martial art).
HAPKIDO – “THE ART OF COORDINATED POWER”
Hapkido is a dynamic and eclectic Korean martial art. “Hap” means “coordinated” in Korean, “ki” means “inner power or life force”, and “do” means “way”, “method”, or “art”. Thus, hapkido means “the art of coordinated power”.
Evolved from and is closely related to the ancient Japanese martial art of jujitsu, Hapkido is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. There is also the use of traditional weapons, including a sword, rope, nunchaku, cane, short stick, and staff (gun, bō) which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined.
Hapkido contains both long and close range fighting techniques, utilizing jumping kicks and percussive hand strikes at longer ranges and pressure point strikes, joint locks, or throws at closer fighting distances. It emphasizes circular motion, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.