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British Amateur Taekwondo Association |
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Welcome to the British Amateur Taekwondo Association website Brief History of TaekwondoWhen and where did Taekwondo begin? General Choi Hong Hi developed Taekwondo from a combination of Taek Kyon, a form of fighting using the legs and feet to deliver blows to the opponent's body, and Karate, which he studied during the Japanese occupation of Korea. General Choi started training the Korean army in unarmed combat in 1945, when the Japanese occupation ended. It soon developed into an international martial art as the superiority of Taekwondo techniques became to be widely recognised. By the end of 1954 the foundation for a new martial art for Korea was in place. In 1955 it was given the name Taekwondo (Sometimes written Taekwon-Do or Tae Kwon Do). The physical techniques of Tae Kwon Do are based on the principles of science, in particular Newtonian physics which teaches us how to generate maximum power. Although Taek Kyon and Karate were used as references for the martial art, the fundamental theories and principles of Taekwondo are totally different to any other martial art in the world. In 1959 the military Taekwondo demonstration team went on a tour abroad, visiting South Vietnam and Taiwan. In 1965 Major General Choi Hong Hi received permission to declare Taekwondo as Korea's national martial art. Taekwondo first came to the UK in 1967. |
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