Discipline
Taekwondo
Taekwondo fighters, dojangs, and competitions. WT and ITF Taekwondo on The Combat Network.
About Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and Olympic combat sport built around fast, long-range kicking techniques delivered from a mobile, upright stance. The name translates roughly as "the way of foot and fist." Although Korea has a long history of indigenous fighting arts such as taekkyon and subak, modern taekwondo was formalised in the 1950s after the Korean War, when nine influential schools, the kwans, were unified under a national governing structure. The unification produced two main international branches: the World Taekwondo federation, which controls the sparring format used at the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000, and the International Taekwon-Do Federation, founded in 1966 by General Choi Hong Hi, which preserves a different ruleset and a separate set of patterns.
Technically taekwondo emphasises the legs more than any other major striking art. A competitive practitioner develops a deep arsenal of front, roundhouse, side, hook, axe, spinning, and jumping kicks, often chained into rapid combinations and delivered to head height with surprising speed. Hand techniques exist in the curriculum and in the patterns called poomsae or tul, but in WT-style competition punches score only to the body and are worth fewer points than kicks, which has shaped the modern fighting style around long-range kicking exchanges and explosive footwork. Athletes need exceptional hip mobility, single-leg balance, anaerobic conditioning to sustain high-intensity exchanges, and the timing to counter incoming kicks with their own.
Taekwondo's broad popularity, with World Taekwondo claiming more than 80 million practitioners across over 200 member nations, comes from its accessibility. Children's programmes are abundant because the structured belt curriculum, etiquette, and clear physical milestones suit young learners well. Adult students enjoy the flexibility and cardiovascular gains that come from regular kicking practice. Competitors have a clear pathway from local tournaments through national championships to continental and Olympic level, with electronic scoring sensors in body protectors and helmets used at elite WT events to register valid kicks. As a self-defence base taekwondo is sometimes criticised for its sport-specific habits, but a school that drills realistic short-range applications alongside competition training produces genuinely capable strikers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between WT and ITF taekwondo styles?
World Taekwondo, formerly the WTF, governs the Olympic style and uses light continuous-contact sparring with electronic scoring through sensors in the chest and head protectors. Kicks score one to five points depending on target and complexity, punches score only to the body, and athletes wear hogu chest guards, headgear, shin guards, forearm guards, and gloves. ITF taekwondo uses semi-contact sparring with foot and hand pads, allows controlled punches to the head, and scores manually by corner judges. The two branches also use different sets of patterns, called poomsae in WT and tul in ITF. Choose based on which competition pathway interests you and which clubs are near you.
Will taekwondo make me flexible enough to head-kick safely?
Yes, for almost everyone, given consistent training. Most beginners cannot kick above waist height without strain, but the combination of dynamic warm-ups, structured stretching, and the kicking drills themselves develops hip mobility over a period of months. By the end of the first year most adult students can comfortably throw roundhouse and side kicks to head height on a tall partner. Static stretching after class is more effective than before, and PNF stretching techniques accelerate progress further. Genetics set an upper ceiling, and some people will never throw a flat side-split jumping kick, but virtually everyone can develop enough functional flexibility to fight competitively at adult head height.
Is taekwondo effective for self-defence outside the competition format?
It can be, but it depends heavily on how the school trains. Pure sport-focused clubs spend most of their time on long-range kicking exchanges within the WT or ITF ruleset, which leaves a gap at punching range, in the clinch, and on the ground. Schools that supplement competition training with realistic close-range drills, escapes from grabs, and basic ground awareness produce well-rounded self-defence students. The taekwondo skill set most useful in a real altercation is not the spinning head kick but the front kick, the low side kick to the knee, the basic straight punch, and the footwork and distance management built up through years of sparring. Ask any prospective school how they handle close range.