Sports Recommendation

Training the body to strengthen the mind – Taekwondo

In recent years, the Hong Kong people have come to admire various aspects of Korean culture, including entertainment, tourism and food, etc., and sport is no exception. In this issue, let’s talk about Korea’s national sport – taekwondo.

Origin and development

Taekwondo is a combat sport that uses both hands and feet and is originated from civilian self-defence skills in ancient times. To explain the history of taekwondo, one must mention General Choi Hong Hi. He combined Japanese karate with an ancient self-defence skill that emphasised kicking, and in 1955, this martial art was named “taekwondo” in a vote. “Tae” refers to kicking, “kwon” refers to punching, and “do” refers to the cultivation of the soul of martial artists.

Taekwondo developed rapidly afterwards and the International Taekwondo Federation was established in South Korea in 1966. In 1972, Kukkiwon, also known as the World Taekwondo Headquarters, was established to promote and popularise taekwondo. In 1973, another taekwondo organisation, the World Taekwondo Federation, was formally established. By 1980, the International Olympic Committee also officially recognised the status of the World Taekwondo Federation. In 2000, taekwondo was made an official sport event in the Sydney Olympics.

Development in Hong Kong

Taekwondo Association was formally established in 1967 to promote and develop taekwondo. Today, the Hong Kong Taekwondo Association has more than 40 member associations and various taekwondo training classes have emerged one after another. With the increase in the number of students of this sport, taekwondo has become one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong.

Color belts, “Gup” and “Dan”

Taekwondo is a combat sport that uses both hands and feet and is originated from civilian self-defence skills in ancient times. To explain the history of taekwondo, one must mention General Choi Hong Hi. He combined Japanese karate with an ancient self-defence skill that emphasised kicking, and in 1955, this martial art was named “taekwondo” in a vote. “Tae” refers to kicking, “kwon” refers to punching, and “do” refers to the cultivation of the soul of martial artists.

Color belts

Ranks are indicated by belts of different colors that are worn on the waist. The lowest “Gup” is 10 and the highest “Gup” is 1.

“Gup”	Color
1st “Gup”	Red belt with black stripe
2nd “Gup”	Red belt
3rd “Gup”	Blue belt with red stripe
4th “Gup”	Blue belt
5th “Gup”	Green belt with blue stripe
6th “Gup”	Green belt
7th “Gup”	Yellow belt with green stripe
8th “Gup”	Yellow belt
10th “Gup”	White belt

Note: the white belt with yellow stripe of Rank 9 has been abolished

“Dan”

The next step up from “Gup” is “Dan”. There are 9 “Dan” in taekwondo, with 1st “Dan” being the lowest and 9th “Dan” being the highest. The belts are all black coloured and the “Dan” is identified by the golden embroidery on the belts.

Introduction to the match

Venue

A taekwondo match takes place on a flat quadrilateral space that is 10m x 10m to 12m x 12m and has no obstacles. The central area is an 8m x 8m square or an octagonal shape that measures 8m in diameter with sides that are each 3.3m long. The other area is the boundary line and the two areas are indicated with different colours. The surface of the competition area is made up of elastic and non-slip mats.

Uniform

The taekwondo uniform is called a dobok and it has a specific style and colour. Practitioners wear a belt of a colour corresponding to their “Gup” and “Dan” on their waists. During a competition, competitors must wear approved doboks and protective gear, such as helmets, groin guards and shin guards, before entering the competition area.

Scoring method

Both punching and kicking attacks are allowed in taekwondo. Punches are usually straight punches whereas kicks refer to any attack made by a part of the foot below the ankle. In a match, a player scores as long as they attack an effective part of their opponent with a valid attack. The effective scoring area refers to the middle part of the trunk of the body, that is, the part wrapped in the body armour but not the back, and the entire head, that is, above the collarbone. Points will only be awarded for attacks to the head if they were made by kicking.

The following are the points awarded for each type of attack:

• Striking the torso with a fist attack: 1 point
• Striking the torso with a kick attack: 2 points
• Striking the torso with a turning (or spinning) kick attack: 3 points
• Striking the head with a kick attack: 3 points
• Striking the head with a turning (or spinning) kick attack: 4 points

The competitor with the most points after three rounds wins. During the match, competitors are prohibited from grabbing, hugging or holding their opponent. Points would be deducted immediately for these actions and these points would be added directly to the opponent’s score. A competitor would be disqualified immediately once 10 points have been deducted.

Rounds and time

match consists of three rounds, and each round is two minutes long with a one minute break between rounds. In the event of a tie after three rounds, a “sudden death” fourth round will be carried out after the competitors take a one minute rest period to determine the winner, and the first competitor to score a point in one minute wins the match.

Weight distinction

Taekwondo matches are conducted with men against men and women against women in different weight divisions according to their weight. The purpose of this is to offset the weight advantage, so competitors will need to be weighed before the match. In addition, judges also use electronic scoring gear and real-time video replays to help with the scoring, enhance the fairness of the match and make taekwondo more systematic as a sport.

Benefits

Taekwondo is a full-body exercise that is good for the body and mind. It is suitable for adults, teenagers and even children. Taekwondo emphasises the coordination of hands and feet and the training of strength and power of muscles for enhanced physical strength, flexibility and agility. Full-body exercise makes the body healthier and stronger, trains cardiovascular function, and enhances balance and agility.

Taekwondo training and competition requires a high degree of concentration and coordination and the ability to build confidence in battle to make a breakthrough. In addition, taekwondo requires students to improve their ethical standards, learn to respect others, be humble and generous, and always keep a clear mind. When one learns taekwondo, one is also training their will and cultivating a correct attitude towards life.