Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that was first performed in the 1940s. The sport is governed by the World Taekwondo that is based in South Korea. The sport is characterised by techniques of punching and kicking. It focuses on jumping, spinning kicks, fast kicking techniques and head-height kicks. The martial art sport is a contact sport that allows mixed gender fights.

The sport has spread worldwide and was present in the World Games from 1981 to 1983. Since 2000, the sport has been played in the Olympics. The art’s hardness levels are full-contact, medium-contact and light-contact. The parent sports to Taekwondo are Taekkyon, Karate and an influence of Chinese martial arts.

Taekwondo Equipment and Wear

When participating in Taekwondo, one must wear a uniform called a dobok. The uniform, in most cases, is white with variations of black. The practitioner also wears a belt around the waist. The white uniform is worn during formal occasions like during tests and promotions. Coloured outfits are meant for high-level instructors and special teams. Other variations of the uniform are in the style of the jacket. There are three different styles; the cross-over front jacket, the pull-over V-neck jacket and the cross-over Y-neck jacket.

Taekwondo Competitions and Ranks

Top Taekwondo competitions are the World Taekwondo Competition, the International Taekwon-Do Federation Competition, Universiade, the Asian Games and the African Games. A taekwondo practitioner starts with no belt. Upon passing the first test, they are awarded the white belt. Other belt colours in this art include yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, brown-red, white, red, high-red, white, black-white belt and high black-white belt.