The ancient area that we now know as Korea was historically made up of three tribes. These were originally known as Koguryo, Baekje, and Silla. All of the three kingdoms bred very strong warriors that were fully trained in unarmed combat. It has been said that the history of WTF Taekwondo lies within these early communities. An early dated text, ‘Muyedobo Tongji’ reports that this art promotes the training of arms and legs so that the hand and feet can adapt to any situation in relation to combat.
The Sonbae were the strong warriors that were situated in the North region of Korea (Koguryo). Enemy ethnic Han tribes surrounded this area. Taekkyon was a martial art that was practised extensively by these people and the evidence comes directly from wall (mural) art on tombs.
The Hwarang were a group of highly trained and skilled young men that were formed within the Silla kingdom (South East region of Korea). The Hwarang lived and abided by a set of life principals, which were designed to promote the advancement of their education and country. They lived with a large Buddhist influence and atmosphere. In line with this, they trained in martial arts. Taekkyon was then transferred from Koguryo to Silla and this enhanced their kicking skills.
The Koryo dynasty followed Silla, and during this time martial arts training became a military requirement. The Chosun dynasty (1392-1910), was a period where weapons were increasingly used by the military however the art Subhakhui was still used to distinguish between soldiers. Buddhism was declining in popularity and it was gradually replaced with Confucianism. Taekkyon was suppressed along with other forms of Korean culture during the Japanese colonial rule and martial arts consisted mainly of Shotokan Karate derivations. However secretly there was still a handing down of the national martial art that was carried out by masters until Korea was eventually liberated in 1945.
The president of the first republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee received a demonstration of Taekkyon from a master. He was impressed and this sparked its revival . Taekwondo was determined to be named as a national martial art in 1971. A year later Kukkikwon was chosen as the national headquarters. In 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was formed following a meeting of thirty five world representatives. Dr Un Yong Kim was the president. The International Olympic Committee first recognized WTF in 1981 and the first official Olympic event was in Sydney, Austrailia 2000. There were four male and female weight class divisions involving a total of 103 athletes from 51 nations. These numbers increased for the subsequent games at Athens (Greece) 2004 and Beijing (China) 2008.
WTF is made up of members of nations. These members include: African, Asian, European, Oceana and Pan-America. In the UK, an individual would be affiliated with the WTF via the British Taekwondo Control Board (BTCB).
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