Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that combines combat and self-defense techniques with sport and exercise.  It was developed in Korea during the 1940s, and by 2009 it was practiced by over 30 million people in 123 different countries.  It is distinguished from other martial arts by its emphasis on high kicking and fast hand techniques.  The belief is that because the leg is the longest and strongest limb of the body, it has the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes with the least chance of retaliation.

Taekwondo became a medal sport in the Olympics in 2000.  While sport taekwondo consists of sparring, breaking objects, performing patterns, and self defense, only sparring is done in the Olympics.  Points are awarded for accurate, powerful techniques landed on your opponent's body.  More complicated techniques (like a spinning kick) earn more points.

We met at the Sanchez Taekwondo Institute in Fort Worth for an introductory lesson.  We learned a forward snap kick and a roundhouse kick, and did a few self defense techniques.  Our instructor, Wayne, demonstrated how the kicks we learned could be combined with spins and jumps to become more complex and powerful.

Taekwondo is another one of our new favorite sports.  Thanks, Wayne and Sanchez Taekwondo.