Tae Kwon Do is a martial art form that originated in Korea over two thousand years ago. Tae Kwon Do literally means “the way kicking and punching”. Tae Kwon Do stresses fast and effective strikes that are accurate and powerful. Tae Kwon Do is not just a martial arts style, but also a mindset and way of life. Most people recognize Tae Kwan Do by its fast kicks, spinning kicks, and aerial kicks. However, Tae Kwon Do also makes use of the fists and can be very defensive as well. Taekwondo footwork training allows a martial arts practitioner to improve his or her precision and speed.
Tae Kwon Do pushes muscles to their limit in terms of speed, strength, and flexibility. Tae Kwon Do also pushes your body to operate with as little oxygen as possible so that you can perform fast and energy-draining moves without getting tired quickly. Tae Kwon Do combines extensive fitness training with fighting skills that can be applied to most self defense situations. The precision gained from Taekwondo footwork training can even be applied to other martial arts disciplines and make you a more effective fighter in any martial arts style.
Tae Kwon Do is also effective at training the mind and improving the student’s ability to focus. Tae Kwon Do is not about sheer strength but focusing the mind to allow the student to deliver strikers on target while keeping a cool head. Tae Kwon Do helps you identify the correct target to strike and improves your ability to make a strong impact. Tae Kwon Do also stresses the ability to quickly return to your fighting position after following through on the previous move.
Strikes that are seen before they land often do not land at all, which is why Taekwondo footwork training is designed to help you minimize your telegraphing of moves to help each strike be a surprise that is not blocked and reaches its target.
By combining mental focus, cool-headedness, precise strikes that hit the most important targets, extreme physical fitness, and fast reactions and defenses, Tae Kwon Do is a complete martial arts package that represents the pinnacle of unarmed defense. It is important to keep focuses enough to be able to logically deconstruct the situation. It takes precision to hit the proper targets. Hitting a good target can end an altercation quickly while repeatedly hitting less optimal targets can make very little head way. Being able to move quickly helps ensure you will not be blocked and that you can return to your stance quickly enough to prevent a counter attack. Tae Kwon Do is a very practical martial arts system that works in the real world to offer personal protection.
Yoshi I Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free report on taekwondo footwork training visit his blog.