Experiencing Korean art of self-defence
By Huraizah Ahmad

Master An with journalists and taekwondo students.

'Taekwondo' truly represents an art of self-defence that is all and uniquely Korean. A visit to Korea without experiencing the art of Taekwondo for oneself is incomplete.

Four journalists from the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam including the writer had the opportunity to experience for themselves the basic techniques of Taekwondo in its true form during their recent visit to Seoul. They were introduced to a master of the sport - Master Ryan An - at his academy in Seoul.

Master Ryan An has mastered Taekwondo for a number of years and his love for the sport has encouraged him and his wife to establish their own Taekwondo academy where they teach young children as well as foreign visitors to experience the martial art for themselves.

The exclusive one-day Taekwondo training was tailored for the journalists who wanted to study the art of self-defence.

After participating in some stretching exercises and understanding the basics of the heavy safety gears that the journalists had to don, they were expected to break the individual Taekwondo boards using the mere force of untrained fists.

Although some may relate 'Taekwondo' as the "Korean Karate", the martial art has since the beginning of time caught the attention of a number of international followers.

The traditional Korean martial art directly translates to the word 'The Way of Kicking and Striking'. This art form uses the force of the hands and feet to challenge an opponent and its precise kick movements have become the trademark of the sport.

Its strength in the Korean roots has made a group of Korean martial art leaders to choose Taekwondo as a dominating Korean martial art in 1955 and it has since drew strong followers internationally.

Although its origin may still be unknown, some have their own ideas of how it came about.

According to some beliefs, the art has been linked to Korea's three-kingdom era when the Silla Dynasty warriors, the Hwarang, began to develop a martial art that was then known as 'Tae Kyon' meaning foot-hand.

Others feel that Taekwondo began as a form of Chinese boxing, which was established at the Shaolin Temple in 520 BC by Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism.

A third possibility is that Taekwondo developed from Japanese or Okinawan Karate.

However, strong testimonials have attributed the origins of Taekwondo to the influences of other Asian martial art techniques combined with traditional Korean techniques of kickboxing.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin