Taekwondo is a Korean martial art which focuses particularly on striking. As its name derives from Korean language where Tae means (to strike or break with foot), Kwon means (to strike or break with fist) and Do means (way, method or art) hence a loose translation of Taekwondo will be “the way of the foot and fist”. It is the world’s most popular martial art in terms of practitioners.

Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks; it combines combat techniques, self-defence, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy.

There have been many arguments regarding the origin of Taekwondo, some organization state that it was developed from earlier Koran martial arts; whereas some organizations claim that it is derived from native Korean martial arts. The oldest Korean martial art was a mixture of unarmed combat styles developed by the three rival Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje, where young men were trained in unarmed combat to build strength, speed and survival skills. Those who performed well and demonstrated strong attributes were selected as trainees in the special warrior group, called the Hwarang. These men were believed to have the grace that was needed to become true warriors and hence they were instructed in military training as well as academics such as philosophy, history, code of conduct etc. In martial arts training they were trained in the techniques of Subak, in which Taekkyeon was the most popular section of Subak.

In training, Subak was mostly weapon and leg oriented and did not focus much on hand striking, however Silla’s influence added hand techniques in the practice of Subak. After completing their training, the Hwarangs spread around the neck of the land to learn about different regions and people and at the same time spreaded the art of combat that they had learnt.

After the occupation of Japan in Korea ended many Kwans (Korean martial arts schools) started to open. In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, there was a martial arts exhibition in which the kwans displayed their skills. In one demonstration, Nam Tae Hi smashed thirteen roof tiles with a fore-fist punch. Following the demonstration, South Korean President Syngman Rhee instructed Choi Hong Hi to introduce the martial arts to the Korean army. By the mid 1950’s, 9 schools had emerged and by the order of the president, were unified into a single system know as Taekwondo. Currently, taekwondo is practiced in 123 countries, with over 30 million practitioners and 3 million individuals with black belts throughout the world. It is now one of only two Asian martial arts that are included in the Olympic Games; it became a demonstration event starting with the 1988 games in Seoul, and became an official medal event starting with the 2000 games in Sydney

The rules of sport Taekwondo are mainly categorized under two categories

* World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Rules: Points are awarded for permitted, accurate, and powerful techniques to the legal scoring areas; light contact to a scoring area does not score any points. In most competitions, points are awarded by four corner judges using electronic scoring tallies. At the end of three rounds, the competitor with the most points wins the match. In the event of a tie at the end of three rounds, a fourth “sudden death” overtime round will be held to determine the winner after a one minute rest period. Blows are full force and if one player is knocked out by a legal attack, the attacker is declared the winner as the WTF allows knockouts in sparring competition. But there are certain rules that they must follow. Some rules condemn name calling, punches to the head, grabbing, and more.

* International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) Rules: The ITF sparring rules are similar, but differ from the WTF rules in several respects. Hand attacks to the head are allowed; kicks to the body gives two point and kicks to the head give three; the competition area is slightly smaller (9 meters square instead of 10 meters); and competitors do not wear the hogu used in Olympic-style sparring (although they are required to wear approved foot and hand protection equipment). A continuous point system is utilized in ITF competition, where the fighters are allowed to continue after scoring a technique. Full force blows are not allowed and will result in deduction of points. Knock out is not allowed. At the end of 2 minutes (or specified time) the competitor with the most scoring techniques wins.

Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, which distinguishes it from martial arts such as karate or southern styles of kung fu. The rationale is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes without successful retaliation. Historically, the Koreans thought that the hands were too valuable to be used in combat. Physically, taekwondo develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. An example of the union of mental and physical discipline is the breaking of boards, which requires both physical mastery of the technique and the concentration to focus one’s strength.

Taekwondo is based around a dazzling combination of kicking techniques, and out-foxing your opponent with a variety of defensive and punching moves. The better you can put these technical combinations together, the better your performances. Agility and flexibility will help you achieve all of this. You have to move across the floor quickly and kick your legs at the same time. It is not easy.

As far as MMA goes Taekwondo has been widely used and utilized in MMA competition many famous Taekwondo practitioners in MMA are:

* Bas Rutten
* Anderson Silva
* Chieck Kongo
* Ben Henderson
* James Wilks
* Joe Son
* Kimo Leopoldo
* Serkan Yilmaz
* Keith Hackney

Taekwondo in Pakistan and very famous and is the most practiced style in the country. There are many Taekwondo schools/dojos in the country; subsequently there are a lot of good Taekwondo practitioners as well.