Love Taekwondo? 36 Facts San Francisco’s Martial Arts Aficionados Should Know, PART 1

This four-part article series presents 36 different facts people who are interested in Taekwondo should know about this Korean martial art system.

If you, like so many other San Francisco residents, absolutely love Taekwondo and/or are interesting in starting classes, there are a number of things you should know in order to become better acquainted with this ancient combat sport. To help you make a solid start, in this four-part article series, we shall be exploring the most important and interesting facts about Taekwondo...

Let's begin!

Fact # 1: Taekwondo originated in South Korea over a thousand years ago and is, today, that country's national sport.

Fact # 2: Militia in the South Korean army are required to be fully skilled in Taekwondo as a part of their combat training. This enables them to fight enemy at close range without the use of weaponry.

Fact # 3: Taekwondo is a martial arts system that includes a variety of kicking and striking techniques. In fact, most of the emphasis in Taekwondo training in San Francisco is focused around kicks, blocks, punches and open-handed strikes. Students can also expect to master a suite of sweeps, chokeholds, joint locks, takedowns and throws. In this respect, Taekwondo offers students a very diverse physical education in both offensive and defensive combat techniques.

Fact # 4: The ranking in Taekwondo is easily remembered and completely without pretense. You're either an instructor or a student, and you're either a junior or a senior.

Fact # 5: Taekwondo doesn't typically involve the use of weaponry, which means that San Francisco residents can use this martial art system to become trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat. There is a keen focus on develop self-defense skills and on maintaining an exceptional standard of whole body strength, dexterity, alacrity and flexibility.

Fact # 6: Taekwondo is one of only two martial art styles that have been accepted by the Olympic Games. The other is Judo.

Fact # 7: Taekwondo's underlying philosophies, codes of conduct and moral teachings very much reflect Korea's tempestuous history and colorful national character.

Fact # 8: Although students of any San Francisco Taekwondo studio can expect to learn a great variety of combat techniques, this form of martial arts is perhaps best known for it's kicking techniques. To the educated eye, it's the specific techniques used that differentiate Taekwondo from "similar" forms of martial arts that stem from Korea's neighboring countries, such as southern Kung Fu (China) and karate (Japan).

Fact # 9: Taekwondo also requires students to become skilled in a number of takedown and grappling moves, many of which are quite similar in technique to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Think of it this way: it's not enough to kick and strike your opponent into submission; you're also going to need the full-contact skills necessary to neutralize an attacker should they happen to get close to you. Being able to throw, trip, wrestle and choke or joint hold an opponent is what could win you the round and – in extreme cases – allow you to escape with your life!

Stay Tuned for Part 2

Stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series to find out more interesting facts about one of the most popular martial art forms in San Francisco: Taekwondo!