Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills.

It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olympics.

Although taekwondo is gaining more and more popularity there are still many who are in the dark as to what taekwondo is, including those who start the art inspired by a martial art movie that they may have watched.

Taekwondo as a sport has over 60 million practitioners in 184 countries. It originates from South Korea where the world governing body, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), is currently based.

Taekwondo today is similar to the martial arts in other Oriental countries and shares some features with them, because in the course of its evolution it has gained many different styles that existed in the martial arts of the countries surrounding Korea, like Japan and China.

But Taekwondo is very different from many such oriental martial arts. First, physically it is very dynamic with active movements that include a mirage of foot skills. Second, the principle physical movements are in simpatico with that of the mind and life as a whole. Third, it possesses dynamic poses from another perspective.

The modern form of Taekwondo was not agreed until 1955, but the sport has its roots in various Korean forms of martial arts stretching back more than 2,000 years.

The name Taekwondo literally translates as the way of the foot and the fist – tae means to break or attack with the foot, kwon means to break with the fist and do translates as the art or way.

For more information on the fasinating martial art visit www.wtf.org
or for local classes contact the
Wigan Taekwondo Academy:-
Mrs K Dodd on 01942 730272
e-mail: wigantkd@hotmail.co.uk
were your first session is free.