It is a martial art created by South Korean general Choi Hong Hi, on April 11, 1955. It became an Olympic exhibition sport at the Seoul Olympics (1988). In 2000 (Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia), it became an official Olympic sport.
In 2012, at the London Olympic Games, 4 categories (men's and women's) were contested: flyweight, lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight.
The word taekwondo in Korean means the path of the feet and hands through the mind.
It has, like all martial arts, a philosophy that consists of: valuing perseverance; integrity; of self-control; courtesy; of respect and loyalty.
Taekwondo was introduced in Brazil in 1970, by master Sang Min Cho.
Those who practice the sport use protective equipment that aims to protect against possible injuries resulting from blows, mainly to the head, chest, genital region and legs. The clothing is the dobok, generally white.
Taekwondo has degrees, which correspond to geups and dans, achieved according to the fighter's technical stage. Each geup corresponds to a colored belt tied around the waist.
A fight between black belts takes place over 3 rounds of 3 minutes each. For colored belt practitioners, the fight lasts 2 to 3 rounds, 3 minutes each.
Just like other martial arts, it has some rules, which are:
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You cannot grab, punch in the face, hit below the belt line or push an opponent (points will be lost if this occurs);
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Whoever manages to cause a knockout (the opponent's fall without him being able to continue the fight) wins. If this does not happen by the end of the fight, whoever obtains the most points, achieved through blows, wins.
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The blow that corresponds to the head kick is allowed for fights where both practitioners are black belts.
