LehighTaEKwonDo.com
Title
Lehigh Valley / Lehigh University Taekwondo: Old-school style martial arts training
Contact
- Lehigh Valley Taekwondo, Inc.
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- Limeport Pennsylvan
- United States 18060
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- +1.6108655350
Description
Taekwondo is a modern fighting art with a long historical tradition that originates in Korea. To understand Taekwondo as a modern art, one must understand the history of the Korean peninsula.
Most historians date the origins of formal fighting arts in Korea to the 6th century A.D. At that time, the Korean peninsula was divided into three kingdoms — Koguryo, Paekje and Silla — each at war with the others. Silla, smallest in size and militarily weak, was in serious danger of being overwhelmed by its larger neighbors. In response to this threat, the king of Silla formed a group of elite warriors called HwaRang. These warriors studied a form of unarmed combat called TaeKyon (sometimes also called Subak), which may be considered the ancestor of the modern martial art of Taekwondo. It is largely agreed that the HwaRang's fighting skill and bravery were the key elements in aiding Silla's victory over Koguryo and Paekje. Following this victory, the Korean peninsula was unified into a single kingdom called Koryo.
Over the next several centuries, TaeKyon evolved to become both a military fighting art and a popular sport in the Koryo Dynasty. Several alternative styles also appeared in response to the growing popularity of combat arts. TaeKyon, as well as other styles of fighting art, began to spread throughout the kingdom and even into China.
