International Martial Arts Association celebrating 20 years of martial arts co-operation
1996 - 2016
DEPARTMENT OF KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS
The department of Korean Martial Arts is responsible for uniting practitioners of the korean martial arts, with the view to help exchange training, knowledge, rank promotions, development of the korean martial arts and protect heritage of the korean martial arts that we teach. We will also be setting up a Diploma Program in Korean Martial Arts which will run through the IMA University.
There are several main Korean styles that we recognise:-
TAEKWONDO HAPKIDO KUK SOOL WON HWARANG DO KOREAN KICKBOXING TANG SOO DO
TAEKWONDO
Taekwondo is a martial art from Korea that emphasizes striking techniques in both forms and sparring. It is the official sport of South Korean and TKD sparring has been an Olympic event since 1988. Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking. The reason is because TKD practitioners recognize the leg’s superior power and reach over that of the arms. While punching techniques are used in sparring and forms, the legs are trained in much greater detail. Because of this, Taekwondo is popular with both men and women independent of age or size - the legs of a small woman have plenty of power to stop someone much larger and more powerful if the kick is placed skillfully.
The history of Taekwondo starts in the Three Kingdoms period of Korean history. Archeological evidence dates this period to be from about 57 BC until around 668. The Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla Kingdoms all had regional martial arts styles. Subak, an art form that originated in the northern kingdom of Goguryeo, was heavily influenced by Chinese martial arts since that kingdom often was warring with neighboring Chinese Kingdoms. It was a mostly weaponless martial art using kicks, punches, joint locks, and throws. As the Goguryeo kingdom’s power grew, it began to try to exert influence over the southern Silla Kingdom. The Silla Kingdom had a variation on Subak called Taekkyon and was practiced by an elite warrior class called the Hwarang.
The Three Kingdom period ends with Goguryeo’s defeat by the Silla Kingdom around 668. The martial arts of these kingdoms continued to be handed down
through history in the military and in families. While the Joseon Period brought a decline to all Korean Martial arts styles, the Japanese occupation and attempted cultural suppression brought about a renewed interest or Korean History, Culture, and Martial Arts among the Korean people.
In the mid 1950s, the South Korean Government encouraged the smaller martial arts schools in Korea to unify under one governing body to promote and refine a national martial art system. On April 11, 1955, the name Taekwondo was accepted and the process of unification began.
There are two main promotional bodies in Taekwondo - The International Taekwondo Federation (unofficially headquartered in Pyongyang, North Korea) and today their are currently several ITF Federations based in several countries and the World Taekwondo Federation (recognized by the Olympics and closely tied to the Kukkiwon in Seoul, South Korea).
Taekwondo has developed greatly over the last 60 years, originally starting out with 9 Kwans (schools) and now today many Kwans exist all teaching Taekwondo with a slightly different emphasis on their training.
HAPKIDO
Hapkido is a traditional martial art that teaches striking techniques along with joint locks, throws, and ground grappling. Along with these approaches, Hapkido students also study Ki Kong (breathing exercises) to quiet the mind and improve long term health. Unlike other martial art styles, HKD generally has not adopted a sport-oriented approach. Instead, it concerns itself only with the well-being of the practitioner and, by extension, the well-being of that practitioner's environment.
Through exercise and practice, Hapkido trains the body to be strong and capable of defending itself. Through Ki Kong, sparring practice, and a positive school environment, it helps to cultivate a state of awareness that is more sensitive, yet calm. Two english translations of the name Hapkido are "the way of coordinated power" or "the way of harmonizing with life".
The history of Hapkido starts in two places. It starts in the Three Kingdom period in Korea as well as with a man named Choi Yong-Sool. In some respects, it shares many of the same roots as Taekwondo. In the Three Kingdom period, variations on the martial arts Subak and Taekkyon were studied by the militaries of the different Kingdoms. These different styles and approaches influenced one another as well as exchanged with the martial arts of other countries.
After the Three Kingdoms period, most martial arts practice began to subside as Korean culture turned to literature and other scholastic studies. Through very small pockets of people, these art forms survived through the Joseon period of cultural change as well as the Japanese occupation of Korea. During that occupation, Choi Yong-Sool was a Korean living in Japan. During his time there, he studied Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (a forerunnner of modern Aikido). Upon returning to Korea, he began teaching this form of Japanese martial art mixed with native Korean martial arts. This is how modern Hapkido was created.