Child Actor Autograph Tae Kwon Do Karate Signed Photo Very Young Ernie Reyes Jr

$285.81 Buy It Now, FREE Shipping, 30-Day Returns, eBay Money Back Guarantee
Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176270370374 CHILD ACTOR AUTOGRAPH TAE KWON DO KARATE SIGNED PHOTO VERY YOUNG ERNIE REYES JR. CHILD ACTOR FROM TMNT AND SIDEKICKS AND MANY OTHER MOVIES ERNIE REYES, JR AUTOGTRAPHED PHOTO MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 8 1/2 X 10 1/4PHOTO HAS SOME WEAR CREASES AND IS IN FAIR SHAPE. Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as The Last Dragon, Red Sonja (1985), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Donatello Fight Stuntman) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Surf Ninjas (1993) and The Rundown (2003). He has also done stunt work in films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as motion capture stunts in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. His TV work includes season 3 episode 4 Highway to Heaven dramas such as the short-lived Sidekicks (in which he co-starred with Gil Gerard) and NCIS: Los Angeles and reality TV series such as Final Fu.
Ernest E. Reyes, Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial artist.   Early Life Reyes was born in San Jose, California, the grandson of Filipino immigrants. He has three brothers and two sisters, one of whom, Lee Reyes, is an actor and another, Santino Ramos, is a filmmaker/animator. By 1983, Reyes had joined his father's group, the "West Coast Demo Team". Through his father's connections, Reyes met such martial artist and movie stars as Tony Thompson and Cynthia Rothrock. When he was twelve, he turned his attention to acting. Having met with Berry Gordy, he was given a part in the feature film The Last Dragon. The part was brief, but quite memorable. Career Reyes, Jr. played a prince in the 1985 production, Red Sonja. In that movie, he shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen. During this time, he also had his own television series Sidekicks, a spin-off of the original Walt Disney one-time special, The Last Electric Knight, alongside Gil Gerard. Reyes had starring roles in Surf Ninjas and in the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film The Secret of the Ooze. He also served as the martial arts stunt double for Donatello in the first Ninja Turtles film. His latest movie roles were in Rush Hour 2 playing Zing and in The Rundown alongside former WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He is also the host of MTV's Final Fu. Reyes guest starred in the TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues alongside David Carradine. After Surf Ninjas, he decided to refine his craft. He studied acting, writing and directing at the American Repertory Company. It was here he began to delve into his artistic side. He became good friends with the founder Manu Tupou, who later became his artistic consultant. Around this time, he made his directorial debut with the movie The Process which was released as the Ultimate Fight. He continues to participate in movies and has had three fights in the Muay Thai discipline, two of which aired on ESPN2 . He was seen in TMZ on September 17, 2008 on Fox, and also appeared in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) as Cemetery Warrior #2. He also has a new movie coming out called The Red Canvas, which won four awards at the 2009 Action on Film Festival, including Best Male Action Performer (Ernie Reyes Jr.) and Best Picture. This film includes some historical cinema aspects. It was the first film shot with the RED ONE 4K camera, and the first movie to premiere “Off Planet” on the ISS International Space Station.   In the past couple years, he has choreographed fights in several films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.    Filmography by movies: The Red Canvas (2010) .... Johnny Sanchez Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(2008) .... Cemetery Warrior  Redline(2007) (as Ernie Reyes) .... Ernie The Rundown(2003) .... Manito ... aka "Welcome to the Jungle" - Australia, UK, USA (working title) Poolhall Junkies(2002) .... Tang Secret of the Horse(2001) (TV) .... Victor Tran Rush Hour 2(2001) .... Zing The Process(1998) .... Jesse ... aka "The Ultimate Fight" - USA (video title) Small Time(1996) (as Ernie Reyes) .... Marty Paper Dragons(1996) White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild(1995) .... Steve Surf Ninjas(1993) .... Johnny Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze(1991) .... Keno ... aka "Mutant Ninja Turtles 2" - Japan (English title) Taekwon sonyeon Erniewa Master Kim(1989) .... Ernie ... aka "Ernie and Master Kim" - International (English title) Fights to the Finish(1987) Red Sonja(1985) .... Prince Tarn  The Last Dragon(1985) .... Tai Filmography by TV series:  P.C.H. (1995) (TV) (as Ernie Reyes) .... Koji ... aka "Kill Shot" - USA (video title) "Final Fu"(2006) TV series .... Host "Charmed"(1 episode) Witches in Tights(13 October 2002) - Kaz     "V.I.P."(1 episode) Big Top Val(2 October 1999) - Actor     "F/X: The Series"(1 episode) Eye of the Dragon(11 November 1996) - Jimmy Chu     "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues"(1 episode) The Return of Sing Ling(13 February 1995) - Sing Ling  "Secret Body Guard" (1991) TV series "MacGyver"(1 episode)  Murderers' Sky(9 May 1988) - Luke Chen     "Highway to Heaven"(1 episode)  Another Kind of War, Another Kind of Peace(15 October 1986) - Michael Nguyen     "Sidekicks" - (1986, 1987)        List of 23 episodes: 1)       The Last Electric Knight(16 February 1986) - Ernie Lee  2)       Are These Your Kicks?(26 September 1986) - Ernie Lee  3)       Open House(3 October 1986) - Ernie Lee  4)       I Hate the Neighbors(17 October 1986) - Ernie Lee  5)       My Dad the Crook(24 October 1986) - Ernie Lee  6)       Down and Out in Van Nuys(31 October 1986) - Ernie Lee  7)       Thrill of the Chase(7 November 1986) - Ernie Lee  8)       Catherine the Not-So-Great(14 November 1986) - Ernie Lee  9)       My Dad's Bigger Than Yours(22 November 1986) - Ernie Lee  10)    The Birds and the Killer Bees(29 November 1986) - Ernie Lee  11)    I Remember Mama, But Does She Remember Me?(13 December 1986) - Ernie Lee  12)    Grey Belts(20 December 1986) - Ernie Lee  13)    The Cousin Who Fell to Earth(3 January 1987) - Ernie Lee  14)    Just for Kicks(10 January 1987) - Ernie Lee  15)    The Boy Who Saw Too Much(17 January 1987) - Ernie Lee  16)    Kicked Upstairs(31 January 1987) - Ernie Lee  17)    An Eye for an Ear(7 February 1987) - Ernie Lee  18)    The Next Best Thing to Winning(14 February 1987) - Ernie Lee  19)    The Patusani Always Rings Twice(21 February 1987) - Ernie Lee  20)    Petty Cache(28 February 1987) - Ernie Lee  21)    The Worst of the Mohicans(7 March 1987) - Ernie Lee  22)    Playing for Keeps(6 June 1987) - Ernie Lee  23)    Read Between the Lines(13 June 1987) - Ernie Lee   Stunts: Act of Valor(2010) (post-production) (stunts) Alice in Wonderland(2010) (stunts) ... aka "Alice in Wonderland: An IMAX 3D Experience" - USA (IMAX version) Avatar(2009) (utility stunts) ... aka "Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience" - USA (IMAX version) ... aka "James Cameron's Avatar" - International (English title) (promotional title) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1990) (fight/stunt double: Donatello) ... aka "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie" - USA (long title) ... aka "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Movie" - USA (DVD box title) ... aka "Mutant Turtles" - Japan (English title) Producer: The Red Canvas(2009) (executive producer) Surf Ninjas(1993) (associate producer) Director: The Process(1998) ... aka "The Ultimate Fight" - USA (video title) Self: Production Diary: Making of 'The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'(2008) (V) .... Himself The Rundown: Rumble in the Jungle(2004) (V) .... Himself Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes(1998) (TV) .... Himself Circus of the Stars Gives Kids the World(1993) (TV) .... Himself - High-Wired Motocyclist ... aka "Circus of the Stars #18" - USA (series title) The Making of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles': Behind the Shells(1991) (V) (also archive footage) .... Keno/Himself Circus of the Stars #12(1987) (TV) .... Himself - Trapeze Artist Circus of the Stars #11(1986) (TV) .... Himself/performer Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972)[1] is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as The Last Dragon, Red Sonja (1985), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Donatello Fight Stuntman) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Surf Ninjas (1993) and The Rundown (2003). He has also done stunt work in films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as motion capture stunts in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. His TV work includes season 3 episode 4 Highway to Heaven dramas such as the short-lived Sidekicks (in which he co-starred with Gil Gerard) and NCIS: Los Angeles and reality TV series such as Final Fu. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 As actor 4.2 As stunt performer 5 Kickboxing record 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Early life Reyes was born in San Jose, California, to actor/stuntman Ernie Reyes Sr. and is the grandson of Filipino immigrants.[2] He has three brothers and two sisters, one of whom, Lee Reyes, is a boxer and another, Santino Ramos, is a filmmaker/artist. By the age of 6, Reyes had joined his father's group, the "West Coast Demo Team". Career Reyes made his film debut at age 13 in the 1985 film The Last Dragon. The same year he shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja. During this time, he also had his own television series, Sidekicks, a spin-off of the original Walt Disney one-time special The Last Electric Knight, alongside Gil Gerard presented by Michael Eisner.[2] He also appeared in an episode of the hit television series MacGyver in 1988.[3] Reyes had starring roles in Surf Ninjas, the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, The Secret of the Ooze, as Keno, the pizza delivery boy. He also served as the martial arts stunt double for Donatello in the first Ninja Turtles film.[4] He later appeared in films such as Rush Hour 2 playing Zing[5] and in The Rundown alongside WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.[4] Reyes guest starred in three episodes of the TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues alongside David Carradine.[6] In 2006, Reyes hosted the MTV martial arts reality show Final Fu.[7] Reyes has a professional fight record of 3–0 in Strikeforce which was a large mixed martial arts organization but started out as a Muay Thai and kickboxing organization. Ernie fought Anthony Elkaim the WKA ISKA Champion. Reyes knocked out the champion in the 3rd round. His next two fights would be won by decision, including a unanimous decision over Veasna Thach[8] which aired on ESPN. Ernie Reyes Jr.'s fight against the champion Anthony Elkaim also aired on ESPN.[9][10][11][12] Reyes has done motion capture stunts for blockbuster films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.[13] He also played a cemetery warrior in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull who gets killed by his own poison dart. Reyes guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles "The Frozen Lake" playing "Jay Thapa", a Nepalese soldier who is an expert in knife-fighting. Personal life In October 31 2007, he and his wife Lisa had a daughter who goes by the name Lotus Blossom who starred in the 2020 sequel to 2005's The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, We Can Be Heroes. In June 2015, it was reported that Reyes was suffering from kidney failure and is in need of a transplant. According to his sister, Reyes undergoes dialysis three times per week for four hours each day. His family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise $75,000 for his medical expenses.[14][15] Filmography As actor Title Year Role Notes The Last Dragon 1985 Tai (Karate Student) Red Sonja 1985 Prince Tarn Sidekicks 1986 Ernie Lee Ernie and Master Kim 1989 Ernie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 Donatello (Martial Arts Stunt Double) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II 1991 Keno Secret Bodyguard 1991 Ernie Rey Surf Ninjas 1993 Johnny Also Associate Producer White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild 1995 Steve Paper Dragons 1996 Small Time 1996 Marty The Ultimate Fight a.k.a. The Process 1998 Jesse Also Director Rush Hour 2 2001 Zing Poolhall Junkies 2002 Tang The Rundown 2003 Manito Redline 2007 Ernie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2008 Cemetery Warrior The Red Canvas a.k.a. The Art of Submission 2009 Johnny Sanchez Also Executive Producer NCIS: Los Angeles 2013 Jay Thapa episode: "The Frozen Lake" Ninja Apocalypse 2014 Hiroshi NCIS: Los Angeles 2015 Jay Thapa episode: "Expiration Date" The Librarians 2017 Monkey King episode: "And the Fatal Separation" Brooklyn Nine-Nine 2018 Bob #2 episode: "The Negotiation" The Next Kill 2018 Badass Blue-Shirt-Wearing Pizza-Loving Surfer Dude Superstore (TV Series) 2018 Customer episode: "Toxic Workplace" Uncharted Live Action Fan Film 2018 El Tigre As stunt performer Title Year Role Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 Fight/Stunt Double: Donatello Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II 1991 Fight Performer: Keno Avatar 2009 Utility Stunts Alice in Wonderland 2010 Stunt Double: Tweedledee Act of Valor 2011 Stunts Kickboxing record Kickboxing record 3 Wins (1 KO), 0 Losses[hide] Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record 2005-10-00 Win United States Ryan Fotheringham Strikeforce San Jose, California, USA Decision 5 3:00 3-0 1999-00-00 Win Cambodia Veasna Thach Strikeforce San Jose, California, USA Decision (unanimous) 5 3:00 2-0 1998-00-00 Win France Anthony Elkaim Strikeforce Milan, Italy KO 3 1-0 Ernie Reyes Jr., who starred as Keno in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and most recently guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles, has entered the hospital for treatment due to a kidney failure. A fundraising campaign on GoFundMe as been started by his sister in an effort to raise funds. “Ernie is currently undergoing dialysis treatment 3 times per week for 4 hours a day while waiting for a kidney transplant,” Destiny Reyes wrote on the campaign’s page. As of press time, the campaign has raised over $35,000 of its $75,000 goal in six days. “My brother has spent his entire childhood and adult life fighting in films and television, but now his battle has gone from the screen to reality, fighting for his life,” she said. Reyes has appeared in a number of other films and TV series, including The Rundown and The Last Dragon. He also appeared in the first live-action TMNT film as the action stunt-double for Donatello. Over 700 donations have been made towards the goal of funding Reyes Jr.’s transplant. Contributions can be made at the official GoFundMe page. The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began their acting career as a child. To avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor. Closely associated is teenage actor or teen actor, an actor who reached popularity as a teenager. Many child actors find themselves struggling to adapt as they become adults, mainly due to typecasting. Macaulay Culkin and Lindsay Lohan are two particular famous child actors who eventually experienced much difficulty with the fame they acquired at a young age. Many child actors also become successful adult actors as well, a prime example of this being Jodie Foster, who was 12 years old in the film Taxi Driver in 1976 and went on to become an adult star with variety of films including The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Contents 1 Regulation 1.1 California 1.2 United Kingdom 2 Issues 2.1 Ownership of earnings 2.2 Competitive pressure 3 Post-childhood success 3.1 Other careers 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Regulation In the United States, the activities of child actors are regulated by the governing labor union, if any, and state laws. Some projects film in remote locations specifically to evade regulations intended to protect the child. Longer work hours or risky stunts prohibited by California, for example, might be permitted to a project filming in British Columbia. US federal law "specifically exempted minors working in the Entertainment Business from all provisions of the Child Labor Laws." Any regulation of child actors is governed by disparate state laws. California Due to the large presence of the entertainment industry in Hollywood, the state of California has some of the most explicit laws protecting child actors. Being a minor, a child actor must secure an entertainment work permit before accepting any paid performing work. Compulsory education laws mandate that the education of the child actor not be disrupted while the child is working, whether the child actor is enrolled in public school, private school or even home school. The child does their schoolwork under the supervision of a studio teacher while on the set. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a child actor is defined as someone under school leaving age.[1] Before a child can work, they require a performance license from their Local Education Authority as well as a licensed chaperone; a parent can only chaperone their own child, if they are a licensed chaperone, and a chaperone's duties include acting in loco parentis and record arrival and departure time from the work place, the time a child is working, their breaks and the amount of tutoring.[1][2] A child requires three hours minimum of tutoring daily and a lesson must be a minimum of 30 minutes to count towards the total and with regards to 16 and 17-year-olds in further education, considerations are made in regards to their studies.[3] There are regulations and guidance to safeguard all actors under the age of 18; OFCOM guidance states a child's health and safety, wellbeing and welfare is paramount in television production and factors such as their age, maturity and life experiences can affect their performance.[4] OFCOM also advises that broadcasters undertake risk assessments, consider seeking expert advice and follow best practise.[4] Issues Ownership of earnings Before the 1930s, many child actors never got to see the money they earned because they were not in charge of this money. Jackie Coogan earned millions of dollars from working as a child actor only to see most of it squandered by his parents. In 1939, California weighed in on this controversy and enacted the Coogan Bill which requires a portion of the earnings of a child to be preserved in a special savings account called a blocked trust.[5] A trust that is not actively monitored can also be problematic however as in the case of Gary Coleman who after working from 1974, later sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million over misappropriation of his trust fund.[6][7] Competitive pressure Some people[who?] also criticize the parents of child actors for allowing their children to work, believing that more "normal" activities should be the staple during the childhood years. Others[who?] observe that competition is present in all areas of a child's life—from sports to student newspaper to orchestra and band—and believe that the work ethic instilled or the talent developed accrues to the child's benefit.[citation needed] The child actor may experience unique and negative pressures when working under tight production schedules. Large projects which depend for their success on the ability of the child to deliver an effective performance add to the pressure.[citation needed] Ethel Merman, who several times worked in long-running stage productions with child actors, disliked what she eventually saw as their overprofessionalization - "acting more like midgets than children" - and disapproved of parents pushing adulthood on them.[8] Post-childhood success This section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (May 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Jodie Foster in 1974 There are many instances of troubled adult lives due to the stressful environment to which child actors are subjected. It is common to see a child actor grow up in front of the camera, whether in films, television shows or both. However, it is not uncommon to see child actors continue their careers throughout as actors or in a different professional field. Jodie Foster started acting at age three, becoming the quintessential child actor during the 1970s with roles in films such as Tom Sawyer (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Bugsy Malone (1976), The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), and Freaky Friday (1976). A child prodigy, Foster received her first Academy Award nomination at age 13 and later took a sabbatical from films to attend Yale University. She made a successful transition to adult roles, winning two Academy Awards for Best Actress before the age of 30, and starring in several successful and acclaimed films such as The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Nell (1994), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), and The Brave One (2007), thus establishing herself as one of the most accomplished and sought-after actresses of her generation. She has also ventured into directing and her directing credits include films such as Little Man Tate (1991), Money Monster (2016) and television shows such as House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, and Black Mirror. Now adults, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, the three leads of the acclaimed Harry Potter film series (2001–11), starred in all the installments in the series, and have since continued to act in film, television, and theater in their early thirties. Dakota Fanning rose to prominence after her breakthrough performance at age seven in the film I Am Sam (2001). Her performance earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at age eight in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. She later appeared in major Hollywood productions, in such acclaimed blockbuster films as Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006), Hounddog (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Coraline (2009), The Twilight Saga film series (2009–12), The Runaways (2010), and The Motel Life (2012). Fanning's younger sister, Elle Fanning also rose to prominence as a child actress, having appeared in many films since before she turned three. Miranda Cosgrove, known mainly for her role on Drake & Josh as a child, gained more attention for her role as a teenager in the show iCarly. Since the end of the show she has been featured in other roles, including as the voice of Margo in the Despicable Me franchise. Once she was of age, she decided to pursue a college degree in film at the University of Southern California.[9] Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat, beginning in the 1960s. Some of her duties included representing the United Nations, and becoming a U.S. ambassador in countries such as Ghana and Czechoslovakia.[10] Mary-Kate Olsen was treated for an eating disorder, deemed anorexia, but her twin sister remained less troubled. In an article with the magazine Marie Claire, Mary-Kate expressed the bittersweet nature of the twins' childhood. "I look at old photos of me, and I don't feel connected to them at all," she said. "I would never wish my upbringing on anyone... but I wouldn't take it back for the world." The twins now have continued success in the fashion industry with an estimated net worth of approximately $100 million. Since the beginning of her career at age 15 in 1999, Mandy Moore is one of the child stars to have success as an adult. Drew Barrymore started acting at age three. During her childhood she battled with drugs, but today she continues to act in films. Natalie Portman took a small break in acting to get a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Harvard University before continuing her career as an actress. Rider Strong, known as "Shawn Hunter" in Boy Meets World, was educated at Columbia University and now runs a successful blog and published a graphic novel.[11] Neil Patrick Harris got his acting start in Doogie Howser, M.D. He continues to act in television, films and theater. Jonathan Lipnicki, known mostly for the Stuart Little films, now successfully competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[11] Sara Gilbert is known for her role on Roseanne and is now successful as a talk show host on The Talk. Also from Rosanne, Michael Fishman continued to work in film, but behind the scenes and has since been nominated for an Emmy for the work he did in Sports Science.[11] Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert both made the transition from a child actress to an adult actress with a rough patch including depression. After a stay in a rehabilitation center, Dunst was able to recover and continue her career. She proves that the pressures of growing up under the spotlight may not come without repercussions.[12] Roddy McDowall, who had a long and distinguished career including as the regular star of the Planet of the Apes series; Micky Dolenz, who started his career as a child star in the 1950s, grew up to be a musician of the successful 1960s pop group The Monkees, which had its own successful television show; Ron Howard, who, in addition to being the star of both of the long running The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days television series, became an Academy Award-winning director in adulthood; Elijah Wood, who continued his career successfully into adulthood starring as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film series and starring as Ryan Newman in the television series Wilfred. Other child actors who have continued their careers into adulthood include Mandy Moore, Rose Marie, Hayley Mills, Ann Jillian, Johnny Whitaker, Kathy Garver, Tim Matheson, Bonnie Franklin, Melissa Gilbert, Danielle Brisebois, Erika Eleniak, Max Pomeranc, Christina Ricci, Shelley Fabares, Candace Cameron Bure, Karron Graves, Gaby Hoffmann, Hilary Duff, Molly Ringwald, Stacy Ferguson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lisa Whelchel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Soleil Moon Frye, Melissa Joan Hart, Dean Stockwell, Kurt Russell, Fred Savage, Neil Patrick Harris, Michelle Chia, Shawn Lee, Joshua Ang, Aloysius Pang, Raven-Symoné and other Academy Award winners and nominees include; Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Helen Hunt, Irene Cara, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank, Christian Bale, Saoirse Ronan, Brie Larson, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Elizabeth Taylor, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Other careers Many actors' careers are short-lived and this is also true of child actors. Many actors out of personal choice that start their careers as child actors decide not to pursue the same careers as adults, Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat. Peter Ostrum, appearing in his only role, the title character of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory became a large-scale veterinarian surgeon. Whilst Jenny Lewis, formerly of film Troop Beverly Hills in 1989, is a well-known singer-songwriter indie rock musician. In Poland, former child actors and identical twin brothers Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński became successful politicians, at one time Lech being President and Jarosław the Prime Minister.
Karate (空手) (/kəˈrɑːti/; Japanese pronunciation: [kaɾate] (listen); Okinawan pronunciation: [kaɽati]) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手), "hand"; tii in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane.[1][2] Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints and vital-point strikes are also taught.[3] A karate practitioner is called a karateka (空手家). The Empire of Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879. Karate came to mainland Japan in the early 20th century during a time of migration as Ryukyuans, especially from Okinawa, looked for work in the main islands of Japan.[4] It was systematically taught in Japan after the Taishō era of 1912–1926.[5] In 1922, the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. In 1924, Keio University established the first university karate club in mainland Japan, and by 1932 major Japanese universities had karate clubs.[6] In this era of escalating Japanese militarism,[7] the name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand" or "Tang hand")[8] to 空手 ("empty hand") – both of which are pronounced karate in Japanese – to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style.[9] After World War II, Okinawa became (1945) an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there.[10][11] The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s served to greatly increase the popularity of martial arts around the world, and English-speakers began to use the word karate in a generic way to refer to all striking-based Asian martial arts.[12] Karate schools began appearing around the world, catering to those with casual interest as well as those seeking a deeper study of the art. Shigeru Egami, Chief Instructor of the Shotokan dōjō, opined that "the majority of followers of karate in overseas countries pursue karate only for its fighting techniques ... Movies and television ... depict karate as a mysterious way of fighting capable of causing death or injury with a single blow ... the mass media present a pseudo art far from the real thing."[13] Shōshin Nagamine said: "Karate may be considered as the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training and one's own creative efforts."[14] On 28 September 2015 karate featured on a shortlist (along with baseball, softball, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing) for consideration for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics. On 1 June 2016 the International Olympic Committee's executive board announced they were supporting the inclusion of all five sports (counting baseball and softball as only one sport) for inclusion in the 2020 Games. Web Japan (sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) claims that karate has 50 million practitioners worldwide,[15] while the World Karate Federation claims there are 100 million practitioners around the world.[16] Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Okinawa 2.2 Japan 3 Practice 3.1 Kihon 3.2 Kata 3.3 Kumite 3.4 Dōjō Kun 3.5 Conditioning 3.6 Sport 3.7 Rank 4 Philosophy 5 Styles 6 World 6.1 Africa 6.2 Americas 6.2.1 Canada 6.2.2 United States 6.3 Asia 6.3.1 Korea 6.3.2 Soviet Union 6.4 Europe 6.4.1 France 6.4.2 Italy 6.4.3 United Kingdom 7 In film and popular culture 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Etymology Karate was originally written as "Chinese hand" (唐手, literally "Tang dynasty hand") in kanji. It was changed to a homophone meaning empty hand (空手) in 1935. The original use of the word "karate" in print is attributed to Ankō Itosu; he wrote it as "唐手". The Tang Dynasty of China ended in AD 907, but the kanji representing it remains in use in Japanese language referring to China generally, in such words as "唐人街" meaning Chinatown. Thus the word "karate" was originally a way of expressing "martial art from China." Since there are no written records it is not known definitely whether the kara in karate was originally written with the character 唐 meaning China or the character 空 meaning empty. During the time when admiration for China and things Chinese was at its height in the Ryūkyūs it was the custom to use the former character when referring to things of fine quality. Influenced by this practice, in recent times karate has begun to be written with the character 唐 to give it a sense of class or elegance. — Gichin Funakoshi[17] The first documented use of a homophone of the logogram pronounced kara by replacing the Chinese character meaning "Tang Dynasty" with the character meaning "empty" took place in Karate Kumite written in August 1905 by Chōmo Hanashiro (1869–1945). Sino-Japanese relations have never been very good and especially at the time of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, referring to the Chinese origins of karate was considered politically incorrect.[18] In 1933, the Okinawan art of karate was recognized as a Japanese martial art by the Japanese Martial Arts Committee known as the "Butoku Kai". Until 1935, "karate" was written as "唐手" (Chinese hand). But in 1935, the masters of the various styles of Okinawan karate conferred to decide a new name for their art. They decided to call their art "karate" written in Japanese characters as "空手" (empty hand).[19] Another nominal development is the addition of dō (道:どう) to the end of the word karate. Dō is a suffix having numerous meanings including road, path, route and way. It is used in many martial arts that survived Japan's transition from feudal culture to modern times. It implies that these arts are not just fighting systems but contain spiritual elements when promoted as disciplines. In this context dō is usually translated as "the way of ___". Examples include aikido, judo, kyūdō and kendo. Thus karatedō is more than just empty hand techniques. It is "The Way of the Empty Hand". History Okinawa See also: Okinawan martial arts Karate training in front of Shuri Castle in Naha (1938) Karate began as a common fighting system known as te (Okinawan: ti) among the Pechin class of the Ryukyuans. After trade relationships were established with the Ming dynasty of China in 1372 by King Satto of Chūzan, some forms of Chinese martial arts were introduced to the Ryukyu Islands by the visitors from China, particularly Fujian Province. A large group of Chinese families moved to Okinawa around 1392 for the purpose of cultural exchange, where they established the community of Kumemura and shared their knowledge of a wide variety of Chinese arts and sciences, including the Chinese martial arts. The political centralization of Okinawa by King Shō Hashi in 1429 and the policy of banning weapons by King Shō Shin in 1477, later enforced in Okinawa after the invasion by the Shimazu clan in 1609, are also factors that furthered the development of unarmed combat techniques in Okinawa.[2] There were few formal styles of te, but rather many practitioners with their own methods. One surviving example is the Motobu-ryū school passed down from the Motobu family by Seikichi Uehara.[20] Early styles of karate are often generalized as Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te, named after the three cities from which they emerged.[19] Each area and its teachers had particular kata, techniques, and principles that distinguished their local version of te from the others. Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent to China regularly to study various political and practical disciplines. The incorporation of empty-handed Chinese Kung Fu into Okinawan martial arts occurred partly because of these exchanges and partly because of growing legal restrictions on the use of weaponry. Traditional karate kata bear a strong resemblance to the forms found in Fujian martial arts such as Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, and Gangrou-quan (Hard Soft Fist; pronounced "Gōjūken" in Japanese).[21] Many Okinawan weapons such as the sai, tonfa, and nunchaku may have originated in and around Southeast Asia.[citation needed] Sakukawa Kanga (1782–1838) had studied pugilism and staff (bo) fighting in China (according to one legend, under the guidance of Kosokun, originator of kusanku kata). In 1806, he started teaching a fighting art in the city of Shuri that he called "Tudi Sakukawa," which meant "Sakukawa of China Hand." This was the first known recorded reference to the art of "Tudi," written as 唐手. Around the 1820s Sakukawa's most significant student Matsumura Sōkon (1809–1899) taught a synthesis of te (Shuri-te and Tomari-te) and Shaolin (Chinese 少林) styles.[citation needed] Matsumura's style would later become the Shōrin-ryū style. Matsumura taught his art to Itosu Ankō (1831–1915) among others. Itosu adapted two forms he had learned from Matsumura. These are kusanku and chiang nan.[22] He created the ping'an forms ("heian" or "pinan" in Japanese) which are simplified kata for beginning students. In 1901, Itosu helped to get karate introduced into Okinawa's public schools. These forms were taught to children at the elementary school level. Itosu's influence in karate is broad. The forms he created are common across nearly all styles of karate. His students became some of the most well-known karate masters, including Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, and Chōki Motobu. Itosu is sometimes referred to as "the Grandfather of Modern Karate."[23] In 1881, Higaonna Kanryō returned from China after years of instruction with Ryu Ryu Ko and founded what would become Naha-te. One of his students was the founder of Gojū-ryū, Chōjun Miyagi. Chōjun Miyagi taught such well-known karateka as Seko Higa (who also trained with Higaonna), Meitoku Yagi, Miyazato Ei'ichi, and Seikichi Toguchi, and for a very brief time near the end of his life, An'ichi Miyagi (a teacher claimed by Morio Higaonna). In addition to the three early te styles of karate a fourth Okinawan influence is that of Uechi Kanbun (1877–1948). At the age of 20 he went to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, China, to escape Japanese military conscription. While there he studied under Shū Shiwa (Chinese: Zhou Zihe 周子和 1874–1926).[24] He was a leading figure of Chinese Nanpa Shorin-ken style at that time.[25] He later developed his own style of Uechi-ryū karate based on the Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseiryu kata that he had studied in China.[26] Karate in Naha before the war; (before 1946) Japan This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) See also: Japanese martial arts and Karate in Japan Masters of karate in Tokyo (c. 1930s), from left to right, Kanken Toyama, Hironori Otsuka, Takeshi Shimoda, Gichin Funakoshi, Chōki Motobu, Kenwa Mabuni, Genwa Nakasone, and Shinken Taira Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, is generally credited with having introduced and popularized karate on the main islands of Japan. In addition, many Okinawans were actively teaching, and are thus also responsible for the development of karate on the main islands. Funakoshi was a student of both Asato Ankō and Itosu Ankō (who had worked to introduce karate to the Okinawa Prefectural School System in 1902). During this time period, prominent teachers who also influenced the spread of karate in Japan included Kenwa Mabuni, Chōjun Miyagi, Chōki Motobu, Kanken Tōyama, and Kanbun Uechi. This was a turbulent period in the history of the region. It includes Japan's annexation of the Okinawan island group in 1872, the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), the annexation of Korea, and the rise of Japanese militarism (1905–1945). Japan was invading China at the time, and Funakoshi knew that the art of Tang/China hand would not be accepted; thus the change of the art's name to "way of the empty hand." The dō suffix implies that karatedō is a path to self-knowledge, not just a study of the technical aspects of fighting. Like most martial arts practised in Japan, karate made its transition from -jutsu to -dō around the beginning of the 20th century. The "dō" in "karate-dō" sets it apart from karate-jutsu, as aikido is distinguished from aikijutsu, judo from jujutsu, kendo from kenjutsu and iaido from iaijutsu. Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate, c. 1924 Funakoshi changed the names of many kata and the name of the art itself (at least on mainland Japan), doing so to get karate accepted by the Japanese budō organization Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. Funakoshi also gave Japanese names to many of the kata. The five pinan forms became known as heian, the three naihanchi forms became known as tekki, seisan as hangetsu, Chintō as gankaku, wanshu as enpi, and so on. These were mostly political changes, rather than changes to the content of the forms, although Funakoshi did introduce some such changes. Funakoshi had trained in two of the popular branches of Okinawan karate of the time, Shorin-ryū and Shōrei-ryū. In Japan he was influenced by kendo, incorporating some ideas about distancing and timing into his style. He always referred to what he taught as simply karate, but in 1936 he built a dōjō in Tokyo and the style he left behind is usually called Shotokan after this dōjō. Shoto, meaning "pine wave", was Funakoshi's pen name and kan meaning "hall". The modernization and systemization of karate in Japan also included the adoption of the white uniform that consisted of the kimono and the dogi or keikogi—mostly called just karategi—and coloured belt ranks. Both of these innovations were originated and popularized by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo and one of the men Funakoshi consulted in his efforts to modernize karate. A new form of karate called Kyokushin was formally founded in 1957 by Masutatsu Oyama (who was born a Korean, Choi Yeong-Eui 최영의). Kyokushin is largely a synthesis of Shotokan and Gōjū-ryū. It teaches a curriculum that emphasizes aliveness, physical toughness, and full contact sparring. Because of its emphasis on physical, full-force sparring, Kyokushin is now often called "full contact karate", or "Knockdown karate" (after the name for its competition rules). Many other karate organizations and styles are descended from the Kyokushin curriculum. Practice See also: Okinawan kobudō and Japanese martial arts § Philosophical and strategic concepts Karate can be practiced as an art (budō), self defense or as a combat sport. Traditional karate places emphasis on self-development (budō).[27] Modern Japanese style training emphasizes the psychological elements incorporated into a proper kokoro (attitude) such as perseverance, fearlessness, virtue, and leadership skills. Sport karate places emphasis on exercise and competition. Weapons are an important training activity in some styles of karate. Karate training is commonly divided into kihon (basics or fundamentals), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). Kihon Main article: Kihon Kihon means basics and these form the base for everything else in the style including stances, strikes, punches, kicks and blocks. Karate styles place varying importance on kihon. Typically this is training in unison of a technique or a combination of techniques by a group of karateka. Kihon may also be prearranged drills in smaller groups or in pairs. Kata Main article: Karate kata Chōki Motobu in Naihanchi-dachi, one of the basic karate stances Kata (型:かた) means literally "shape" or "model." Kata is a formalized sequence of movements which represent various offensive and defensive postures. These postures are based on idealized combat applications. The applications when applied in a demonstration with real opponents is referred to as a Bunkai. The Bunkai shows how every stance and movement is used. Bunkai is a useful tool to understand a kata. To attain a formal rank the karateka must demonstrate competent performance of specific required kata for that level. The Japanese terminology for grades or ranks is commonly used. Requirements for examinations vary among schools. Kumite Main article: Kumite Sparring in Karate is called kumite (組手:くみて). It literally means "meeting of hands." Kumite is practiced both as a sport and as self-defense training. Levels of physical contact during sparring vary considerably. Full contact karate has several variants. Knockdown karate (such as Kyokushin) uses full power techniques to bring an opponent to the ground. Sparring in armour, bogu kumite, allows full power techniques with some safety. Sport kumite in many international competition under the World Karate Federation is free or structured with light contact or semi contact and points are awarded by a referee. In structured kumite (yakusoku, prearranged), two participants perform a choreographed series of techniques with one striking while the other blocks. The form ends with one devastating technique (hito tsuki). In free sparring (Jiyu Kumite), the two participants have a free choice of scoring techniques. The allowed techniques and contact level are primarily determined by sport or style organization policy, but might be modified according to the age, rank and sex of the participants. Depending upon style, take-downs, sweeps and in some rare cases even time-limited grappling on the ground are also allowed. Free sparring is performed in a marked or closed area. The bout runs for a fixed time (2 to 3 minutes.) The time can run continuously (iri kume) or be stopped for referee judgment. In light contact or semi contact kumite, points are awarded based on the criteria: good form, sporting attitude, vigorous application, awareness/zanshin, good timing and correct distance. In full contact karate kumite, points are based on the results of the impact, rather than the formal appearance of the scoring technique. Dōjō Kun Main article: Dōjō kun In the bushidō tradition dōjō kun is a set of guidelines for karateka to follow. These guidelines apply both in the dōjō (training hall) and in everyday life. Conditioning Okinawan karate uses supplementary training known as hojo undo. This utilizes simple equipment made of wood and stone. The makiwara is a striking post. The nigiri game is a large jar used for developing grip strength. These supplementary exercises are designed to increase strength, stamina, speed, and muscle coordination.[28] Sport Karate emphasizes aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, power, agility, flexibility, and stress management.[29] All practices vary depending upon the school and the teacher. Sport Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍) said, "There are no contests in karate."[30] In pre–World War II Okinawa, kumite was not part of karate training.[31] Shigeru Egami relates that, in 1940, some karateka were ousted from their dōjō because they adopted sparring after having learned it in Tokyo.[32] Karate is divided into style organizations.[33] These organizations sometimes cooperate in non-style specific sport karate organizations or federations. Examples of sport organizations include AAKF/ITKF, AOK, TKL, AKA, WKF, NWUKO, WUKF and WKC.[34] Organizations hold competitions (tournaments) from local to international level. Tournaments are designed to match members of opposing schools or styles against one another in kata, sparring and weapons demonstration. They are often separated by age, rank and sex with potentially different rules or standards based on these factors. The tournament may be exclusively for members of a particular style (closed) or one in which any martial artist from any style may participate within the rules of the tournament (open). The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest sport karate organization and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as being responsible for karate competition in the Olympic Games.[35] The WKF has developed common rules governing all styles. The national WKF organizations coordinate with their respective National Olympic Committees. WKF karate competition has two disciplines: sparring (kumite) and forms (kata).[36] Competitors may enter either as individuals or as part of a team. Evaluation for kata and kobudō is performed by a panel of judges, whereas sparring is judged by a head referee, usually with assistant referees at the side of the sparring area. Sparring matches are typically divided by weight, age, gender, and experience.[37] WKF only allows membership through one national organization/federation per country to which clubs may join. The World Union of Karate-do Federations (WUKF)[38] offers different styles and federations a world body they may join, without having to compromise their style or size. The WUKF accepts more than one federation or association per country. Sport organizations use different competition rule systems.[33][37][39][40][41] Light contact rules are used by the WKF, WUKO, IASK and WKC. Full contact karate rules used by Kyokushinkai, Seidokaikan and other organizations. Bogu kumite (full contact with protective shielding of targets) rules are used in the World Koshiki Karate-Do Federation organization.[42] Shinkaratedo Federation use boxing gloves.[43] Within the United States, rules may be under the jurisdiction of state sports authorities, such as the boxing commission. In August 2016, the International Olympic Committee approved karate as an Olympic sport beginning at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[44][45] Karate, although not widely used in mixed martial arts, has been effective for some MMA practitioners.[46][47] Various styles of karate are practiced in MMA: Lyoto Machida and John Makdessi practice Shotokan;[48] Bas Rutten and Georges St-Pierre train in Kyokushin;[49] Michelle Waterson holds a black belt in American Free Style Karate;[50] Stephen Thompson practices American Kenpo Karate;[51] and Robert Whittaker practices Gōjū-ryū.[52] Rank Karatekas wearing different colored belts See also: Kyū In 1924, Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate, adopted the Dan system from the judo founder Jigoro Kano[53] using a rank scheme with a limited set of belt colors. Other Okinawan teachers also adopted this practice. In the Kyū/Dan system the beginner grades start with a higher numbered kyū (e.g., 10th Kyū or Jukyū) and progress toward a lower numbered kyū. The Dan progression continues from 1st Dan (Shodan, or 'beginning dan') to the higher dan grades. Kyū-grade karateka are referred to as "color belt" or mudansha ("ones without dan/rank"). Dan-grade karateka are referred to as yudansha (holders of dan/rank). Yudansha typically wear a black belt. Normally, the first five to six dans are given by examination by superior dan holders, while the subsequent (7 and up) are honorary, given for special merits and/or age reached. Requirements of rank differ among styles, organizations, and schools. Kyū ranks stress stance, balance, and coordination. Speed and power are added at higher grades. Minimum age and time in rank are factors affecting promotion. Testing consists of demonstration of techniques before a panel of examiners. This will vary by school, but testing may include everything learned at that point, or just new information. The demonstration is an application for new rank (shinsa) and may include kata, bunkai, self-defense, routines, tameshiwari (breaking), and kumite (sparring). Philosophy In Karate-Do Kyohan, Funakoshi quoted from the Heart Sutra, which is prominent in Shingon Buddhism: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form itself" (shiki zokuze kū kū zokuze shiki).[54] He interpreted the "kara" of Karate-dō to mean "to purge oneself of selfish and evil thoughts ... for only with a clear mind and conscience can the practitioner understand the knowledge which he receives." Funakoshi believed that one should be "inwardly humble and outwardly gentle." Only by behaving humbly can one be open to Karate's many lessons. This is done by listening and being receptive to criticism. He considered courtesy of prime importance. He said that "Karate is properly applied only in those rare situations in which one really must either down another or be downed by him." Funakoshi did not consider it unusual for a devotee to use Karate in a real physical confrontation no more than perhaps once in a lifetime. He stated that Karate practitioners must "never be easily drawn into a fight." It is understood that one blow from a real expert could mean death. It is clear that those who misuse what they have learned bring dishonor upon themselves. He promoted the character trait of personal conviction. In "time of grave public crisis, one must have the courage ... to face a million and one opponents." He taught that indecisiveness is a weakness.[55] Styles See also: Comparison of karate styles Karate is divided into many styles, each with their different training methods, focuses, and cultures; though they mainly originate from the historical Okinawan parent styles of Naha-te, Tomari-te and Shuri-te. In the modern era the major four styles of karate are considered to be Gōjū-ryū, Shotokan, Shitō-ryū, and Wadō-ryū.[56] These four styles are those recognised by the World Karate Federation for international kata competition.[57] Other internationally recognised styles include but are not limited to: Chitō-ryū Gosoku-ryu Isshin-ryū Kyokushin Motobu-ryu Shōrin-ryū Shūkōkai Uechi-Ryū [58][59] World Africa Karate has grown in popularity in Africa, particularly in South Africa and Ghana.[60][61][62] Americas Canada Karate began in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s as Japanese people immigrated to the country. Karate was practised quietly without a large amount of organization. During the Second World War, many Japanese-Canadian families were moved to the interior of British Columbia. Masaru Shintani, at the age of 13, began to study Shorin-Ryu karate in the Japanese camp under Kitigawa. In 1956, after 9 years of training with Kitigawa, Shintani travelled to Japan and met Hironori Otsuka (Wado Ryu). In 1958, Otsuka invited Shintani to join his organization Wado Kai, and in 1969 he asked Shintani to officially call his style Wado.[63] In Canada during this same time, karate was also introduced by Masami Tsuruoka who had studied in Japan in the 1940s under Tsuyoshi Chitose.[64] In 1954, Tsuruoka initiated the first karate competition in Canada and laid the foundation for the National Karate Association.[64] In the late 1950s Shintani moved to Ontario and began teaching karate and judo at the Japanese Cultural Centre in Hamilton. In 1966, he began (with Otsuka's endorsement) the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Federation. During the 1970s Otsuka appointed Shintani the Supreme Instructor of Wado Kai in North America. In 1979, Otsuka publicly promoted Shintani to hachidan (8th dan) and privately gave him a kudan certificate (9th dan), which was revealed by Shintani in 1995. Shintani and Otsuka visited each other in Japan and Canada several times, the last time in 1980 two years prior to Otsuka's death. Shintani died 7 May 2000.[63] United States Main article: Karate in the United States After World War II, members of the United States military learned karate in Okinawa or Japan and then opened schools in the US. In 1945, Robert Trias opened the first dōjō in the United States in Phoenix, Arizona, a Shuri-ryū karate dōjō.[65] In the 1950s, William J. Dometrich, Ed Parker, Cecil T. Patterson, Gordon Doversola, Donald Hugh Nagle, George Mattson and Peter Urban all began instructing in the US. Tsutomu Ohshima began studying karate under Shotokan's founder, Gichin Funakoshi, while a student at Waseda University, beginning in 1948. In 1957, Ohshima received his godan (fifth-degree black belt), the highest rank awarded by Funakoshi. He founded the first university karate club in the United States at California Institute of Technology in 1957. In 1959, he founded the Southern California Karate Association (SCKA) which was renamed Shotokan Karate of America (SKA) in 1969. In the 1960s, Anthony Mirakian, Richard Kim, Teruyuki Okazaki, John Pachivas, Allen Steen, Gosei Yamaguchi (son of Gōgen Yamaguchi), Michael G. Foster and Pat Burleson began teaching martial arts around the country.[66] In 1961, Hidetaka Nishiyama, a co-founder of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and student of Gichin Funakoshi, began teaching in the United States. He founded the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF). Takayuki Mikami was sent to New Orleans by the JKA in 1963. In 1964, Takayuki Kubota relocated the International Karate Association from Tokyo to California. Asia Korea See also: Korea under Japanese rule Due to past conflict between Korea and Japan, most notably during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early 20th century, the influence of karate in Korea is a contentious issue.[67] From 1910 until 1945, Korea was annexed by the Japanese Empire. It was during this time that many of the Korean martial arts masters of the 20th century were exposed to Japanese karate. After regaining independence from Japan, many Korean martial arts schools that opened up in the 1940s and 1950s were founded by masters who had trained in karate in Japan as part of their martial arts training. Won Kuk Lee, a Korean student of Funakoshi, founded the first martial arts school after the Japanese occupation of Korea ended in 1945, called the Chung Do Kwan. Having studied under Gichin Funakoshi at Chuo University, Lee had incorporated taekkyon, kung fu, and karate in the martial art that he taught which he called "Tang Soo Do", the Korean transliteration of the Chinese characters for "Way of Chinese Hand" (唐手道).[68] In the mid-1950s, the martial arts schools were unified under President Rhee Syngman's order, and became taekwondo under the leadership of Choi Hong Hi and a committee of Korean masters. Choi, a significant figure in taekwondo history, had also studied karate under Funakoshi. Karate also provided an important comparative model for the early founders of taekwondo in the formalization of their art including hyung and the belt ranking system. The original taekwondo hyung were identical to karate kata. Eventually, original Korean forms were developed by individual schools and associations. Although the World Taekwondo Federation and International Taekwon-Do Federation are the most prominent among Korean martial arts organizations, tang soo do schools that teach Japanese karate still exist as they were originally conveyed to Won Kuk Lee and his contemporaries from Funakoshi. Soviet Union Karate appeared in the Soviet Union in the mid-1960s, during Nikita Khrushchev's policy of improved international relations. The first Shotokan clubs were opened in Moscow's universities.[69] In 1973, however, the government banned karate—together with all other foreign martial arts—endorsing only the Soviet martial art of sambo.[70][71] Failing to suppress these uncontrolled groups, the USSR's Sport Committee formed the Karate Federation of USSR in December 1978.[72] On 17 May 1984, the Soviet Karate Federation was disbanded and all karate became illegal again. In 1989, karate practice became legal again, but under strict government regulations, only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 did independent karate schools resume functioning, and so federations were formed and national tournaments in authentic styles began.[73][74] Europe Karate movements in Lappeenranta In the 1950s and 1960s, several Japanese karate masters began to teach the art in Europe, but it was not until 1965 that the Japan Karate Association (JKA) sent to Europe four well-trained young Karate instructors Taiji Kase, Keinosuke Enoeda, Hirokazu Kanazawa and Hiroshi Shirai.[citation needed] Kase went to France, Enoeada to England and Shirai in Italy. These Masters maintained always a strong link between them, the JKA and the others JKA masters in the world, especially Hidetaka Nishiyama in the US France France Shotokan Karate was created in 1964 by Tsutomu Ohshima. It is affiliated with another of his organizations, Shotokan Karate of America (SKA). However, in 1965 Taiji Kase came from Japan along with Enoeda and Shirai, who went to England and Italy respectively, and karate came under the influence of the JKA. Italy Hiroshi Shirai, one of the original instructors sent by the JKA to Europe along with Kase, Enoeda and Kanazawa, moved to Italy in 1965 and quickly established a Shotokan enclave that spawned several instructors who in their turn soon spread the style all over the country. By 1970 Shotokan karate was the most spread martial art in Italy apart from Judo. Other styles such as Wado Ryu, Goju Ryu and Shito Ryu, are present and well established in Italy, while Shotokan remains the most popular. United Kingdom Main article: Karate in the United Kingdom Vernon Bell, a 3rd Dan Judo instructor who had been instructed by Kenshiro Abbe introduced Karate to England in 1956, having attended classes in Henry Plée's Yoseikan dōjō in Paris. Yoseikan had been founded by Minoru Mochizuki, a master of multiple Japanese martial arts, who had studied Karate with Gichin Funakoshi, thus the Yoseikan style was heavily influenced by Shotokan.[75] Bell began teaching in the tennis courts of his parents' back garden in Ilford, Essex and his group was to become the British Karate Federation. On 19 July 1957, Vietnamese Hoang Nam 3rd Dan, billed as "Karate champion of Indo China", was invited to teach by Bell at Maybush Road, but the first instructor from Japan was Tetsuji Murakami (1927–1987) a 3rd Dan Yoseikan under Minoru Mochizuki and 1st Dan of the JKA, who arrived in England in July 1959.[75] In 1959, Frederick Gille set up the Liverpool branch of the British Karate Federation, which was officially recognised in 1961. The Liverpool branch was based at Harold House Jewish Boys Club in Chatham Street before relocating to the YMCA in Everton where it became known as the Red Triangle. One of the early members of this branch was Andy Sherry who had previously studied Jujutsu with Jack Britten. In 1961, Edward Ainsworth, another blackbelt Judoka, set up the first Karate study group in Ayrshire, Scotland having attended Bell's third 'Karate Summer School' in 1961.[75] Outside of Bell's organisation, Charles Mack traveled to Japan and studied under Masatoshi Nakayama of the Japan Karate Association who graded Mack to 1st Dan Shotokan on 4 March 1962 in Japan.[75] Shotokai Karate was introduced to England in 1963 by another of Gichin Funakoshi's students, Mitsusuke Harada.[75] Outside of the Shotokan stable of karate styles, Wado Ryu Karate was also an early adopted style in the UK, introduced by Tatsuo Suzuki, a 6th Dan at the time in 1964. Despite the early adoption of Shotokan in the UK, it was not until 1964 that JKA Shotokan officially came to the UK. Bell had been corresponding with the JKA in Tokyo asking for his grades to be ratified in Shotokan having apparently learnt that Murakami was not a designated representative of the JKA. The JKA obliged, and without enforcing a grading on Bell, ratified his black belt on 5 February 1964, though he had to relinquish his Yoseikan grade. Bell requested a visitation from JKA instructors and the next year Taiji Kase, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Keinosuke Enoeda and Hiroshi Shirai gave the first JKA demo at the old Kensington Town Hall on 21 April 1965. Hirokazu Kanazawa and Keinosuke Enoeda stayed and Murakami left (later re-emerging as a 5th Dan Shotokai under Harada).[75] In 1966, members of the former British Karate Federation established the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) under Hirokazu Kanazawa as chief instructor[76] and affiliated to JKA. Keinosuke Enoeda came to England at the same time as Kanazawa, teaching at a dōjō in Liverpool. Kanazawa left the UK after 3 years and Enoeda took over. After Enoeda's death in 2003, the KUGB elected Andy Sherry as Chief Instructor. Shortly after this, a new association split off from KUGB, JKA England. An earlier significant split from the KUGB took place in 1991 when a group led by KUGB senior instructor Steve Cattle formed the English Shotokan Academy (ESA). The aim of this group was to follow the teachings of Taiji Kase, formerly the JKA chief instructor in Europe, who along with Hiroshi Shirai created the World Shotokan Karate-do Academy (WKSA), in 1989 in order to pursue the teaching of "Budo" karate as opposed to what he viewed as "sport karate". Kase sought to return the practice of Shotokan Karate to its martial roots, reintroducing amongst other things open hand and throwing techniques that had been side lined as the result of competition rules introduced by the JKA. Both the ESA and the WKSA (renamed the Kase-Ha Shotokan-Ryu Karate-do Academy (KSKA) after Kase's death in 2004) continue following this path today. In 1975, Great Britain became the first team ever to take the World male team title from Japan after being defeated the previous year in the final. In film and popular culture Karate spread rapidly in the West through popular culture. In 1950s popular fiction, karate was at times described to readers in near-mythical terms, and it was credible to show Western experts of unarmed combat as unaware of Eastern martial arts of this kind.[77] Following the inclusion of judo at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, there was growing mainstream Western interest in Japanese martial arts, particularly karate, during the 1960s.[78] By the 1970s, martial arts films (especially kung fu films and Bruce Lee flicks from Hong Kong) had formed a mainstream genre and launched the "kung fu craze" which propelled karate and other Asian martial arts into mass popularity. However, mainstream Western audiences at the time generally did not distinguish between different Asian martial arts such as karate, kung fu and tae kwon do.[51] The Karate Kid (1984) and its sequels The Karate Kid, Part II (1986), The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) and The Next Karate Kid (1994) are films relating the fictional story of an American adolescent's introduction into karate.[79][80] Its television sequel, Cobra Kai (2018), has led to similar growing interest in karate.[81] The success of The Karate Kid further popularized karate (as opposed to Asian martial arts more generally) in mainstream American popular culture.[51] Karate Kommandos is an animated children's show, with Chuck Norris appearing to reveal the moral lessons contained in every episode. Film stars and their styles Practitioner Fighting style Sonny Chiba Kyokushin[82] Sean Connery Kyokushin[83] Hiroyuki Sanada Kyokushin[84] Dolph Lundgren Kyokushin[85] Michael Jai White Kyokushin[86] Yasuaki Kurata Shito-ryu[87] Fumio Demura Shitō-ryū[88] Don "The Dragon" Wilson Gōjū-ryu[89] Richard Norton Gōjū-ryu[90] Yukari Oshima Gōjū-ryu[91][92] Leung Siu-Lung Gōjū-ryu[93] Wesley Snipes Shotokan[94] Jean-Claude Van Damme Shotokan[95] Jim Kelly Shōrin-ryū[96] Joe Lewis Shōrin-ryū[97] Tadashi Yamashita Shōrin-ryū[98] Matt Mullins Shōrei-ryū[99] Sho Kosugi Shindō jinen-ryū[100] Weng Weng Undetermined[101] Many other film stars such as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Jet Li come from a range of other martial arts. See also Martial arts portal Comparison of karate styles Japanese martial arts Karate World Championships Karate at the Summer Olympics Karate at the World Games Taekwondo, Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do (/ˌtaɪkwɒnˈdoʊ, ˌtaɪˈkwɒndoʊ/;[3][4][5] Korean: 태권도/跆拳道 [tʰɛ.k͈wʌn.do] (listen)) is a Korean form of martial arts characterized by punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. The literal translation for tae kwon do is "kicking," "punching," and "the art or way of."[6] They are a kind of martial arts in which one attacks or defends with hands and feet anytime or anywhere, with occasional use of weapons. The physical training undertaken in Taekwondo is purposeful and fosters strength of mind through mental armament.[7] Taekwondo practitioners wear a uniform, known as a dobok. It is a combat sport and was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as karate, Chinese martial arts, and indigenous Korean martial arts traditions such as Taekkyon, Subak, and Gwonbeop.[8][9] The oldest governing body for Taekwondo is the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), formed in 1959 through a collaborative effort by representatives from the nine original kwans, or martial arts schools, in Korea. The main international organisational bodies for Taekwondo today are the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), founded by Choi Hong-hi in 1966, and the partnership of the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (WT, formerly World Taekwondo Federation or WTF), founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively by the Korea Taekwondo Association.[10] Gyeorugi ([kjʌɾuɡi]), a type of full-contact sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000. The governing body for Taekwondo in the Olympics and Paralympics is World Taekwondo. Contents 1 History 2 Features 2.1 Theory of power 2.2 Typical curriculum 3 Equipment and facilities 4 Styles and organizations 4.1 1946: Traditional Taekwondo 4.2 1966: ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo 4.3 1969: ATA/Songahm-style Taekwondo 4.4 1970s: Jhoon Rhee-style Taekwondo 4.5 1972: Kukki-style / WT-Taekwondo 4.6 Other styles and hybrids 5 Forms (patterns) 6 Ranks, belts, and promotion 7 Historical influences 8 Philosophy 9 Competition 9.1 World Taekwondo (WT) Competition 9.2 International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) Competition 9.3 Multi-discipline competition 9.4 Other organizations 9.5 Weight divisions 10 Korean Taekwondo vocabulary 11 Notable practitioners 11.1 Olympic medalists 11.2 Grandmasters 11.3 Kickboxers and Mixed Martial Artists 11.4 Celebrity practitioners 11.5 Honorary Black belts 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 15 External links History Further information: Korean martial arts Beginning in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II and Japanese Occupation, new martial arts schools called kwans opened in Seoul. These schools were established by Korean martial artists with backgrounds in Japanese[11] and Chinese martial arts. At the time, indigenous disciplines (such as Taekkyeon) were all but forgotten, due to years of decline and repression by the Japanese colonial government. The umbrella term traditional Taekwondo typically refers to the martial arts practiced by the kwans during the 1940s and 1950s, though in reality the term "Taekwondo" had not yet been coined at that time, and indeed each kwan (school) was practicing its own unique fighting style. In 1952, South Korean president Syngman Rhee witnessed a martial arts demonstration by ROK Army officers Choi Hong-hi and Nam Tae-hi from the 29th Infantry Division. He misrecognized the technique on display as Taekkyeon,[12][13][14] and urged martial arts to be introduced to the army under a single system. Beginning in 1955 the leaders of the kwans began discussing in earnest the possibility of creating a unified Korean martial art. Until then, Tang Soo Do was used to name Korean Karate, using the Korean hanja pronunciation of the Japanese kanji (唐手道). The name Tae Soo Do (跆手道) was also used to describe a unified style Korean martial arts.[citation needed] This name consists of the hanja 跆 tae "to stomp, trample", 手 su "hand" and 道 do "way, discipline". Choi Hong-hi advocated the use of the name Tae Kwon Do, i.e. replacing su "hand" by 拳 kwon (Revised Romanization: gwon; McCune–Reischauer: kkwŏn) "fist", the term also used for "martial arts" in Chinese (pinyin quán).[15] The name was also the closest to the pronunciation of Taekkyeon,[16] in accordance with the views of the president.[12][17] The new name was initially slow to catch on among the leaders of the kwans. During this time Taekwondo was also adopted for use by the South Korean military, which increased its popularity among civilian martial arts schools.[10][12] In 1959 the Korea Taekwondo Association or KTA (then-Korea Tang Soo Do Association) was established to facilitate the unification of Korean martial arts. General Choi, of the Oh Do Kwan, wanted all the other member kwans of the KTA to adopt his own Chan Hon-style of Taekwondo, as a unified style. This was, however, met with resistance as the other kwans instead wanted a unified style to be created based on inputs from all the kwans, to serve as a way to bring on the heritage and characteristics of all of the styles, not just the style of a single kwan.[10] As a response to this, along with disagreements about teaching Taekwondo in North Korea and unifying the whole Korean Peninsula, Choi broke with the KTA in 1966, in order to establish the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF)— a separate governing body devoted to institutionalizing his own style of Taekwondo in Canada.[10][12] Initially, the South Korean president, having close ties to General Choi, gave General Choi's ITF limited support.[10] However, the South Korean government wished to avoid North Korean influence on the martial art. Conversely, ITF president Choi Hong-hi sought support for his style of Taekwondo from all quarters, including North Korea. In response, in 1972 South Korea withdrew its support for the ITF. The ITF continued to function as an independent federation, then headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Choi continued to develop the ITF-style, notably with the 1983 publication of his Encyclopedia of Taekwondo. After Choi's retirement, the ITF split in 2001 and then again in 2002 to create three separate federations each of which continues to operate today under the same name.[10] In 1972 the KTA and the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established the Kukkiwon as the new national academy for Taekwondo. Kukkiwon now serves many of the functions previously served by the KTA, in terms of defining a government-sponsored unified style of Taekwondo. In 1973 the KTA and Kukkiwon supported the establishment of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF, renamed to World Taekwondo in 2017 due to confusion with the initialism[18]) to promote the sportive side of Kukki-Taekwondo. WT competitions employ Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo.[10][19] For this reason, Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo is often referred to as WT-style Taekwondo, sport-style Taekwondo, or Olympic-style Taekwondo, though in reality the style is defined by the Kukkiwon, not the WT. Since 2021, Taekwondo has been one of three Asian martial arts (the others being judo and karate), and one of six total (the others being the previously mentioned, Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, and boxing) included in the Olympic Games. It started as a demonstration event at the 1988 games in Seoul, a year after becoming a medal event at the Pan Am Games, and became an official medal event at the 2000 games in Sydney. In 2010, Taekwondo was accepted as a Commonwealth Games sport.[20] Features Flying twin foot side kick A jumping reverse hook kick See also: List of Taekwondo techniques Taekwondo is characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. In fact, World Taekwondo sparring competitions award additional points for strikes that incorporate spinning kicks, kicks to the head, or both.[21] To facilitate fast, turning kicks, Taekwondo generally adopts stances that are narrower and taller than the broader, wide stances used by martial arts such as karate. The tradeoff of decreased stability is believed to be worth the commensurate increase in agility, particularly in Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo. Theory of power The emphasis on speed and agility is a defining characteristic of Taekwondo and has its origins in analyses undertaken by Choi Hong-hi. The results of that analysis are known by ITF practitioners as Choi's Theory of Power. Choi based his understanding of power on biomechanics and Newtonian physics as well as Chinese martial arts. For example, Choi observed that the kinetic energy of a strike increases quadratically with the speed of the strike, but increases only linearly with the mass of the striking object. In other words, speed is more important than size in terms of generating power. This principle was incorporated into the early design of Taekwondo and is still used.[12][22] Choi also advocated a relax/strike principle for Taekwondo; in other words, between blocks, kicks, and strikes the practitioner should relax the body, then tense the muscles only while performing the technique. It is believed that the relax/strike principle increases the power of the technique, by conserving the body's energy. He expanded on this principle with his advocacy of the sine wave technique. This involves raising one's centre of gravity between techniques, then lowering it as the technique is performed, producing the up-and-down movement from which the term "sine wave" is derived.[22] The sine wave is generally practiced, however, only in schools that follow ITF-style Taekwondo. Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo, for example, does not employ the sine wave and advocates a more uniform height during movements, drawing power mainly from the rotation of the hip. The components of the Theory of Power include:[23] Reaction Force: the principle that as the striking limb is brought forward, other parts of the body should be brought backwards in order to provide more power to the striking limb. As an example, if the right leg is brought forward in a roundhouse kick, the right arm is brought backwards to provide the reaction force. Concentration: the principle of bringing as many muscles as possible to bear on a strike, concentrating the area of impact into as small an area as possible. Equilibrium: maintaining a correct centre-of-balance throughout a technique. Breath Control: the idea that during a strike one should exhale, with the exhalation concluding at the moment of impact. Mass: the principle of bringing as much of the body to bear on a strike as possible; again using the turning kick as an example, the idea would be to rotate the hip as well as the leg during the kick in order to take advantage of the hip's additional mass in terms of providing power to the kick. Speed: as previously noted, the speed of execution of a technique in Taekwondo is deemed to be even more important than mass in terms of providing power. Typical curriculum A young red/black-belt performs Koryo While organizations such as ITF or Kukkiwon define the general style of Taekwondo, individual clubs and schools tend to tailor their Taekwondo practices. Although each Taekwondo club or school is different, a student typically takes part in most or all of the following: [24] Forms (pumsae / poomsae 품새, hyeong / hyung 형/型 or teul / tul 틀): these serve the same function as kata in the study of karate Sparring (gyeorugi 겨루기 or matseogi 맞서기): sparring includes variations such as freestyle sparring (in which competitors spar without interruption for several minutes); seven-, three-, two-, and one-step sparring (in which students practice pre-arranged sparring combinations); and point sparring (in which sparring is interrupted and then resumed after each point is scored) Breaking (gyeokpa 격파/擊破 or weerok): the breaking of boards is used for testing, training, and martial arts demonstrations. Demonstrations often also incorporate bricks, tiles, and blocks of ice or other materials. These techniques can be separated into three types: Power breaking – using straightforward techniques to break as many boards as possible Speed breaking – boards are held loosely by one edge, putting special focus on the speed required to perform the break Special techniques – breaking fewer boards but by using jumping or flying techniques to attain greater height, distance, or to clear obstacles Self-defense techniques (hosinsul 호신술/護身術) Learning the fundamental techniques of Taekwondo; these generally include kicks, blocks, punches, and strikes, with somewhat less emphasis on grappling and holds Throwing and/or falling techniques (deonjigi 던지기 or tteoreojigi 떨어지기) Both anaerobic and aerobic workout, including stretching Relaxation and meditation exercises, as well as breathing control A focus on mental and ethical discipline, etiquette, justice, respect, and self-confidence Examinations to progress to the next rank Development of personal success and leadership skills Though weapons training is not a formal part of most Taekwondo federation curricula, individual schools will often incorporate additional training with weapons such as staffs, knives, and sticks. Equipment and facilities A WT-style dobok A typical dojang A Taekwondo practitioner typically wears a uniform (dobok 도복/道服), often white but sometimes black (or other colors), with a belt tied around the waist. White uniforms are considered the traditional color and are usually encouraged for use at formal ceremonies such as belt tests and promotions. Colored uniforms are often reserved for special teams (such as demonstration teams or leadership teams) or higher-level instructors. There are at least three major styles of dobok, with the most obvious differences being in the style of jacket: The cross-over front jacket (usually seen in ITF style), in which the opening of the jacket is vertical. The cross-over Y-neck jacket (usually seen in the Kukkiwon/WT style, especially for poomsae competitions), in which the opening of the jacket crosses the torso diagonally. The pull-over V-neck jacket (usually seen in Kukkiwon/WT style, especially for sparring competitions). White uniforms in the Kukkiwon/WT tradition will typically be white throughout the jacket (black trim along the collars only for dan grades), while ITF-style uniforms are usually trimmed with a black border along the collar and bottom of the jacket (for dan grades). The belt color and any insignia thereon indicate the student's rank. Different clubs and schools use different color schemes for belts. In general, the darker the color, the higher the rank. Taekwondo is traditionally performed in bare feet, although martial arts training shoes may sometimes be worn. When sparring, padded equipment is usually worn. In the ITF tradition, typically only the hands and feet are padded. For this reason, ITF sparring often employs only light-contact sparring. In the Kukkiwon/WT tradition, full-contact sparring is facilitated by the employment of more extensive equipment: padded helmets called homyun are always worn, as are padded torso protectors called hogu; feet, shins, groins, hands, and forearms protectors are also worn. The school or place where instruction is given is called a dojang (도장, 道場). Specifically, dojang refers to the area within the school in which martial arts instruction takes place; the word dojang is sometimes translated as gymnasium. In common usage, the term dojang is often used to refer to the school as a whole. Modern dojangs often incorporate padded flooring, often incorporating red-and-blue patterns in the flooring to reflect the colors of the taegeuk symbol. Some dojangs have wooden flooring instead. The dojang is usually decorated with items such as flags, banners, belts, instructional materials, and traditional Korean calligraphy. Styles and organizations A "family tree" illustrating how the five original kwans gave rise to multiple styles of Taekwondo. There are a number of major Taekwondo styles as well as a few niche styles. Most styles are associated with a governing body or federation that defines the style.[25] The major technical differences among Taekwondo styles and organizations generally revolve around: the patterns practiced by each style (called hyeong 형, pumsae 품새, or tul 틀, depending on the style); these are sets of prescribed formal sequences of movements that demonstrate mastery of posture, positioning, and technique differences in the sparring rules for competition. martial arts philosophy. 1946: Traditional Taekwondo The term traditional Taekwondo typically refers to martial arts practised in Korea during the 1940s and 1950s by the nine original kwans, or martial arts schools, after the conclusion of the Japanese occupation of Korea at the end of World War II. The term Taekwondo had not yet been coined, and in reality, each of the nine original kwans practised its own style of martial art. The term traditional Taekwondo serves mostly as an umbrella term for these various styles, as they themselves used various other names such as Tang Soo Do (Chinese Hand Way),[b] Kong Soo Do (Empty Hand Way)[c] and Tae Soo Do (Foot Hand Way).[d] Traditional Taekwondo is still practised today but generally under other names, such as Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do.[10][12] In 1959, the name Taekwondo was agreed upon by the nine original kwans as a common term for their martial arts. As part of the unification process, The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed through a collaborative effort by representatives from all the kwans, and the work began on a common curriculum, which eventually resulted in the Kukkiwon and the Kukki Style of Taekwondo. The original kwans that formed KTA continues to exist today, but as independent fraternal membership organizations that support the World Taekwondo and Kukkiwon. The kwans also function as a channel for the issuing of Kukkiwon dan and poom certification (black belt ranks) for their members. The official curriculum of those kwans that joined the unification is that of the Kukkiwon, with the notable exception of half the Oh Do Kwan which joined the ITF instead and therefore uses the Chan Hon curriculum. 1966: ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF)-style Taekwondo, more accurately known as Chang Hon-style Taekwondo, is defined by Choi Hong-hi's Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do published in 1983.[22] In 1990, the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF) split from the ITF due to the political controversies surrounding the ITF; the GTF continues to practice ITF-style Taekwondo, however, with additional elements incorporated into the style. Likewise, the ITF itself split in 2001 and again in 2002 into three separate federations, headquartered in Austria, the United Kingdom, and Spain respectively.[26][27][28] The GTF and all three ITFs practice Choi's ITF-style Taekwondo. In ITF-style Taekwondo, the word used for "forms" is tul; the specific set of tul used by the ITF is called Chang Hon. Choi defined 24 Chang Hon tul. The names and symbolism of the Chang Hon tul refer to elements of Korean history, culture and religious philosophy. The GTF-variant of ITF practices an additional six tul. Within the ITF Taekwondo tradition there are two sub-styles: The style of Taekwondo practised by the ITF before its 1973 split with the KTA is sometimes called by ITF practitioners "traditional Taekwondo", though a more accurate term would be traditional ITF Taekwondo. After the 1973 split, Choi Hong-hi continued to develop and refine the style, ultimately publishing his work in his 1983 Encyclopedia of Taekwondo. Among the refinements incorporated into this new sub-style is the "sine wave"; one of Choi Hong-hi's later principles of Taekwondo is that the body's centre of gravity should be raised-and-lowered throughout a movement. Some ITF schools adopt the sine wave style, while others do not. Essentially all ITF schools do, however, use the patterns (tul) defined in the Encyclopedia, with some exceptions related to the forms Juche and Ko-Dang. 1969: ATA/Songahm-style Taekwondo In 1969, Haeng Ung Lee, a former Taekwondo instructor in the South Korean military, relocated to Omaha, Nebraska and established a chain of martial arts schools in the United States under the banner of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). Like Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo, ATA Taekwondo has its roots in traditional Taekwondo. The style of Taekwondo practised by the ATA is called Songahm Taekwondo. The ATA went on to become one of the largest chains of Taekwondo schools in the United States.[29] The ATA established international spin-offs called the Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF) and the World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) to promote the practice of Songahm Taekwondo internationally. In 2015, all the spin-offs were reunited under the umbrella of ATA International. 1970s: Jhoon Rhee-style Taekwondo Not to be confused with Rhee Taekwon-Do. In 1962 Jhoon Rhee, upon graduating from college in Texas, relocated to and established a chain of martial arts schools in the Washington, D.C. area that practiced traditional Taekwondo.[e] In the 1970s, at the urging of Choi Hong-hi, Rhee adopted ITF-style Taekwondo within his chain of schools, but like the GTF later departed from the ITF due to the political controversies surrounding Choi and the ITF. Rhee went on to develop his own style of Taekwondo called Jhoon Rhee-style Taekwondo, incorporating elements of both traditional and ITF-style Taekwondo as well as original elements.[30] Jhoon Rhee-style Taekwondo is still practised primarily in the United States and eastern Europe. 1972: Kukki-style / WT-Taekwondo Relative popularity of Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo around the world In 1972 the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) Central Dojang opened in Seoul; in 1973 the name was changed to Kukkiwon. Under the sponsorship of the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism the Kukkiwon became the new national academy for Taekwondo, thereby establishing a new "unified" style of Taekwondo.[19] In 1973 the KTA established the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF, now called World Taekwondo, WT) to promote the sportive side of Kukki-Taekwondo. The International Olympic Committee recognized the WT and Taekwondo sparring in 1980. For this reason, the Kukkiwon-defined style of Taekwondo is sometimes referred to as Sport-style Taekwondo, Olympic-style Taekwondo, or WT-style Taekwondo, but the style itself is defined by the Kukkiwon, not by the WT, and the WT competition ruleset itself only allows the use of a very small number of the total number of techniques included in the style.[31] Therefore, the correct term for the South Korean government sponsored style of Taekwondo associated with the Kukkiwon, is Kukki Taekwondo, meaning "national Taekwondo" in Korean. The color belts range from white to junior black belt (half black, half red) or plain red.[32] The order and colours used may vary between schools, but a common[according to whom?] order is white, yellow, green, blue, red, black[citation needed]. However, other variations with a higher number of colours is also commonly seen. A usual practice[according to whom?], when employing only four coloured belts, is to stay at each belt color for the duration of two gup ranks, making a total of eight gup ranks between white belt and 1st. dan black belt. In order to make a visual difference between the first and second gup rank of given belt color, a stripe in the same color as the next belt color is added to the second cup rank in some schools. In Kukki-style Taekwondo, the word used for "forms" is poomsae. In 1967 the KTA established a new set of forms called the Palgwae poomsae, named after the eight trigrams of the I Ching. In 1971 however (after additional kwans had joined the KTA), the KTA and Kukkiwon adopted a new set of color-belt forms instead, called the Taegeuk poomsae. Black belt forms are called yudanja poomsae. While ITF-style forms refer to key elements of Korean history, Kukki-style forms refer instead to elements of sino-Korean philosophy such as the I Ching and the taegeuk. WT-sanctioned tournaments allow any person, regardless of school affiliation or martial arts style, to compete in WT events as long as he or she is a member of the WT Member National Association in his or her nation; this allows essentially anyone to compete in WT-sanctioned competitions. Other styles and hybrids As previously mentioned, in 1990 the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF) split from the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) to form its own style of Taekwondo based on ITF-style. Essentially this can be considered a variation of ITF-style. Also in 1990, martial artist and actor Chuck Norris, an alumnus of Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan organization, established a hybrid martial art system called Chun Kuk Do. Chun Kuk Do shares many techniques, forms and names with Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo, and so can be considered a variation of traditional Taekwondo. Similarly, Lim Ching Sing's Hup Kwon Do and Kwang-jo Choi's Choi Kwang Do also derive from Taekwondo. Additionally, there are hybrid martial arts that combine Taekwondo with other styles. These include: Extreme Taekwondo: a complex version of World Taekwondo Federation, which combines elements from all Taekwondo styles, Tricking (martial arts), similarities from other martial arts Kun Gek Do[33] (also Gwon Gyokdo): combines Taekwondo and muay thai. Han Moo Do: Scandinavian martial art that combines Taekwondo, hapkido, and hoi jeon moo sool. Han Mu Do: Korean martial art that combines Taekwondo and hapkido. Teukgong Moosool: Korean martial art that combines elements of Taekwondo, hapkido, judo, kyuk too ki, and Chinese martial arts. Yongmudo: developed at Korea's Yong-In University, combines Taekwondo, hapkido, judo, and ssireum. Forms (patterns) See also: List of Taekwondo techniques § Patterns, Poomsae, Hyung, Tul A demonstration at Kuopio-halli in Kuopio, Finland Three Korean terms may be used with reference to Taekwondo forms or patterns. These forms are equivalent to kata in karate. Hyeong (sometimes romanized as hyung; hanja: 形, hangeul: 형) is the term usually used in traditional Taekwondo (i.e., 1950s–1960s styles of Korean martial arts). Poomsae (sometimes romanized as pumsae or poomse; hanja: 品勢, hangeul: 품새) is the term officially used by Kukkiwon/WT-style and ATA-style Taekwondo. Teul (officially romanized as tul; hangeul: 틀) is the term usually used in ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo. A hyeong is a systematic, prearranged sequence of martial techniques that is performed either with or without the use of a weapon. In dojangs (Taekwondo training gymnasiums) hyeong are used primarily as a form of interval training that is useful in developing mushin, proper kinetics and mental and physical fortitude. Hyeong may resemble combat, but are artistically non-combative and woven together so as to be an effective conditioning tool. One's aptitude for a particular hyeong may be evaluated in competition. In such competitions, hyeong are evaluated by a panel of judges who base the score on many factors including energy, precision, speed, and control. In Western competitions, there are two general classes of hyeong: creative and standard. Creative hyeong are created by the performer and are generally acrobatic in nature and do not necessarily reflect the kinetic principles intrinsic in any martial system. Different Taekwondo styles and associations (ATA, ITF, GTF, WT, etc.) use different Taekwondo forms. Even within a single association, different schools in the association may use slightly different variations on the forms or use different names for the same form (especially in older styles of Taekwondo). This is especially true for beginner forms, which tend to be less standardized than mainstream forms. ATA Songahm-style[34] ITF Chang Hon-style[35] GTF style[36] WT Kukkiwon-style[37] Jhoon Rhee style[38] Beginner Exercises (3) Beginner Exercises (3) Unofficial Beginner Forms (usually 3–) Beginner Forms (2) Four Direction Punch Four Direction Punch Kicho Hyeong Il Bu, Kibon Hana or Kibon Il Jang Kam Sah Four Direction Block Four Direction Block Kicho Hyeong Ee Bu, Kibon Dool or Kibon Ee Jang Kyu-Yool Four Direction Thrust Four Direction Thrust Kicho Hyeong Sam Bu, Kibon Set or Kibon Sam Jang Kibon Net or Kibon Sa Jang Color Belt Forms (9) Color Belt Forms (9) Color Belt Forms (11) Color Belt Forms (Taegeuk, 8) Color Belt Forms (8) Songahm 1 Chon-Ji Chon-Ji Taegeuk Il Jang Jayoo Songahm 2 Dan-Gun Dan-Gun Taegeuk Ee Jang Chosang Songahm 3 Do-San Do-San Taegeuk Sam Jang Hangook Songahm 4 Jee-Sang Taegeuk Sa Jang Jung-Yi Songahm 5 Won-Hyo Won-Hyo Taegeuk Oh Jang Pyung-Wa In Wha 1 Yul-Gok Yul-Gok Taegeuk Yook Jang Meegook In Wha 2 Dhan-Goon Taegeuk Chil Jang Chasin Choong Jung 1 Joong-Gun Joong-Gun Taegeuk Pal Jang Might for Right Choong Jung 2 Toi-Gye Toi-Gye Hwa-Rang Hwa-Rang Choong-Moo Choong-Moo Black Belt Forms (8) Black Belt Forms (15) Black Belt Forms (19) Black Belt Forms (9) Black Belt Forms Shim Jun Kwang-Gae Kwang-Gae Koryo Same as ITF Jung Yul Po-Eun Po-Eun Keumgang Chung San Gae-Baek Gae-Baek Taebaek Sok Bong Jee-Goo Pyongwon Chung Hae Eui-Am Eui-Am Sipjin Jhang Soo Choong-Jang Choong-Jang Jitae Chul Joon Juche, or Go-Dang* Go-Dang Cheonkwon Jeong Seung Jook-Am Hansoo Sam-Il Sam-Il Ilyeo Yoo-Sin Yoo-Sin Choi-Yong Choi-Yong Older Color Belt Forms (Palgwae, 8) Pyong-Hwa Palgwae Il Jang Yon-Gae Yon-Gae Palgwae Ee Jang Ul-Ji Ul-Ji Palgwae Sam Jang Moon-Moo Moon-Moo Palgwae Sa Jang Sun-Duk Palgwae Oh Jang So-San So-San Palgwae Yook Jang Se-Jong Se-Jong Palgwae Chil Jang Tong-Il Tong-Il Palgwae Pal Jang Older Black Belt Forms Older Black Belt Forms * Go-Dang is considered deprecated in most ITF styles Original Koryo U-Nam is an ITF Chang-Hon form that appears only in the 1959 edition of Choi Hong-hi's Tae Kwon Do Teaching Manual[39] Candidate Demo Forms (2007, never officially finalized) Hanryu Bikkak Kukkiwon Competition Poomsae (2016) Himchari Yamang Saebyeol Nareusya (called Bigak Sam Jang by WT) Bigak (called Bigak Ee Jang by WT) Eoullim Saeara Hansol Narae Onnuri WT Competition Poomsae (2017) Bigak Il Jang (developed by WT) Bigak Ee Jang (based on Kukkiwon's Bigak) Bigak Sam Jang (based on Kukkiwon's Nareusya) Ranks, belts, and promotion Exhibition of Taekwondo students at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City Taekwondo ranks vary from style to style and are not standardized. Typically, these ranks are separated into "junior" and "senior" sections, colloquially referred to as "color belts" and "black belts": The junior section of ranks—the "color belt" ranks—are indicated by the Korean word geup 급 (級) (also Romanized as gup or kup). Practitioners in these ranks generally wear belts ranging in color from white (the lowest rank) to red or brown (higher ranks, depending on the style of Taekwondo). Belt colors may be solid or may include a colored stripe on a solid background. The number of geup ranks varies depending on the style, typically ranging between 8 and 12 geup ranks. The numbering sequence for geup ranks usually begins at the larger number of white belts, and then counts down to "1st geup" as the highest color-belt rank. The senior section of ranks—the "black belt" ranks—is typically made up of nine ranks. Each rank is called a dan 단 (段) or "degree" (as in "third dan" or "third-degree black belt"). The numbering sequence for dan ranks is opposite that of geup ranks: numbering begins at 1st dan (the lowest black-belt rank) and counts upward for higher ranks. A practitioner's degree is sometimes indicated on the belt itself with stripes, Roman numerals, or other methods. Some styles incorporate an additional rank between the geup and dan levels, called the "bo-dan" rank—essentially, a candidate rank for black belt promotion. Additionally, the Kukkiwon/WT-style of Taekwondo recognizes a "poom" rank for practitioners under the age of 15: these practitioners have passed dan-level tests but will not receive dan-level rank until age 15. At age 15, their poom rank is considered to transition to equivalent dan rank automatically. In some schools, holders of the poom rank wear a half-red/half-black belt rather than a solid black belt. To advance from one rank to the next, students typically complete promotion tests in which they demonstrate their proficiency in the various aspects of the art before their teacher or a panel of judges. Promotion tests vary from school to school, but may include such elements as the execution of patterns, which combine various techniques in specific sequences; the breaking of boards to demonstrate the ability to use techniques with both power and control; sparring and self-defense to demonstrate the practical application and control of techniques; physical fitness usually with push-ups and sit-ups; and answering questions on terminology, concepts, and history to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the art. For higher dan tests, students are sometimes required to take a written test or submit a research paper in addition to taking the practical test. Promotion from one geup to the next can proceed rapidly in some schools since schools often allow geup promotions every two, three, or four months. Students of geup rank learn the most basic techniques first, and then move on to more advanced techniques as they approach first dan. Many of the older and more traditional schools often take longer to allow students to test for higher ranks than newer, more contemporary schools, as they may not have the required testing intervals. In contrast, promotion from one dan to the next can take years. In fact, some styles impose age or time-in-rank limits on dan promotions. For example, the number of years between one dan promotion to the next may be limited to a minimum of the practitioner's current dan-rank, so that (for example) a 5th dan practitioner must wait 5 years to test for 6th dan. Black belt ranks may have titles associated with them, such as "master" and "instructor", but Taekwondo organizations vary widely in rules and standards when it comes to ranks and titles. What holds true in one organization may not hold true in another, as is the case in many martial art systems. For example, achieving first dan ( black belt) ranking with three years' training might be typical in one organization but considered too quick in another organization, and likewise for other ranks. Similarly, the title for a given dan rank in one organization might not be the same as the title for that dan rank in another organization. In the International Taekwon-Do Federation, instructors holding 1st to 3rd dan are called Boosabum (assistant instructor), those holding 4th to 6th dan are called Sabum (instructor), those holding 7th to 8th dan are called Sahyun (master), and those holding 9th dan are called Saseong (grandmaster).[40] This system does not, however, necessarily apply to other Taekwondo organizations. In the American Taekwondo Association, instructor designations are separate from rank. Black belts may be designated as an instructor trainee (red, white and blue collar), specialty trainer (red and black collar), certified trainer (black-red-black collar) and certified instructor (black collar). After a one-year waiting period, instructors who hold the sixth dan are eligible for the title of Master. Seventh dan black belts are eligible for the title Senior Master and eighth dan black belts are eligible for the title Chief Master. In WT/Kukki-Taekwondo, instructors holding 1st. to 3rd. dan are considered assistant instructors (kyosa-nim), are not yet allowed to issue ranks, and are generally thought of as still having much to learn. Instructors who hold a 4th. to 6th. dan are considered master instructors (sabum-nim), and are allowed to grade students to color belt ranks from 4th. dan, and to black belt/dan-ranks from 6th. dan. Those who hold a 7th–9th dan are considered Grandmasters. These ranks also hold an age requirement of 40+.[41] In this style, a 10th dan rank is sometimes awarded posthumously for practitioners with a lifetime of demonstrable contributions to the practice of Taekwondo. Historical influences See also: Korean martial arts The oldest Korean martial arts were an amalgamation of unarmed combat styles developed by the three rival Korean Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje,[42] where young men were trained in unarmed combat techniques to develop strength, speed, and survival skills. The most popular of these techniques were ssireum, subak, and Taekkyon. The Northern Goguryeo kingdom was a dominant force in Northern Korea and North Eastern China prior to the 1st century CE, and again from the 3rd century to the 6th century. Before the fall of the Goguryeo Dynasty in the 6th century, the Silla Kingdom asked for help in training its people for defence against pirate invasions. During this time a few select Silla warriors were given training in Taekkyon by the early masters from Goguryeo. These Silla warriors then became known as Hwarang or "blossoming knights." The Hwarang set up a military academy for the sons of royalty in Silla called Hwarang-do {花郎徒}, which means "flower-youth corps." The Hwarang studied Taekkyon, history, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, social skills, and military tactics. The guiding principles of the Hwarang warriors were based on Won Gwang's five codes of human conduct and included loyalty, filial duty, trustworthiness, valour, and justice. [43] In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and martial arts, Korean martial arts faded during the late Joseon Dynasty. Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism, and martial arts were poorly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings.[44] Formal practices of traditional martial arts such as subak and Taekkyon were reserved for sanctioned military uses. However, Taekkyon persisted into the 19th century as a folk game during the May-Dano festival, and was still taught as the formal military martial art throughout the Joseon Dynasty.[42] Early progenitors of Taekwondo—the founders of the nine original kwans—who were able to study in Japan were exposed to Japanese martial arts, including karate, judo, and kendo,[45] while others were exposed to the martial arts of China and Manchuria, as well as to the indigenous Korean martial art of Taekkyon.[9][46][47][48] Hwang Kee founder of Moo Duk Kwan, further incorporated elements of Korean Gwonbeop from the Muye Dobo Tongji into the style that eventually became Tang Soo Do. The historical influences of Taekwondo is controversial with a split between two schools of thought: traditionalism and revisionism. Traditionalism holds that the origins of Taekwondo can be traced through Korean martial arts while revisionism, which has become the prevailing theory, argues that Taekwondo is rooted in Karate.[49] Traditionalism has mainly been supported by the Korean government as a concerted effort to divorce Korean martial arts from their Japanese past to give Korean a "legitimate cultural past".[50] Philosophy Different styles of Taekwondo adopt different philosophical underpinnings. Many of these underpinnings however refer back to the Five Commandments of the Hwarang as a historical referent. For example, Choi Hong-hi expressed his philosophical basis for Taekwondo as the Five Tenets of Taekwondo:[51] Courtesy (yeui / 예의, 禮儀) Integrity (yeomchi / 염치, 廉恥) Perseverance (innae / 인내, 忍耐) Self-control (geukgi / 극기, 克己) Indomitable spirit (baekjeolbulgul / 백절불굴, 百折不屈) These tenets are further articulated in a Taekwondo oath, also authored by Choi: I shall observe the tenets of Taekwondo I shall respect the instructor and seniors I shall never misuse Taekwondo I shall be a champion of freedom and justice I shall build a more peaceful world Modern ITF organizations have continued to update and expand upon this philosophy.[52][53] The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) also refers to the commandments of the Hwarang in the articulation of its Taekwondo philosophy.[54] Like the ITF philosophy, it centers on the development of a peaceful society as one of the overarching goals for the practice of Taekwondo. The WT's stated philosophy is that this goal can be furthered by adoption of the Hwarang spirit, by behaving rationally ("education in accordance with the reason of heaven"), and by recognition of the philosophies embodied in the taegeuk (the yin and the yang, i.e., "the unity of opposites") and the sam taegeuk (understanding change in the world as the interactions of the heavens, the Earth, and Man). The philosophical position articulated by the Kukkiwon is likewise based on the Hwarang tradition.[55] Competition Sparring in a Taekwondo class Taekwondo competition typically involves sparring, breaking, and patterns; some tournaments also include special events such as demonstration teams and self-defense (hosinsul). In Olympic Taekwondo competition, however, only sparring (using WT competition rules) is performed.[56] There are two kinds of competition sparring: point sparring, in which all strikes are light contact and the clock is stopped when a point is scored; and Olympic sparring, where all strikes are full contact and the clock continues when points are scored. Sparring involves a Hogu, or a chest protector, which muffles any kick's damage to avoid serious injuries. Helmets and other gear are provided as well. Though other systems may vary, a common point system works like this: one point for a regular kick to the Hogu, two for a turning behind the kick, three for a back kick, and four for a spinning kick to the head. World Taekwondo (WT) Competition Official WT trunk protector (hogu), forearm guards and shin guards Under World Taekwondo (WT, formerly WTF) and Olympic rules, sparring is a full-contact event, employing a continuous scoring system where the fighters are allowed to continue after scoring each technique, taking place between two competitors in either an area measuring 8 meters square or an octagon of similar size.[57] Competitors are matched within gender and weight division—eight divisions for World Championships that are condensed to four for the Olympics. A win can occur by points, or if one competitor is unable to continue (knockout). However, there are several decisions that can lead to a win, as well, including superiority, withdrawal, disqualification, or even a referee's punitive declaration.[58] Each match consists of three two-minute rounds, with one minute rest between rounds, though these are often abbreviated or shortened for some junior and regional tournaments.[57] Competitors must wear a hogu, head protector, shin pads, foot socks, forearm guards, hand gloves, a mouthpiece, and a groin cup. Tournaments sanctioned by national governing bodies or the WT, including the Olympics and World Championship, use electronic hogus, electronic foot socks, and electronic head protectors to register and determine scoring techniques, with human judges used to assess and score technical (spinning) techniques and score punches.[57] Points are awarded for permitted techniques delivered to the legal scoring areas as determined by an electronic scoring system, which assesses the strength and location of the contact. The only techniques allowed are kicks (delivering a strike using an area of the foot below the ankle), punches (delivering a strike using the closed fist), and pushes. In some smaller tournaments, and in the past, points were awarded by three corner judges using electronic scoring tallies. All major national and international tournaments have moved fully (as of 2017) to electronic scoring, including the use of electronic headgear. This limits corner judges to scoring only technical points and punches. Some believe that the new electronic scoring system reduces controversy concerning judging decisions,[59] but this technology is still not universally accepted.,[60] In particular, the move to electronic headgear has replaced controversy over judging with controversy over how the technology has changed the sport. Because the headgear is not able to determine if a kick was a correct Taekwondo technique, and the pressure threshold for sensor activation for headgear is kept low for safety reasons, athletes who improvised ways of placing their foot on their opponents head were able to score points, regardless of how true to Taekwondo those techniques were.[61] Techniques are divided into three categories: scoring techniques (such as a kick to the hogu), permitted but non-scoring techniques (such as a kick that strikes an arm), and not-permitted techniques (such as a kick below the waist). A punch that makes strong contact with the opponent's hogu scores 1 point. The punch must be a straight punch with arm extended; jabs, hooks, uppercuts, etc. are permitted but do not score. Punches to the head are not allowed. A regular kick (no turning or spinning) to the hogu scores 2 points. A regular kick (no turning or spinning) to the head scores 3 points A technical kick (a kick that involves turning or spinning) to the hogu scores 4 points. A technical kick to the head scores 5 points. As of October 2010, 4 points were awarded if a turning kick was used to execute this attack. As of June 2018, this was changed to 5 points.[62] The referee can give penalties at any time for rule-breaking, such as hitting an area not recognized as a target, usually the legs or neck. Penalties, called "Gam-jeom" are counted as an addition of one point for the opposing contestant. Following 10 "Gam-jeom" a player is declared the loser by referee's punitive declaration[57] At the end of three rounds, the competitor with most points wins the match. In the event of a tie, a fourth "sudden death" overtime round, sometimes called a "Golden Point", is held to determine the winner after a one-minute rest period. In this round, the first competitor to score a point wins the match. If there is no score in the additional round, the winner is decided by superiority, as determined by the refereeing officials[62] or number of fouls committed during that round. If a competitor has a 20-point lead at the end of the second round or achieves a 20-point lead at any point in the third round, then the match is over and that competitor is declared the winner.[57] In addition to sparring competition, World Taekwondo sanctions competition in poomsae or forms, although this is not an Olympic event. Single competitors perform a designated pattern of movements, and are assessed by judges for accuracy (accuracy of movements, balance, precision of details) and presentation (speed and power, rhythm, energy), both of which receive numerical scores, with deductions made for errors.[63] Pair and team competition is also recognized, where two or more competitors perform the same form at the same time. In addition to competition with the traditional forms, there is experimentation with freestyle forms that allow more creativity.[63] The World Taekwondo Federation directly sanctions the following competitions:[64] World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships World Taekwondo Championships World Para Taekwondo Championships (since 2009)[65] World Taekwondo Cadet Championships World Taekwondo Junior Championships World Taekwondo Team Championships World Taekwondo Para Championships World Taekwondo Grand Prix World Taekwondo Beach Championships Olympic Games Paralympic Games (debut in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics)[66] International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) Competition Common styles of ITF point sparring equipment The International Taekwon-Do Federation's sparring rules are similar to the WT's rules but differ in several aspects. Hand attacks to the head are allowed.[67] The competition is not full contact, and excessive contact is not allowed. Competitors are penalized with disqualification if they injure their opponent and he can no longer continue (knockout). The scoring system is: 1 point for Punch to the body or head. 2 points for Jumping kick to the body or kick to the head, or a jumping punch to the head 3 points for Jumping kick to the head The competition area is 9×9 meters for international events. Competitors do not wear the hogu (although they are required to wear approved foot and hand protection equipment, as well as optional head guards). This scoring system varies between individual organisations within the ITF; for example, in the TAGB, punches to the head or body score 1 point, kicks to the body score 2 points, and kicks to the head score 3 points. A continuous point system is utilized in ITF competition, where the fighters are allowed to continue after scoring a technique. Excessive contact is generally not allowed according to the official ruleset, and judges penalize any competitor with disqualification if they injure their opponent and he can no longer continue (although these rules vary between ITF organizations). At the end of two minutes (or some other specified time), the competitor with more scoring techniques wins. Fouls in ITF sparring include: attacking a fallen opponent, leg sweeping, holding/grabbing, or intentional attack to a target other than the opponent.[68] ITF competitions also feature performances of patterns, breaking, and 'special techniques' (where competitors perform prescribed board breaks at great heights). Multi-discipline competition Some organizations deliver multi-discipline competitions, for example the British Student Taekwondo Federation's inter-university competitions, which have included separate WT rules sparring, ITF rules sparring, Kukkiwon patterns and Chang-Hon patterns events run in parallel since 1992.[69] Other organizations American Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) competitions are very similar, except that different styles of pads and gear are allowed.[70] Apart from WT and ITF tournaments, major Taekwondo competitions (all featuring WT Taekwondo only) include: African Games Asian Games European Games Pacific Games Pan American Games Universiade Taekwondo is also an optional sport at the Commonwealth Games. Weight divisions The following weight divisions are in effect due to the WT[71] and ITF[72] tournament rules and regulations: Olympics Male Female −58 kg −49 kg −68 kg −57 kg −80 kg −67 kg +80 kg +67 kg WT Male Championships Juniors Adults −45 kg −54 kg −48 kg −51 kg −55 kg −59 kg −58 kg −63 kg −63 kg −68 kg −68 kg −73 kg −74 kg −78 kg +78 kg −80 kg −87 kg +87 kg WT Female Championships Juniors Adults −42 kg −46 kg −44 kg −46 kg −49 kg −49 kg −52 kg −53 kg −55 kg −59 kg −57 kg −63 kg −62 kg −68 kg −67 kg +68 kg −73 kg +73 kg ITF Male Championships Juniors Adults (18—39 yrs) Veterans over 40 Veterans over 50 −45 kg −50 kg −64 kg −66 kg −51 kg −57 kg −57 kg −64 kg −73 kg −63 kg −71 kg −69 kg −78 kg −80 kg −80 kg −75 kg −85 kg −90 kg +75 kg +85 kg +90 kg +80 kg ITF Female Championships Juniors Adults (18—39 yrs) Veterans over 40 Veterans over 50 −40 kg −45 kg −54 kg −60 kg −46 kg −51 kg −52 kg −57 kg −61 kg −58 kg −63 kg −64 kg −69 kg −68 kg −75 kg −70 kg −75 kg −75 kg +70 kg +75 kg +75 kg +75 kg Korean Taekwondo vocabulary Some common Taekwondo terminology and parts of the body In Taekwondo schools—even outside Korea—Korean language commands and vocabulary are often used. Korean numerals may be used as prompts for commands or for counting repetition exercises. Different schools and associations will use different vocabulary, however, and may even refer to entirely different techniques by the same name. As one example, in Kukkiwon/WT-style Taekwondo, the term ap seogi refers to an upright walking stance, while in ITF/Chang Hon-style Taekwondo ap seogi refers to a long, low, front stance. Korean vocabulary commonly used in Taekwondo schools includes: Basic Commands Hand Techniques Foot Techniques Stances Technique Direction Titles Other/Miscellaneous Notable practitioners For practitioners of Taekwondo, see Category:Taekwondo practitioners. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources. Olympic medalists Hadi Saei Yousef Karami[73] Steven López Hwang Kyung-seon Chen Zhong Wu Jingyu Jade Jones María Espinoza Chu Mu-yen Servet Tazegül Cha Dong-min Joel González Alexandros Nikolaidis Huang Chih-hsiung Mauro Sarmiento Lee Dae-hoon Nur Tatar Pascal Gentil Rohullah Nikpai Milica Mandić Alexey Denisenko Maksim Khramtsov Vladislav Larin Beth Munro Grandmasters Main article: List of taekwondo grandmasters Sun-hwan Chung (WT) Tae-hong Choi (WT) Kim Ki-whang (WT) Sang-chul Lee (WT) Sang-kee Paik (WT) Park Dong-keun (WT) Park Yeon-hwan (WT) Brenda Sell (WT) Choi Hong-hi (ITF, founder of) Nam Tae-hi (ITF) Choi Chang-keun (ITF) Choi Jung-hwa (ITF) Robert Howard (martial artist) (ITF) Frank Massar (ITF) Kong Young-il (ITF) Tran Trieu Quan (ITF) Rhee Ki-ha (ITF) Park Jong-soo (ITF) Nguyễn Văn Bình (judoka) (ITF) Park Jung-tae (GTF) Haeng Ung Lee (ATA) Kwang Sung Hwang (ITF/KATU) Han Cha-kyo (ITF/UTF) Kyongwon Ahn (WT/UTA) Jhoon Rhee (other) S. Henry Cho (other) Chong-chul Rhee (other/Rhee Taekwondo) Hee Il Cho (other) Kim Pyung-soo (other) Choi Kwang-jo (other/Choi Kwang Do) Hwang Jang-Lee (other) Kickboxers and Mixed Martial Artists Anthony Pettis Yair Rodríguez[74] Anderson Silva[75][76] Mirko Filipović (alias Cro Cop) Rose Namajunas[77][78] Valentina Shevchenko[79] Bas Rutten Edson Barboza Benson Henderson Akop Stepanyan Nina Ansaroff Keiji Ozaki Yuta Kubo Dale Cook Uriah Hall The Korean Zombie Conor McGregor Dennis Siver Mayhem Miller Michael Page Celebrity practitioners Chuck Norris Michael Imperioli[80] Wesley Snipes Sarah Michelle Gellar Jessica Alba Criss Angel D'Brickashaw Ferguson Phil Mickelson Dave Mustaine[81] Jean-Claude Van Damme Sean Patrick Flanery Rick Yune Eric Roberts Michael Jai White Joe Rogan[82][additional citation(s) needed] Katheryn Winnick[83] Evan Rachel Wood Willie Nelson Ryan Phillippe Lorenzo Lamas Emmanuel Lewis[84] Mackenzie Foy Noah Ringer Jerry Trimble Young Kun Kim (alias Y.K Kim)[85] Simon Rhee Phillip Rhee Gary Daniels Scott Adkins Dick Wei Donnie Yen Adrian Paul Honorary Black belts Barack Obama[86][87] Arnold Schwarzenegger[88][additional citation(s) needed] Vladimir Putin[89][f] Donald Trump[91][92][93][94] Zlatan Ibrahimovic See also icon Society portal Martial arts portal Para Taekwondo Taekwondo Life Magazine Taekwondo student oath Taekwondo in India Notes  Namely Shotokan and Shudokan, which served as basis for styles practiced by the original nine Kwans.  Used by Chung Do Kwan and Moo Duk Kwan  Used by Yun Mu Kwan/Jidokwan and YMCA Kwon Bop Bu/Chang Moo Kwan  Was an early name of Taekwondo before Choi Hong-hi managed to convince the organization to adopt the name Taekwondo instead.  Tang Soo Do, Chung Do Kwan  World Taekwondo stripped Putin's Honorary belt after he started the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[90]

PicClick Insights - Child Actor Autograph Tae Kwon Do Karate Signed Photo Very Young Ernie Reyes Jr PicClick Exclusive

  •  Popularity - 1 watcher, 0.0 new watchers per day, 24 days for sale on eBay. Normal amount watching. 0 sold, 1 available.
  •  Best Price -
  •  Seller - 808+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Great seller with very good positive feedback and over 50 ratings.

People Also Loved PicClick Exclusive