Taekyon
Encyclopedia
Taekkyeon is a traditional Korean martial art
with a dance-like appearance in some aspects. A Goguryeo
mural painting at the Samsil tomb shows Taekkyeon was practiced as early as the Three Kingdoms Era and transmitted from Goguryeo to Shilla. The earliest existing written source mentioning Taekkyeon is the book Manmulmo (also Jaemulmo), written around 1790 by Lee, Sung-Ji. Taekkyeon is also frequently romanized informally as Taekkyon or Taekyon.
.
Taekkyon is documented as a living martial art in an 1895 book on Korean sports and games.
Taekkyon took a severe blow when Neo-Confucianism
grew in popularity, and then the Japanese occupation nearly made the art extinct. Taekkyon has enjoyed a resurgence in the decades following the end of the Japanese colonial period in 1945. The last "Old-School" Taekkyon practitioner, Song Duk-Ki, maintained his practice of the Art throughout the Japanese occupation and subsequently laid the seeds for the arts' regeneration. He became the first human cultural asset in taekkyon. Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 76" on June 1, 1983. It is the only Korean traditional martial art which possesses such a classification.
Taekkyon contains many kinds of techniques, including hand and leg techniques as well as joint locks, and head butts. Today, however, different styles sometimes do not emphasize all techniques. In all styles, just like in past centuries, kicks are most dominant. Taekkyon teaches a great variety of kicks, especially low kicks such as (ddanjuk) and jumps.
The movements of Taekkyon are fluid and dance-like with the practitioners constantly moving. It is unique because of constant bending and streching of knees which is called o-kum jil. The motions of Taekkyon may be similar to the motions of Taekwondo
, but the techniques and principles differ a lot from those of other Korean martial arts. For example, Taekkyon does not make use of abrupt knee motions. The principles and methods used to extend the kick put more emphasis on grace rather than strength.
Taekkyon uses many sweeps with straight forward low kicks using the ball of the foot and the heel and flowing crescent-like high kicks. There are many kicks that move the leg outward from the middle, which is called gyot cha gi, and inward from the outside using the side of the heels and the side of the feet. The art also uses tricks like inward trips, wall-jumping, fake-outs, tempo, and slide-stepping. The art is also like a dance in which the fighter constantly changes stance from left to right by stepping forward and backwards with arms up and ready to guard.
Low kicks, frequent in Taekkyon, are used to block the opponents kick. These kicks include leg sweeps as well as direct blows to the knee. There are around 10 different basic techniques of this set of techniques called ddanjuk.
who was given national treasure
status by the South Korean government, died at the age of 94. Shortly afterward, in the same year, Shin Han-Seung (who was most responsible for the registration of Taekkyon as an intangible cultural asset) also died. Since this time, several Taekkyon associations which follow different goals are active.
The only authorized Taekkyon associations are:
Taekkyon is also taking root is other nations around the world with organizations in:
Korean martial arts
Korean martial arts are the martial arts that originated from Korea. Some well known Korean martial arts are hapkido, kuk sool won, and taekwondo. There has also been a revival of Korean sword arts as well as knife fighting and archery...
with a dance-like appearance in some aspects. A Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
mural painting at the Samsil tomb shows Taekkyeon was practiced as early as the Three Kingdoms Era and transmitted from Goguryeo to Shilla. The earliest existing written source mentioning Taekkyeon is the book Manmulmo (also Jaemulmo), written around 1790 by Lee, Sung-Ji. Taekkyeon is also frequently romanized informally as Taekkyon or Taekyon.
History of Taekkyon
The practice of Taekkyon never seems to have been widespread within the Korean peninsula, but it was practiced frequently around Hanyang, the capital city of the Chosun Dynasty. At the height of its popularity, even the king practiced Taekkyon, and Taekkyon matches were frequent. However, the next king outlawed Taekkyon matches, motivated by the gambling which took place around them - where people would gamble away their wives and houses - thus making it a purely military art. Subak split into two; yusul and Taekkyon, during the early Joseon DynastyJoseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
.
Taekkyon is documented as a living martial art in an 1895 book on Korean sports and games.
Taekkyon took a severe blow when Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism is an ethical and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....
grew in popularity, and then the Japanese occupation nearly made the art extinct. Taekkyon has enjoyed a resurgence in the decades following the end of the Japanese colonial period in 1945. The last "Old-School" Taekkyon practitioner, Song Duk-Ki, maintained his practice of the Art throughout the Japanese occupation and subsequently laid the seeds for the arts' regeneration. He became the first human cultural asset in taekkyon. Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 76" on June 1, 1983. It is the only Korean traditional martial art which possesses such a classification.
Techniques
The movements of Taekkyon are fluid and dance-like with the practitioners constantly moving. It is unique because of constant bending and streching of knees which is called o-kum jil. The motions of Taekkyon may be similar to the motions of Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, but the techniques and principles differ a lot from those of other Korean martial arts. For example, Taekkyon does not make use of abrupt knee motions. The principles and methods used to extend the kick put more emphasis on grace rather than strength.
Taekkyon uses many sweeps with straight forward low kicks using the ball of the foot and the heel and flowing crescent-like high kicks. There are many kicks that move the leg outward from the middle, which is called gyot cha gi, and inward from the outside using the side of the heels and the side of the feet. The art also uses tricks like inward trips, wall-jumping, fake-outs, tempo, and slide-stepping. The art is also like a dance in which the fighter constantly changes stance from left to right by stepping forward and backwards with arms up and ready to guard.
Low kicks, frequent in Taekkyon, are used to block the opponents kick. These kicks include leg sweeps as well as direct blows to the knee. There are around 10 different basic techniques of this set of techniques called ddanjuk.
As a sport
When Taekkyon is practiced in competition, it uses a limited subset of techniques, focusing on grappling and kicking only. Points are scored by throwing (or tripping) the opponent to the ground, pushing him out of the ring, or kicking him in the head. There are no hand strikes or headbutts, and purposefully injuring your opponent is prohibited. (The head kicks are often quite sharp, but usually not full force, and fighters may not attempt to wear the opponent down with body blows as in western boxing or muay thai). Matches are sometimes decided by the best of three falls—the first fighter to score two points wins. However, different modern associations employ slightly different rules. To an untrained eye, the matches are cautious but exhilarating affairs. The contestants circle each other warily, changing their footwork constantly and feinting with low kicks, before exploding into a flurry of action which might leave one fighter flat on his/her back.Modern development
In 1987, the most important man for the transmission of Taekkyon, Song Duk-kiSong Duk-ki
Song Duk-ki was a taekkyeon master who was critically responsible for preserving the art, and thus designated by the South Korean government as a national treasure.- External links :*...
who was given national treasure
National treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of Romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology which supports the nation as the fundamental unit of human social life, which includes shared...
status by the South Korean government, died at the age of 94. Shortly afterward, in the same year, Shin Han-Seung (who was most responsible for the registration of Taekkyon as an intangible cultural asset) also died. Since this time, several Taekkyon associations which follow different goals are active.
The only authorized Taekkyon associations are:
- The Korea Taekkyon Association (KTA)
- The Korea Traditional Taekgyeon Association (KTTA)
- The Kyulyun Taekyun Association (KTK)
- The World Witdae Taekkyeon Organization
Taekkyon is also taking root is other nations around the world with organizations in:
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- Korean martial artsKorean martial artsKorean martial arts are the martial arts that originated from Korea. Some well known Korean martial arts are hapkido, kuk sool won, and taekwondo. There has also been a revival of Korean sword arts as well as knife fighting and archery...
- Korean culture
- TaekwondoTaekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
- HwarangHwarangThe Hwarang, or "Flower Boys"., were an elite group of male youth in Silla, an ancient Korean kingdom that lasted until the 10th century. There were educational institutions as well as social clubs where members gathered for all aspects of study, originally for arts and culture steeped mainly in...
- HapkidoHapkidoHapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
- Soobahkdo
External links
- Taekkyeon battle
- Traditional Taekkyon association
- Kyulyun Taekkyun association
- Korea Taekkyon Federation
- The neutral German Taekkyon organisation (also in English), links to all Taekkyon associations
- Taekkyon Korea
- Antonio Graceffo writes about learning taekkyon in Korea
- Taekkyon History
- Principles of Taekkyon Skills
- World Widae Taekkyeon Organization
- Taekkyon USA