Tae Kwon Do can trace its early roots back thousands of years in one form or another. Having come from many different styles such as Judo, Karate and Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do has evolved over the centuries into its own distinctive martial arts style.
Japan occupied Korea in the early part of the 19th century and banned the practice of all military arts. In an effort to keep the Korean people subjugated, the Japanese also outlawed the Korean language and all books that were written in Korean. This lead to a rise in the popularity of Subak, an early form of Tae Kwon Do. Many Koreans organized themselves into underground groups and practiced the martial arts in remote Buddhist temples.
The first Taekwondo School (Kwan) was started in Yong Chun, Seoul, Korea in 1945. Many different schools were opened from 1945 through 1960. Each school claimed to teach the traditional Korean martial art, but each school emphasized a different aspect of Taek Kyon/Subak. These caused different names to emerge from each system, some of them were: Soo Bahk Do, Kwon Bop, Kong Soo Do, Tae Soo Do and Kang Soo Do.
After the Korean War ended, American servicemen returned home with this new and exciting martial art. Its popularity continues to rise worldwide. Tae Kwon Do along with Judo are the only martial arts recognized by the International Olympics.
Join us today here at Dragon Defense and become part of this art forms long and colorful history.