Taekkyon is an ancient form of unarmed self-defense from Korea. The name is first mentioned in the book Manmulbo, published around 1790 by Lee, Sung-Ji. Before that time, it was known as Subak.
History of Taekkyon
The history of Taekkyon is not entirely clear; some people even claim that it was a folk sport, where the sole purpose was to unbalance the opponent.
Generally, however, it is believed that it originated from Subak and later gained popularity among the common people, where it developed into a sport. The 1846 painting Dae Kwae Do probably depicts two practitioners of Taekkyon.
Taekkyon might have been lost if, around 1971, Shin Han-seung hadn't come into contact with Song Dok-ki, probably one of the last Taekkyon practitioners.
During the Japanese colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945, Koreans were forbidden to practice their own martial arts, and this almost led to the loss of Taekkyon.
From 1971 onwards, the two men worked on the further development and promotion of Taekkyon. This even led to it being designated an 'intangible cultural asset' (registration number 76) by the Korean government in 1983.
Taekkyon is not , as is often assumed, the precursor of modern taekwondo . Or rather: taekwondo does not originate from the traditional Korean Taekkyon.
The principles of the two sports differ greatly. Taekkyon is much more rhythmic and 'softer' than taekwondo. In Taekkyon, every kick is actually a push, and it also features many throws and push-and-pull movements.
Taekkyon exams
Traditionally, Korean martial arts, including Taekkyon, did not have a grading system . Nowadays, as with other modern Korean martial arts, exams can be taken to achieve the next rank.
The system uses a system of ranks and then grades. The student's rank is indicated by a colored sash and/or a different uniform.
Taekkyon in the modern era
Today, it is represented in Korea by a number of different organizations, and is steadily growing there. In 1984, Lee Yong-bok founded the 'Korea Traditional Taekgyeon Institute' for the dissemination of Taekkyon.
The first Taekkyon competitions were held in Busan, Korea, in 1985. Recently, several competitions were shown on Korean television (KBS), which gave a huge boost to the growth and popularity of the sport.
Internationally, however, growth has been limited, with only small groups practicing this sport here and there.
