Taekkyon is an ancient form of unarmed self-defense from Korea. The name was first mentioned in the book Manmulbo, published around 1790 by Lee, Sung-Ji. Before that, it was known as Subak.
History of Taekkyon
The history of Taekkyon is not entirely clear; some people claim it was a folk sport, where the sole purpose was to unbalance the opponent.
However, it is generally believed to have originated from Subak and later became popular among the common people, evolving into a sport. The painting Dae Kwae Do from 1846 likely depicts two Taekkyon practitioners.
Taekkyon might have been lost if Shin Han-seung had not come into contact with Song Dok-ki around 1971, probably one of the last Taekkyon practitioners.
During the Japanese colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945, it was forbidden for Koreans to practice their own martial arts, which nearly led to the disappearance of Taekkyon.
From 1971 onwards, the two men worked on further developing and promoting Taekkyon. This even led to it being designated as an ‘intangible cultural asset’ (registration no. 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 traditional Korean Taekkyon.
The principles of the two sports differ vastly. Taekkyon is much more rhythmic and ‘softer’ than taekwondo. In Taekkyon, every kick is essentially a push, and it also includes many throws and push-and-pull movements.
Taekkyon exams
Traditionally, Korean martial arts, including Taekkyon, had no grading system. Nowadays, like in other modern Korean martial arts, exams can be taken to achieve higher ranks.
A system of geup and dan ranks is used. The student’s rank is indicated by a colored sash and/or a different uniform.
Taekkyon in modern times
Today, it is represented in Korea by several different organizations and is steadily growing. In 1984, Lee Yong-bok founded the ‘Korea Traditional Taekgyeon Institute’ to promote Taekkyon.
In Korea, Taekkyon competitions were held for the first time in Busan in 1985. Recently, various competitions were broadcast on Korean television (KBS), which gave a huge boost to the sport’s growth and popularity.
Internationally, however, growth has been limited, with only small groups practicing the sport here and there.
