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, there are also people who claim that it was a popular sport, where the sole purpose was to unbalance the opponent. In general, however, it is assumed that it originated from the Subak and later also found its way to the common people where it grew into a sport. The painting Dae Kwae Do from 1846 probably depicts two practitioners of Taekkyon.
Taekkyon might have been lost if Shin Han-seung had not come into contact with Song Dok-ki, probably one of the last Taekkyon practitioners, around 1971. During the Japanese colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945, it was forbidden for Koreans to practice their own martial arts, and this almost led to the loss of Taekkyon. From 1971 onwards, the two gentlemen worked on the further development and promotion of Taekkyon. This even led to it being awarded the predicate 'intangible cultural asset' (registration number 76) by the Korean government in 1983.
Taekkyon is not , as is often assumed, the predecessor of modern taekwondo . Or rather: taekwondo does not have its origins in traditional Korean Taekkyon. The principles of both sports are very different from each other. Taekkyon is much more rhythmic and 'softer' than taekwondo . In Taekkyon, every kick is actually a push, and it also has many throws and pushing and pulling movements.
Taekkyon exams
Traditionally, Korean martial arts, and therefore also Taekkyon, did not have a grading system . Nowadays, as in other modern Korean martial arts, exams can be taken to obtain the next grades. A system of geup and dan grades is used. The grade of the student is indicated by a colored sash and/or another uniform.
Taekkyon in modern times
Today it is represented in Korea by a number of different organizations, and is growing steadily there. In 1984, Lee Yong-bok founded the 'Korea Traditional Taekkyeon Institute' for the dissemination of Taekkyon. In Korea and in 1985, Taekkyon competitions were held for the first time in Busan. Recently, several competitions have been shown on Korean television (KBS), which has given a huge boost to the growth and popularity of the sport. Internationally, however, growth has been limited, with small groups here and there practicing the sport.
