Tae Kwon Do originated in Korea, supposedly more than 2000 years ago. Of course, it wasn't called Tae Kwon Do then. a bunch of different fighting styles with different names were united into what we now know as Tae Kwon Do (officially named in 1955) by General Choi Hong Hi. These older styles were developed to be effective in combat, and the modern martial style, Tae Kwon Do, like its predecessors, was intended as a combat style by General Choi Hong Hi, who required that it be taught to the Korean soldiers in training. Tae Kwon Do, in its original form was the equivalent to Krav Manga or any other military self-defense/fighting system that we know today.



Tae Kwon Do is now officially practiced in 120 countries, by more than 20 million people. Anyone who has seen an Olympic Tae Kwon Do match has to be asking himself whether the actions he is witnessing in the ring are in any way connected to any serious fighting style which was the equivalent to Krav Manga or any other military self-defense/fighting system that we know today.

Tae Kwon Do emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, using the leg's greater reach and power to disable the opponent from a distance. Tae Kwon Do training also includes a comprehensive system of punching, strikes with the hand, elbow, head, and knee. The Tae Kwon Do Olympic sport, however, is much more restricted. Tae Kwon Do Olympic sport rules limit blows to the foot and closed fore-fist only. No punching above the throat base is allowed, although kicks to the face are legal. Elbow strikes, knee strikes, knife hand strikes, backhand strikes, hammer fist, just to name a few examples, are now allowed. The areas that may be struck are also limited. Legal scoring areas are the mid -section of the trunk, and the front part of the head.

The Tae Kwon Do Olympic rules for awarding points have changed as well. The old phrasing, "Points are awarded when permitted techniques deliver full force, abrupt displacement and trembling shock to the legal scoring areas..." has changed to "Points shall be awarded when permitted techniques are delivered accurately and powerfully to the legal scoring areas...". The first version took into account the response of the opponent. You had to hit him hard enough to cause abrupt displacement and trembling shock. Not much room for doubt about abrupt displacement and trembling shock. The more recent version of Tae Kwon Do Olympic rules takes the response of the opponent out of the equation. Now you just have to hit accurately and powerfully. Talk about room for doubt.

It seems obvious that working with a set of rules that leave that much to a judges perception would rapidly adopt a technological solution, and that is just what has happened. Now, Tae Kwon Do allows the use of sensors in the competitors pads. These sensors record the placement and strength of the blow and decide whether a point is scored. Olympic Tae Kwon Do rules say: "In the use of electronic scoring trunk protector: Force of impact is measured by the electronic sensor of the protector with the level of force by which points are scored varying by weight division and sex." Of course, the opponent is still important in that his superior technique could keep you from hitting him, and at the same time allow him to hit you, however, his conditioning, building bone density, muscle layers, and body control, all of which allow him to be good at "taking a punch" are no longer at issue (beyond a certain basic level anyway) . What if it was decided that Tae Kwon Do could be made even more fair by having each fighter pitted against a robot, who would exhibit the same strength and strategy for each fighter? The opponent could be completely eliminated. That would of course eliminate the elements of any fighting sport that most appeals to audiences -- unpredictability. Having already eliminated reality, one might wonder if anyone would actually pay to watch such a match.